NCES Releases New Data on Postsecondary Enrollment, Graduation Rates, and Finances

Today, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released a very interesting and timely report on postsecondary education. Among figures on postsecondary enrollment and graduation, the NCES report includes a section on financing postsecondary education—a topic of enduring interest, but particularly so in times of economic challenge and as a new class of high school seniors enter the final stretch of their secondary education.

 According to the report:

  • During the 2008-09 academic year, institutions reported that 79 percent of the 3.1 million full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates attending Title IV institutions[1] located in the United States received financial aid.
  • Institutions reported that approximately 51 percent of full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students borrowed through an education loan program during the 2008-09 academic year.
  • Differences in average price of attendance before aid and average net price of attendance[2] after grant aid varied by institution sector for full-time, first-time undergraduate students receiving any grant aid. For those attending public 4-year institutions, average price before aid was $16,271 and average net price was $10,747; for those attending private not-for-profit 4-year institutions, average price before aid was $31,401 and average net price was $19,009; and for those attending private for-profit 4-year institutions, average price before aid was $26,976 and average net price was $23,057.

To view the full report please visit http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2011230

Note: This blog post was originally authored under the auspices of the National High School Center at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). The National High School Center’s blog, High School Matters, which ran until March 2013, provided an objective perspective on the latest research, issues, and events that affected high school improvement. The CCRS Center plans to continue relevant work originally developed under the National High School Center grant. National High School Center blog posts that pertain to CCRS Center issues are included on this website as a resource to our stakeholders.


[1] Title IV institutions are any institution that participates or is applying to participate in any federal financial assistance program authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. Accordingly, 6,896 institutions and 83 administrative offices (central or system offices) in the United States and other jurisdictions were expected to participate in the spring 2010 collection upon which the NCES report draws. Response rates were nearly 100%.

[2] Net price of attendance is calculated as the institution’s price of attendance before aid minus the average grant aid received by the students whose net price is being described. The calculation of net price of attendance does not include loan aid.

 

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