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HIGHLIGHTS from National Postsecondary Student Aid Study: 2000

 

Publication Date: August 2000

Author: OPE | Office of the Assistant Secretary of the OPE

Summary: HIGHLIGHTS from National Postsecondary Student Aid Study: 2000

Posted on August 3, 2000

HIGHLIGHTS from National Postsecondary Student Aid Study:

Student Financial Aid Estimates for 1999-2000 (the full report can be downloaded from the NCES Web site <http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2001209>)

The estimates in this report are based on information from 50,000 undergraduates, 11,000 graduate students and 1,000 first-professional students enrolled at approximately 1,000 postsecondary institutions at any time during the 1999-2000 academic year. Unless otherwise noted, all average amounts of aid described here and presented in the tables reflect the weighted means and are based only on the amounts received by recipients of the specified aid. Highlights are presented separately for undergraduates and graduate and first-professional students.

Among the 16.5 million undergraduates (including full-time and part-time students) enrolled during 1999-2000:

· Fifty-five percent of undergraduates (about 9.2 million) received some type of financial aid, averaging $6,265 (table 1, 2). Overall, about two out of five undergraduates (39 percent) received some type of federal aid, averaging about $5,230 (table 3, 4).

· Percentages of undergraduates receiving federal aid varied depending on family income and type of institution. Among dependent students, percentages receiving federal aid ranged from 70 percent of undergraduates from families with incomes of less than $20,000 to about 25 percent of undergraduates from families with incomes of $100,000 or more. Among independent students, 67 percent of those with incomes less than $10,000 received some federal financial aid (table 3).

· Percentages of undergraduates receiving federal aid ranged from 21 percent at public 2-year institutions to 80 percent at private for-profit institutions (table 3).

· Forty-seven percent of undergraduates at private not-for-profit 4-year institutions received some institutional aid, averaging about $6,760 (table 3, 4).

· About one of every eight dependent undergraduates (13 percent) came from families with income less than $20,000 (table 6). Among Title IV aid recipients who were dependent on their parents for financial support, 21 percent had incomes less than $20,000 (table 6). Three of every eight independent undergraduates (38 percent) who received Title IV aid had family incomes less than $10,000 (table 7).

· Among students enrolled full time for the full year at one institution, about 30 percent received a federal Pell grant, averaging $2,281 (table 8, 9).

· Nearly one of every four undergraduates (23 percent) received a federally subsidized Stafford loan, averaging about $3,214 (table 8, 9).

· Among the Title IV loan recipients enrolled in private not-for-profit, doctorate-granting institutions, the average loan amount was $5,161. At private not-for-profit non-doctorate-granting 4-year institutions, the average received was $5,095 (table 9).

· Among the Title IV loan recipients enrolled in public doctorate-granting institutions, the average student loan amount was $4,743. At public non-doctorate-granting 4-year institutions, the average received was $4,225 (table 9).

· Fifty-four percent of students enrolled in private for-profit less-than-2-year institutions received a Title IV loan; the average received was $4,878 (table 8, 9).

· Among full-time, full-year students, about 39 percent at public 2-year, 56 percent of those at public 4-year institutions and 67 percent of those at private not-for-profit 4-year institutions received some Title IV financial aid (table 10).

· Among aided undergraduates, 40 percent received grants only; 13 percent received loans only; 26 percent received grants and loans; 8 percent received grants, loans, and work-study; and the remaining 13 percent received other combinations of aid (table 12B).

Among the 2.7 million graduate and first-professional students (including full-time and part-time students) enrolled during 1999-2000:

· About six of every ten graduate/first-professional students received some financial aid averaging $13,255. Eight of every 10 full-time/full-year students (82 percent) received some type of financial aid, averaging almost $19,600. First-professional students received an average of about $21,500 (table 13, 14).

· Overall, 29 percent of graduate and first-professional students received Stafford loans, averaging nearly $12,850. Average amounts borrowed varied considerably by degree program. For example, about 73 percent of first-professional students took out loans, compared to 26 percent for master’s students and 21 percent for doctoral students (table 13, 14).

· Overall, 27 percent received some institutional aid, averaging about $9,840; but this varied considerably depending on the type of program. For example, 22 percent of students in master’s degree programs compared to 58 percent of students in doctoral degree programs received some institutional aid (table 13, 14).

· About one in four master’s degree students received employer aid, averaging about $3,840. About 11 percent of doctoral students and 5 percent of first-professional students received employer aid (table 13, 14).

If you have any questions about National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, please contact Aurora M. D’Amico on 1-(202) 502-7334, or via email at Aurora.D’Amico@ed.gov or adamico@inet.ed.gov.