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Department of Education

STUDENT AID OVERVIEW

Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Request

CONTENTS

Page

Federal Student Aid Programs ................................................................................................ O-1

Student Aid Reform Proposals ................................................................................................ O-2

Student Aid Programs Output Measures................................................................................. O-6

Program Performance Information .......................................................................................... O-8
STUDENT AID OVERVIEW

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Federal Student Aid Programs 

(Higher Education Act of 1965, Title IV)

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2021 Authorization: Indefinite

Budget Authority:

Period of fund availability: 

2020

Appropriation Footnote

2021

Request Footnote

Change from

2020 to 2021Footnote

Grants and Work Study:

Pell Grants

Pell Grant Discretionary funding $22,475,352 $22,475,352 0

Pell Grant Mandatory funding 7,143,0001 7,009,0001 -134,000

Subtotal, Pell Grants 29,618,352 29,484,352 -134,000

Federal Supplemental Educational 

Opportunity Grants 865,000 0 -865,000

Federal Work Study 1,180,000 500,000 -680,000

Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants 463 0 -490

TEACH Grants2 3,2653 27,6033 24,338

Total, Grants and Work-Study 31,667,080 30,011,955 -1,655,152

Net Loan Subsidy, Loans:4

Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) 6,394,3645 -466,3186 -6,860,682

Federal Direct Student Loans 72,164,1437 -8,327,040 -80,491,183

NOTE: Table reflects discretionary and mandatory funding.

1 Amounts appropriated for Pell Grants for 2020 and 2021 include mandatory funding provided in the Higher 

Education Act, as amended, to fund both the base maximum award and add-on award. 2 TEACH Grants is operated as a credit program. Amounts reflect the new loan subsidy, or the net present value of 

estimated future costs.

3 The FY 2020 amount includes a net downward reestimate of $25.4 million due primarily to lower than anticipated 

volume in fiscal years 2017-2019. The amount for FY 2021 reflects new loan subsidy. 4Total net subsidy in any fiscal year reflects the estimated net cost of the loan program for that fiscal year. It includes 

both positive and negative subsidies and upward and downward impacts of reestimates and modifications of existing 

loans. A negative subsidy occurs when the present value of cash inflows to the Government is estimated to exceed 

the present value of cash outflows. Negative subsidy is reported (as negative outlays) to a negative subsidy receipt 

account.

5Budget authority for FFEL does not include the FFEL Liquidating account. Amount for 2020 reflects a net upward 

reestimate of $6.3 billion and an upward modification of $0.1 billion. This amount also includes reestimates related to 

the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans (ECASLA) Act. 6The 2021 amount includes a net downward modification to reflect the policy proposal to eliminate Account 

Maintenance Fees.

7Amount for 2020 includes a net upward reestimate of $63.2 billion, primarily due to updated IDR income 

assumptions using newly available IDR application data. The 2020 amount also includes a modification of $50 million 

to reflect a temporary expansion of Public Service Loan Forgiveness (TEPSLF) as passed by Congress in the 

Department’s 2020 Appropriations Act and $435 million for a modification associated with the regulatory action to 

provide proactive discharge (unless the borrower elects to reject the discharge) to borrowers for whom the 

Department of Veteran Affairs provides information showing the borrower has a total and permanent disability.
STUDENT AID OVERVIEW

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FY 2021 BUDGET PROPOSAL 

The Federal student aid programs provide grant, loan, and work-study assistance to help 

students afford a postsecondary education, find employment in today’s workforce, and realize 

the lifelong benefits of a higher education. Recognizing the significant growth in the scope and 

complexity of FSA’s responsibilities since its establishment as a performance-based 

organization more than 20 years ago, the President’s Budget proposes the evaluation of 

Federal Student Aid (FSA) as a separate organization, with reformed governance. The budget 

request focuses on reducing the complexity of student financial aid, encouraging responsible 

borrowing, and aligning education to the needs of the workforce. The request supports 

expanding Pell Grant eligibility for high-quality, short-term programs; making Pell Grants 

available to certain incarcerated students to improve employment outcomes, reduce recidivism, 

and facilitate successful reentry to society; and reforming the existing Federal Work-Study 

