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The recent focus on student debt makes reliable data about how much students are borrowing, how borrowing patterns differ among students across different types of institutions and at different levels of enrollment, and about changes over time particularly important. While total student borrowing has grown rapidly over the past decade, the rate of growth has decreased in recent years. The total volume of education loans disbursed doubled from $55.7 billion (in 2011 dollars) to $113.4 billion between 2001-02 and 2011-12. Over these years, the number of Stafford Loan borrowers almost doubled, while the average amount borrowed from subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford Loans combined increased by 8%, from $7,627 (in 2011 dollars) to $8,230. The growth rate in education loans from 2001-02 to 2011-12 was "slower" than over the previous decade, when the total grew 150%, from $22.3 billion (in 2011 dollars) to $55.7 billion. Moreover, the total volume of education loans disbursed increased by 64% in inflation-adjusted dollars between 2001-02 and 2006-07, and the growth rate slowed to 24% over the next five years. In 2011-12, undergraduate students received an average of $13,218 per full-time equivalent (FTE) student in financial aid, including $6,932 in grant aid from all sources, and $5,056 in federal loans. Federal grant aid almost tripled in constant dollars between 2001-02 and 2011-12, increasing from 20% to 26% of the total $185.1 billion in undergraduate aid. The number of students receiving Pell Grants, the central federal grant program providing funding for low- and moderate-income students, increased from 2.7 million in 1981-82 and 3.8 million in 1991-92 to 4.3 million in 2001-02 and to 9.4 million (37% of all undergraduates) in 2011-12. The composition of student aid is very different for undergraduates than for graduate students. In 2011-12, the estimated 25.5 million undergraduates received 51% of their aid in the form of grants, 40% as loans, and 9% in a combination of tax credits or deductions and Work-Study. For the 3.9 million graduate students, these percentages were 29%, 68%, and 3%, respectively. Total education borrowing, including federal student and parent loans, as well as nonfederal loans, declined by 4% in real terms between 2010-11 and 2011-12--the first decline in at least 20 years. However, the 2011-12 total of $113.4 billion was 24% higher than five years earlier. Only 2% of students who first enrolled in 2003-04 had borrowed more than $50,000 from federal and nonfederal sources combined by 2009. Over 40% did not borrow and another 25% borrowed $10,000 or less. (Contains 21 tables and 57 figures.) [This paper was written with the assistance from Charles Kurose.]

This policy brief provides data on enrollments, prices, student characteristics, student aid, and completion rates at for-profit postsecondary institutions. The evidence provided in this paper is intended to inform discussions of the rapid growth of the sector in recent years. (Contains 4 tables, 5 figures and 3 endnotes.)

"Trends in Student Aid," an annual College Board publication since 1983, is a compendium of detailed, up-to-date information on the funding that is available to help students pay for college. This report sorts aid into grants, loans, tax benefits, and Federal Work-Study assistance. It documents funding from federal and state governments, colleges and universities, employers, and other private sources. It examines changes in funding levels over time, reports on the distribution of aid across students with different incomes and attending different types of institutions, and tracks the debt students incur as they pursue the educational opportunities that can increase their earnings, open doors to new experiences, and improve their ability to adapt to an ever-changing society. This report presents the trends in student aid for 2011. In 2010-11, undergraduate students received an average of $12,455 per full-time equivalent (FTE) student in financial aid, including $6,539 in grant aid, $4,907 in federal loans, and $1,009 in a combination of tax credits and deductions and Federal Work-Study (FWS). In 2010-11, 46% of all grant aid (and 51% of undergraduate grant aid) came from the federal government. Ten years earlier, only 29% of all grant aid (and 34% of undergraduate grant aid) was federal. The distribution of subsidies from federal education tax benefits changed considerably with the introduction of the American Opportunity Tax Credit in 2009. The percentage of savings from credits and deductions going to taxpayers with incomes below $25,000 increased from 5% in 2008 to 17% in 2009. The percentage of savings going to those with incomes above $100,000 increased from 18% in 2008 to 26% in 2009. Total education borrowing, including federal student and parent loans, as well as nonfederal loans, increased by about 2% from 2009-10 to 2010-11. Borrowing per FTE student declined by about 2% overall, after adjusting for inflation. Lists sources. (Contains 1 table and 30 figures.) [This paper was written with the assistance from Michael Hurwitz, Kathleen Little, Jennifer Ma, and Anne Sturtevant. For related reports, see "Education Pays, 2010: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society. Trends in Higher Education Series" (ED526357) and "Trends in College Pricing, 2011. Trends in Higher Education Series" (ED526358).]

Students who attend institutions of higher education obtain a wide range of personal, financial, and other lifelong benefits; likewise, taxpayers and society as a whole derive a multitude of direct and indirect benefits when citizens have access to postsecondary education. Accordingly, uneven rates of participation in higher education across different segments of U.S. society should be a matter of urgent concern not only to the individuals directly affected, but also to public policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels. This report presents detailed evidence of the private and public benefits of higher education. It also sheds light on the distribution of these benefits by examining both the increases and the persistent disparities in college participation and completion. (Contains 48 figures.) [For related reports, see "Trends in Student Aid, 2011. Trends in Higher Education Series" (ED526356) and "Trends in College Pricing, 2011. Trends in Higher Education Series" (ED526358).]

This report, based on the College Board's Annual Survey of Colleges, provides updated information on tuition and other expenses associated with attending public and private nonprofit institutions of postsecondary education in the United States in the 2003-2004 academic year. The annual survey is distributed to more than 2,800 postsecondary institutions across the country to collect information about enrollment, admissions, degrees and majors, tuition, financial aid, and other aspects of undergraduate education. For the 2003-2004 academic year, the average tuition and fees for in-state students at public 4-year colleges and universities is $4,694, up from $4,115 in 2002-2003, an increase of 14.1%. Because room and board charges increased at the lower rate of 6.6%, the increase in average total charges at 4-year public colleges and universities for 2003-2004 was 9.8%, to $10,636. Tuition and fees at public 2-year colleges, averaging $1,905 in 2003-2004, are only about 40% of these at public 4-year institutions. However this year's increase represents a rise of 13.8%. Private colleges posted smaller percentage increases in their tuition and fees. Average 4-year private college tuition and fees rose by 6.0%, to $19,710. Almost 60% of undergraduates receive some form of financial aid to help them pay for college. Estimates suggest that in 2002-2003, grant aid averages almost $2,000 per student in 2-year colleges, more than $2,400 at public 4-year institutions, and about $7,300 at private 4-year institutions. About 29% of undergraduate students at 4-year colleges and universities full time are enrolled in institutions charging less than $4,00 in tuition and fees, and almost 70% face published tuition charges of less than $8,000. As in previous years, data show that the cost associated with not going to college is likely to be much greater than the costs of attendance. (Contains 6 figures and 15 tables.) (SLD)