National Postsecondary Student Aid Study

National Postsecondary
Student Aid Study (NPSAS)

The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) examines the characteristics of students in postsecondary education, with special focus on how they finance their education.

What percentage of college students receive some type of financial aid?
In 2015-16, about 72 percent of undergraduate students received some form of financial aid, which includes grants, loans, and work-study.

How much is the average amount of aid received?
Among undergraduate students, the average amount of aid received from any sources was $12,300 in 2015-16.

What percentage of undergraduates receive veterans benefits?
In 2015-16, approximately 3 percent of undergraduates received veterans’ education benefits.

What are the major types of financial aid that undergraduates receive?
The major types of financial aid are grants, student loans, and work-study.

What percentage of graduate students receive employer support?
In 2015-16, about 14 percent of graduate students received employer support.

What percentage of undergraduates participate in work-study?
In 2015-16, about 5 percent of undergraduates participated in work-study.

How much is the average work-study award?
The average work-study award was $2,300 in 2015-16.

What percentage of undergraduates are Pell grant recipients?
Thirty-nine percent of undergraduates received a Pell grant in 2015-16.

What percentage of undergraduates received federal Direct loans?
36 percent of undergraduates received federal Direct loans in 2015-16. 32 percent received subsidized Direct loans and 30 percent received unsubsidized Direct loans.

How much is the average federal Direct loans?
Among undergraduate students, the average federal subsidized Direct loan was $3,700 and the average unsubsidized Direct loan was $4,000 in 2015-16.

What percentage of undergraduates received student loans from any source?
About 39 percent of undergraduates received student loans from any source in 2015-16.

What percentage of undergraduates received any federal aid?
Fifty-five percent of undergraduate received federal aid in 2015-16.

How much is the average amount of federal aid received by undergraduates?
Among undergraduate students who received federal aid, the average amount received was $8,600 (including student loans).

What percentage of undergraduates received state aid?
In 2015-16, approximately 22 percent of undergraduates received state aid.

What percentage of undergraduates received institutional aid?
In 2015-16, about 25 percent of undergraduates received institutional aid.

National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) Features

Nationally representative cross-sectional study of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in postsecondary education
First conducted in 1987; most recent data from 2015-16
Examines the characteristics of students in postsecondary education, with a special focus on how they finance their education
Connects multiple data sources including student interviews, institution records, government databases, and other administrative sources
State-representative data for most states available from NPSAS:18-AC (expected fall 2021)

DataLab

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Information for Survey Participants

Institutions – NPSAS:20 institution data collection activities ended in January 2021.
Students – NPSAS:20 student data collection activities ended in January 2021.

Highlights

September 2021: Updated Online Data Tools in DataLab. NCES has released a new, updated version of DataLab, a platform of web-based tools that provide the public with access to data collected through NCES studies. For more information, go to: https://nces.ed.gov/datalab.
September 2021: First Look report presents findings from the 2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC). This report describes the percentages of students receiving various types of financial aid and average amounts received, by type of institution attended and institution state. For more information, go to: https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2021476.
June 2021: First Look report presents preliminary findings on the early impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on undergraduate student enrollment, housing, and finances from the 2019–20 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:20). For more information, go to: https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2021456.

Related Longitudinal Studies

Beginning
Postsecondary
Students

Baccalaureate
and Beyond

Historical Background

The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) is a study of financial aid that NCES has conducted since 1987. The study collects comprehensive data about how students and their families pay for postsecondary education and also serves as the foundation and base year cohort for the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS) and Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B).

The Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS) tracks first-time students’ pathways through postsecondary education over the course of six years, focusing on persistence and degree attainment, transition to employment, and school and work experiences. National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) administrations in 1990, 1996, 2004, 2012, and 2020 (forthcoming) identified the BPS cohorts.

The Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B) follows bachelor’s degree recipients over the course of 10 years, collecting data on workforce participation, income and debt repayment, and graduate school patterns. National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) administrations in 1993, 2000, 2008, and 2016 identified the B&B cohorts.

NCES collects transcript data from postsecondary institutions for various longitudinal studies, including the Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS) and Baccalaureate and Beyond (B&B) longitudinal studies. Postsecondary Education Transcript Study (PETS) collections allow further examination of course-taking patterns, credit transfer, student momentum and attrition, and the connections among students’ education choices, occupations, and wages. Transcripts were most recently collected for the BPS:12 cohort. Postsecondary education transcript collections include:

1984 – NLS-72
1993 – HS&B
1994 – B&B:93
2000 – NELS:88
2010 – BPS:04
2010 – B&B:08
2014 – ELS:2002
2017 – HSLS:09
2018 – BPS:12

NPSAS – National Postsecondary Student Aid Study
NPSAS:AC – National Postsecondary Student Aid Study: Administrative Collection
BPS – Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study
B&B – Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study
PETS – Postsecondary Education Transcript Studies

*Awarded but not yet funded