2008 National Student Postsecondary Aid Study (NSPAS) Finds 66 Percent of Undergraduates Received Aid

The National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences has released the first round of results from the 2008 National Student Postsecondary Aid Study (NPSAS:08). The First Look report focuses on the types and sources of student financial aid, including loans and grants from federal, state, and institutional resources. This nationally representative study provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive look at postsecondary student characteristics and student financial aid for the 2007-08 academic year.

Selected NPSAS:08 Findings:

Nearly two-thirds (66 percent) of all undergraduates received some type of financial aid. For those receiving any aid, the total average amount was $9,100.
About one-half (52 percent) of all undergraduates received grant aid, and more than one-third (38 percent) obtained student loans. The average grant amount was $4,900, and the average loan amount was $7,100.
Nearly one-half (47 percent) of all undergraduates received some type of federal student aid. About one-fourth (28 percent) received an average of $2,800 in federal Pell grants, and about one-third (35 percent) obtained an average of $5,100 in federal student loans.
Among undergraduates financially dependent on their parents, 28 percent came from families with incomes under $40,000 and another 28 percent from families with incomes of $100,000 or more.
Three-fourths (74 percent) of all graduate students received some type of financial aid, with an average amount of $17,600. Forty-three percent took out an average of $18,500 in student loans, and about one-fifth (22 percent) received tuition aid from their employers.

NPSAS:08 Data

NPSAS:08 data are a rich source of information on student demographics, family background, education and work experiences, and student financial aid, including federal, state, institutional, and other sources. The NPSAS:08 study contains a sample of 128,000 students which represent 21 million undergraduates and 3 million graduate students enrolled in postsecondary education anytime between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008.

Using NPSAS:08 Data

Need benchmarking or comparative aid data for your state or region, but having no resources to gather the data yourself? Come to the hands-on training session on National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) at NASFAA's 2009 National Conference from July 12-15 in San Antonio and learn how to navigate the national database.

Conducted by Dr. Tracy Hunt-White, Statistician from National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), this session will provide a hands-on demonstration and training regarding how to use NCES data to answer your financial aid questions. Attendees will get a brief overview of the postsecondary datasets available from NCES and go through several exercises to build tables using the 2007-08 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) . A reference handout and supplemental exercises will be provided for additional training. Since this is a hands-on training, participants will need to bring your own wireless-ready notebook computers in order to get benefit from the hands-on experience. This session is part of NASFAA Research Committee's effort to bring data research tools to aid administrators. Seats in this session are limited to the first 25.

Media Coverage

Two-Thirds of Students Get Financial Aid, Federal Report Says The Chronicle of Higher Education

By Haley Chitty
NASFAA Director of Communications

Posted 04/15/09 to www.NASFAA.org. Redistribution to non-NASFAA institutions is prohibited. Please submit Web site questions or comments to Web@NASFAA.org.