(FWS) program to support workforce and career-oriented training opportunities for low-income 

undergraduate students. The request also includes proposals that address student debt by 

streamlining student loan programs and repayment options; instituting sensible and reasonable 

annual and lifetime loan limits for parents and graduate students; and redirecting inefficient 

subsidies to prioritize debt relief for undergraduate borrowers struggling to repay. The fiscal year 

2021 request makes available $125 billion in new Federal student aid in fiscal year 2021, 

including over $30 billion in Pell Grants and $94 billion in student loans (excluding consolidation 

loans). Nearly 10.5 million students will use these resources in their efforts to complete 

postsecondary education. 

This overview discusses the Administration’s proposed package of initiatives and reforms that 

will not only better target aid to students but will also improve student success. Current student 

aid programs are described in detail under the Student Financial Assistance account, the 

TEACH Grants account, and the Student Loans Overview. The costs and reforms associated 

with administering the student aid programs are presented in the Student Aid Administration

account. 

STUDENT AID REFORM PROPOSALS

Evaluation of a Separate Federal Student Aid

Today, FSA manages the servicing of one of the largest consumer loan portfolios in the world. 

In addition, FSA provides oversight for more than 6,000 institutions of higher education that 

participate in the Title IV programs; develops and implements the Free Application for Student 

Aid (FAFSA) process; and secures the data of the over 40 million Americans with Federal 

student loans. Recognizing the significant growth in the scope and complexity of FSA’s

responsibilities since its establishment as a performance-based organization more than 20 

years ago, the President’s Budget proposes the evaluation of FSA as a separate organization, 

with reformed governance. An updated governance model could significantly increase FSA’s 

ability to serve students and taxpayers by improving its management, oversight, and 

administration of the Federal student aid programs.
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Protect Pell Grants and Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants

Pell Grants are the foundation of low- and middle-income students’ financial aid package to 

which other forms of aid are added. The Administration’s fiscal year 2021 budget would fully 

fund the Pell Grant program in 2021, maintaining a $6,345 maximum award in 2021-2022, while 

ensuring the program remains on stable financial footing. The budget would also restore nearly 

$400 a year to each recipient of an Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant (IASG) by protecting 

those grants from sequestration cuts just like Pell Grants. Moving IASG into the Pell Grant 

program will ensure the children of our fallen service members receive a full aid award, without 

any other changes to the program’s benefits or eligibility. 

Expand Pell Grant Eligibility to High-Quality Short-Term Programs

Americans are often unable to access education and training programs that would provide them 

with the skills needed to secure well-paying jobs in high-demand fields. Postsecondary 

programs that could help address this problem are often ineligible for Federal student aid due to 

time and program length requirements. Federal law should facilitate, not impede, students 

getting the skills they need to secure well-paying jobs. To that end, the Administration’s fiscal 

year 2021 budget proposes to expand Pell Grant eligibility to students enrolled in high-quality, 

short-term programs that lead to a credential, certification, or license in a high-demand field. 

Expand Pell Grant Eligibility to Certain Incarcerated Students

Today, one and a half million Americans are in Federal or State prisons across the country. 

More than 95 percent of these prisoners will eventually leave prison, reenter society, and face 

the challenge of securing jobs and reintegrating their lives. Research shows that correctional 

education reduces the likelihood of recidivism, benefitting the individual and saving taxpayers 

reincarceration costs1. The budget proposes to expand Pell Grant eligibility to incarcerated 

students who are within five years of their likely release and enroll in programs that prepare 

them for high-demand occupations. 

Reform Campus-Based Aid Programs

Most of the roughly 6,000 institutions of higher education that participate in the Federal Pell 

Grant and/or Federal student loan programs also participate in one or more of the Federal 

campus-based aid programs. While all institutions are eligible to participate in the campusbased programs, antiquated statutory formulas with stringent hold-harmless provisions have 

resulted in institutional allocations that are not well-targeted to students who most need the aid.

