Yesterday, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) published a report summarizing fall 2011 employment data and academic year 2010-11 student financial aid data submitted by all Title IV institutions to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System ().
Here are some of the findings:
ON EMPLOYMENT:
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Public institutions offered more employment opportunities to graduate students than private ones: fully 17% of the public institutions鈥� labor force was composed of graduate students, while the figure stood at 7% for private non-profits and 0.3% for private for-profit institutions.
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Private for-profit institutions relied heavily on part-time instructors: 86% of the staff engaged in instruction, research and/or public service at these institutions was reported as part-time, while 36% of public institution instructional staff and 30% of private nonprofit institution instructional staff fell in that category.
ON FINANCIAL AID:
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For those attending public four-year institutions, average cost of attendance before aid was approximately $17,600 and net price was about $11,000; for those attending nonprofit institutions, average cost before aid was twice as high 鈥� approximately $34,000 鈥� while net price was about $19,800; finally, for those attending for-profit institutions, average cost before aid was approximately $27,900 and net price was about $22,500. The average cost of attendance includes tuition and required fees, books and supplies, room and board, and other expenses.
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An analysis of the average amount of total Title IV aid received by students per income category demonstrates public institutions鈥� focus on targeting those most in need: public institutions covered 53% of the total cost for students with family income below $30,000, and only 10% of the cost for students with family income above $110,000. The following table provides more detail on the comparable figures for private institutions.
Average Title IV aid
and average price before aid by type of institution,
academic year
2010-11
| Family Income Level | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0鈥�30,000 | $30,001鈥�48,000 | $48,001鈥�75,000 | $75,001鈥�110,000 | $110,001+ | |
| Public | |||||
| Average Aid | 9,288 | 7,869 | 4,742 | 2,328 | 1,703 |
| Aid Ratio | 53% | 45% | 27% | 13% | 10% |
| Avg. Net Price | 8,286 | 9,705 | 12,832 | 15,246 | 15,871 |
| Private Nonprofit | |||||
| Average Aid | 18,190 | 17,687 | 15,262 | 13,090 | 10,515 |
| Aid Ratio | 54% | 52% | 45% | 39% | 31% |
| Avg. Net Price | 15,798 | 16,301 | 18,726 | 20,898 | 23,473 |
| Private For Profit | |||||
| Average Aid | 5,472 | 4,517 | 2,467 | 962 | 853 |
| Aid Ratio | 20% | 16% | 9% | 3% | 3% |
| Avg. Net Price | 22,336 | 23,292 | 25,342 | 26,847 | 26,956 |
The release of this information by the NCES coincides with an emerging effort aimed at 鈥渞eimagining aid design and delivery鈥� supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which was the subject of a . We will keep abreast of developments related to this effort and provide updates as more information emerges in the next few months.