Data obtained from a survey of financial aid administrators in institutions of higher education, conducted to document the status of this rapidly expanding profession on a national basis, is organized into seven major sections. They include: (1) basic characteristics, such as age, sex, racial/ethnic background, and educational level; (2) salary levels; (3) attitudes on adequacy of salary, authority, status levels, etc,; (4) office characteristics, such as staff size and responsibility for student employment; (5) external contacts with the U.S. Office of Education, Congress, or state agencies; (6) professional development, discussed in terms of compensation for conferences, course work, or membership in professional association; and (7) research activities. Responses to the survey are presented in bivariate format using the Crosstabs computer system, with each table including the number of respondents and percentages. Each series of tables is accompanied by a narrative that highlights some of the findings. The first appendix reports the salaries of financial aid directors by institutional type, control, size, and geographic area. The second and third appendices contain copies of the 1974 and 1977 survey questionnaires. A brief review of earlier research is included in the preface. (JMD)