Consistent with the President’s call to bolster effective workforce development programs, the 

budget proposes to reform Federal Work-Study (FWS) from a model that mostly provides 

subsidized employment for campus-based jobs for higher income undergraduate and graduate 

students to a program that supports workforce and career-oriented training opportunities for lowincome undergraduate students. The fiscal year 2021 request also proposes to focus scarce 

funds on the neediest students by reforming the institutional allocation formula to take greater 

1 https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR266.html
STUDENT AID OVERVIEW

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consideration of the institution’s enrollment of Pell Grant recipients. Institutions could fund 

individual students through subsidized employment, paid internships, or other placements

without limitation on the type of organization where the placement occurs, provided those 

placements are career or academically relevant. Schools could also serve groups 

of students through programs and initiatives that expose students to, or build preparedness for, 

careers.

The President’s fiscal year 2021 Budget also proposes to eliminate the Supplemental 

Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) program, which is largely duplicative with the Pell Grant 

program and does not effectively deliver need-based aid to the neediest students. 

Student Loan Policies

The Administration’s fiscal year 2021 budget request addresses student debt by streamlining 

student loan programs and repayment options, instituting sensible and reasonable annual and 

lifetime loan limits for parents and graduate students, and redirecting inefficient subsidies to 

prioritize debt relief for undergraduate borrowers.

All policies referenced for student loans would apply to loans originated on or after July 1, 2021, 

with an exception for students who borrowed their first loans prior to July 1, 2021 and are

borrowing to complete their current course of study. These policies together would save 

taxpayers approximately $169 billion over ten years.

Protect Students and Taxpayers from Growing Student Loan Burden

The budget protects graduate and parent borrowers from racking up crushing debt – and 

taxpayers from the cost of forgiving excessive balances – by instituting sensible annual and 

lifetime loan limits. The budget proposes to set an aggregate limit on Parent PLUS loans for 

undergraduate students of $26,500 — the difference between the dependent undergraduate 

aggregate limit of $31,000 and the independent undergraduate aggregate limit of $57,500. In 

addition, dependent undergraduate students would be eligible to borrow an additional amount 

(up to the independent undergraduate limit) if the parent has already reached the new Parent 

PLUS limit. The budget also proposes to set annual and aggregate limits of $50,000 and 

$100,000 respectively for graduate students, exclusive of any undergraduate borrowing. 

In addition, the budget provides higher education institutions greater flexibility to ensure their 

students avoid excessive student loan debt and are able to repay their loans. As such, the 

request proposes to provide financial aid administrators greater latitude to limit excessive loan 

borrowing and to allow schools to condition students’ loan disbursements on mandatory annual 

financial literacy training (i.e., loan counseling). 

Simplify Student Loan Programs 

The current Federal student loan system is unnecessarily complex for borrowers to navigate. 

The Administration proposes to simplify the student loan programs by providing one loan option, 

all with reasonable limits, to each type of borrower (undergraduate, graduate, and parent). The 

Budget proposes to consolidate all undergraduate borrowing under the Unsubsidized Stafford 

loan program. Graduate student borrowing would additionally be simplified by consolidating all 
STUDENT AID OVERVIEW

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graduate borrowing under one graduate loan program with the same corresponding loan terms 

and conditions as current Graduate PLUS loans. (Note that in the following tables, figures for 

this loan program will be shown in 2021 under Grad PLUS). Parent borrowers would still be able 

to take advantage of the Parent PLUS loan program with the limit described above. 

Simplify Student Loan Repayment

In recent years, income-driven repayment (IDR) plans, which offer borrowers the option of 

making affordable monthly payments based on factors such as income and family size, have 

grown in both popularity and projected cost. However, choosing and enrolling in the right 

repayment plan is overly complicated by the numerous repayment plans required by statute and 

regulation to be offered to borrowers. In addition, the benefits provided by these plans are not 

currently focused on the most vulnerable student borrowers.

The Administration proposes to greatly simplify student loan repayment by consolidating five 

IDR plans into a single plan. The Single IDR plan would set a borrower’s monthly payment at 

12.5 percent of discretionary income, while eliminating the standard repayment cap to ensure 

that high-income, high-balance borrowers make payments commensurate with their income. 

