Although the transition to adulthood after graduation can be difficult for any student, additional challenges remain for independent students. The authors define independent students as undergraduates between the ages of 18 and 24 who have no dependency on a parent or guardian, such as foster care alumni. It is important that higher education…

Data presented in these tables come from the 2004/09 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09), a study that followed first-time, beginning postsecondary students through their postsecondary education for a period of six years. These Web Tables disaggregate these students' persistence and attainment outcomes by their…

These tables show undergraduate Stafford loan borrowing rates and average Stafford loan amounts from 1989-90 to 2007-08, using data from six separate administrations of the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS): NPSAS:90, NPSAS:93, NPSAS:96, NPSAS:2000, NPSAS:04, and NPSAS:08. The estimates that appear in these tables reflect the newly…

This Postsecondary Education Descriptive Analysis Report uses data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Studies (NPSAS:96, NPSAS:2000 and NPSAS:04) to examine trends in Stafford loan borrowing among undergraduates. NPSAS consists of nationally representative survey data that focus on student financial aid and the enrollment and background…

Problems in defining the independent student are reviewed and the promise of California's Assembly Bill 4027 is described. It modifies the definition and focuses on establishing a different basis for distributing grant aid. (LBH)

This report provides a profile of undergraduates who were considered financially independent for the purpose of analyzing their financial aid need during the 1999-2000 academic year. The primary data source for this report was the 1999-2000 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:2000). As a nationally representative sample of…

The impact of completing a part-time degree course by one year of full-time study on the personal finances of the students is explored. Analysis indicates that students can normally increase their net incomes during the period of full-time study. (JMF)

Issues in student financial need analysis are considered, based on the work of the Committee on Standards of Ability to Pay (CSAP) of the College Scholarship Service. The three major sections of the paper concern: CSAP's preliminary recommendations for changes in the 1986-1987 Uniform Methodology; a review of some of the methodological issues that…

Application forms for the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant (BEOG) Program for 1974-1975 were compared to Internal Revenue Service (IRA) tax forms to determine the scope of applicants' misreporting and to identify categories of applicants who tend to misreport. A total of 70,063 tax forms and BEOG records from eligible and ineligible applicants…

The definition of independent student that is used in determining eligibility for federal student financial aid is examined, along with potential compliance problems for independent students and differential treatment of independent and dependent students. Major factors for defining independence for students receiving federal financial aid are:…

The nature and extent of misreporting by applicants for the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant program was investigated. Types of potential program abuse were assessed, along with the accuracy of income estimates that students make on Supplemental Basic Grant applications, which are the basis for determining a student's eligibility. Attention was…

Data that is needed on student financial aid applicants are discussed in hearings held as part of fact finding prior to reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Topics include: types of students who apply for student financial assistance, the income levels of their families, the types of institutions they choose, and the degree to which the…

Reporting of zero/low income by applicants for Basic Educational Opportunity Grants (BEOGs) was studied, with attention to the extent that such reporting was inaccurate. The BEOG applicant database was studied to gain understanding of the characteristics of those who report zero-income on Basic Grant applications. A random sample of 400,000 BEOG…

Definitions of manageable college student debts are discussed and one definition is applied to California data, using the Student Expenses and Resources Survey. Definitions proposed by Daniere, Hartman, and Horch define manageable debt levels in terms of future income. A comparison of the three proposals shows the number of years of repayment…

The social and economic characteristics of adult students enrolled in postsecondary schools (collegiate and noncollegiate) in spring 1976 are examined, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 1976 Survey of Income and Education. For students who were dependents, information is presented on their families. Findings include the following: adult…