From 2002-2003 to 2012-2013, the total amount of federal financial aid awarded to students under Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA) jumped from $82.7 billion to an estimated $169.7 billion, a 10-year increase of 105 percent. For 2012-2013, the Title IV programs accounted for 71 percent of the $238.5 billion in total financial aid received…

From 2001-2002 to 2011-2012, the total amount of federal financial aid awarded to students under Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA) jumped from $72.3 billion to an estimated $173.8 billion, a 10-year increase of 140 percent. For 2011-2012, the Title IV programs accounted for 71 percent of the $245 billion in total financial aid received by…

This First Look publication provides price estimates for attending postsecondary education institutions using data from the 2011-12 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:12), the most comprehensive, nationally representative survey of student financing of postsecondary education in the United States. The survey includes about 95,000…

This brief report presents selected findings about student financial aid during the 2011-12 academic year. These findings are based on data from the 2011-12 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:12), a nationally representative sample survey of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled any time between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012,…

Student loans, unlike grants and work-study, are borrowed money that must be repaid, with interest, just like car loans and home mortgages. You cannot have these loans canceled because you didn't like the education you received, didn't get a job in your field of study or because you're having financial difficulty. Loans are legal obligations that…

This guide describes the four types of loans offered by the Direct Loan Program[SM]: (1) Direct Subsidized Loans; (2) Direct Unsubsidized Loans; (3) Direct PLUS Loans; and (4) Direct Consolidation Loans. Among the topics covered in the guide are: Use of Your Loan Money, The Master Promissory Note, How Your Loans Will Be Disbursed (Paid Out),…

As college costs have soared and the U.S. economy struggles to move out of the recession, more and more Americans have relied on federal student financial assistance programs to help them meet their postsecondary expenses. Data from the Federal Student Aid (FSA), an office of the U.S. Department of Education (ED), show that the number of students…