Married borrowers who file separately would have their payments determined based on both 

their and their spouse’s income. For borrowers with undergraduate student debt only, any 

balance remaining after 15 years of repayment would be forgiven. For borrowers with any 

graduate debt, any balance remaining after 30 years of repayment would be forgiven. To further 

improve and simplify loan repayment, the fiscal year 2021 budget request proposes autoenrolling severely delinquent borrowers in the Single IDR plan. 

While retaining teacher loan forgiveness programs in order to incentivize more high-quality 

teachers to teach in high-need schools and subjects, the fiscal year 2021 budget proposes 

eliminating inefficient subsidies to help put the nation on a more sustainable fiscal path and 

prioritize expedited debt relief for undergraduate borrowers struggling to repay. These 

proposals include eliminating Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Subsidized Stafford loans, and 

the payment of Account Maintenance Fees to guaranty agencies. 

Increase Institutional Accountability

Investing in higher education generally provides strong value for students and taxpayers. 

However, some institutions consistently fail to deliver a quality education that enables students 

to successfully repay Federal student loans — leaving borrowers and taxpayers holding the bill. 

A better system would require postsecondary institutions accepting taxpayer funds to share a 

portion of the financial responsibility associated with student loans. 
STUDENT AID OVERVIEW

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STUDENT AID PROGRAMS OUTPUT MEASURES

Aid Available to Students

(dollars in millions)

Output Measures 2019Footnote 2020Footnote 2021Footnote

Pell Grants $28,247 $29,597 $30,348

Supplemental Educational Opportunity 

Grants 1,155 1,189 0

Federal Work Study 1,152 1,204 504

Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants 0.445 0.523 01

Subtotal, New Grant Aid 30,554 31,991 30,853

New Student Loans:

Stafford Loans New 19,419 19,686 15,733

Unsubsidized Stafford Loans New 47,823 48,861 46,130

Parent PLUS Loans New 12,514 12,893 13,025

Grad PLUS Loans New 10,904 11,268 18,872

TEACH Grants2 New 86 92 94

Subtotal, New Student Loans 90,6613 92,7083 93,8543

Total 121,301 124,790 124,706

NOTES: 

Detail may not add to total aid available due to rounding.

Shows total aid generated by Department programs, including institutional matching funds generated by the SEOG 

and Work-Study programs. Aid available may differ from appropriated amounts for a given fiscal year.

1 Value in 2021 reflects policy to make Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants part of the Pell Grant program. 2 For budget and financial management purposes, this program is operated as a loan program under the Federal 

Credit Reform Act of 1990.

3 Excludes loans issued to consolidate existing loans (Consolidation Loans), which total $39.9 billion in 2019, $39.8 

billion in 2020, and $40.0 billion in 2021.

.
STUDENT AID OVERVIEW

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Number of Student Aid Awards

(in thousands)

Output Measures 2019Footnote 2020Footnote 2021Footnote

Pell Grants 6,673 6,834 7,086

Supplemental Educational 

Opportunity Grants 1,718 1,769 0

Federal Work-Study 700 731 315

Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants N/A1 N/A1 02

Subtotal, New Grant Aid 9,091 9,334 7,401

New Student Loans:

Stafford Loans New 5,536 5,623 4,479

Unsubsidized Stafford Loans 7,464 7,581 7,448

Parent PLUS Loans New 875 882 903

Grad PLUS Loans New 595 602 882

TEACH Grants New 31 32 32

Subtotal, New Student Loans 14,5023 14,7203 13,7873

Total 23,593 24,054 21,146

NOTE: 

Detail may not add to total due to rounding.

1 N/A denotes number of recipients will not exceed 500.

2 Value in 2021 reflects budget policy to make Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants part of the Pell Grant program.

3 Excludes loans issued to consolidate existing loans.

Number of Postsecondary Students Aided by Federal Student Aid Programs

Count 2019 2020 2021

Unduplicated Count (in thousands) 10,235 10,428 10,499
STUDENT AID OVERVIEW

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Program Performance Information 

Performance measures

This section presents selected program performance information, including, for example, the 

Government Performance Results Act (GPRA) goals, objectives, measures and performance 

targets and data; and an assessment of the progress made toward achieving program results.

Achievement of program results is based on the cumulative effect of the resources provided in 

previous years and those requested in fiscal year 2021 and future years, as well as the 

resources and efforts invested by those served by this program.

Because Federal student assistance grant and loan programs rely on the same program data, 

performance indicators and strategies that apply to these programs are grouped here in the 

Student Aid Overview and are not repeated in justifications for the Student Financial 

Assistance program account or in the Student Loans Overview.

Goal: To help ensure access to high-quality postsecondary education by providing 

financial aid in the form of grants, loans, and work-study in an efficient, financially 

sound, and customer-responsive manner.

Objective: Ensure that low- and middle-income students will have the same access to 

postsecondary education that high-income students do.

Measure: College enrollment rates: Postsecondary education enrollment rates will increase 

each year for all students, while the enrollment gap between low- and high-income and minority 

and non-minority high school graduates will decrease each year.

Year

Target: Total Percentage 

Enrolled

Actual: Total Percentage 

Enrolled

2016 68% 69.8%

2017 68 66.7

2018 68 69.1

2019 68

2020 68

2021 68
STUDENT AID OVERVIEW

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Year

Target: Percentage point 

difference between White and 

Black high school graduates 

ages 16-24 enrolling 

immediately in college

Actual: Percentage point 

difference between White and 

Black high school graduates 

ages 16-24 enrolling 

immediately in college

2016 5.25% 12.40%

2017 5.25 9.70

2018 5.25 6.40

2019 5.00

2020 5.00

2021 5.00

Year

Target: Percentage point 

difference between White and 

Hispanic high school 

graduates ages 16-24 enrolling 

immediately in college

Actual: Percentage point 

difference between White and 

Hispanic high school 

graduates ages 16-24 enrolling 

immediately in college

2016 8.00% -2.30%

2017 8.00 8.10

2018 8.00 5.40

2019 7.00

2020 7.00

2021 7.00

Additional information: The overall enrollment rate in postsecondary education following high 

school dipped below the target in 2017; however, it increased to 69.1 percent in 2018. The 

Department believes its commitment to the Student Financial Assistance programs and 

proposed reforms in the Administration’s fiscal year 2021 budget request will continue to 

encourage and allow more low-income students to enroll in postsecondary education programs

— and provide them the means to remain in school — than would be the case in the absence of 

the Federal student financial assistance programs.

The gap between White and Black high school graduates enrolling in college immediately after 

high school decreased to 6.40 percentage points in 2018, above the target of 5.25 percentage 

points, but lower than the gap of 12.40 percentage points observed in 2016 and 9.70 

percentage points in 2017. 

The metric that measures the gap between White and non-White Hispanic high school 

graduates who enroll immediately in college spiked to 8.10 percentage points in 2017, which 

was slightly above its target; however, the gap has decreased to 5.40 percentage points in 

2018. In 2016, the percentage of Hispanic high school graduates enrolling in college 

immediately after high school was higher than the percentage of White high school graduates

for the first time. The Department remains committed to furthering equal educational opportunity 

and will continue to pursue policies to support this important goal. 
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Data for the measures above are taken from the Digest of Education Statistics1 (Digest), 

published annually by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Refer to the 

technical information provided in the Digest by NCES when interpreting year-to-year changes in 

the data. 

Objective: Ensure that more students will persist in postsecondary education and attain 

degrees and certificates.

Measure: Graduation rate: Graduation rates for all full-time, degree-seeking students in 4-year 

and less than 4-year programs will improve, while the gap in graduation rates between minority 

and non-minority students will decrease, as will the gap between students receiving Pell and 

those not receiving need-based Title IV aid. 

Year

Target: Students graduating 

with a 4-year degree within 

150 percent of the normal time 

required

Actual: Students graduating 

with a 4-year degree within 

150 percent of the normal time 

required

2016 66% 60.0%

2017 66 60.8

2018 66 62.8

2019 66

2020 66

2021 66

Year

Target: Students graduating 

with a less-than-4-year degree

within 150 percent of the 

normal time required

Actual: Students graduating 

with a less-than-4-year degree

within 150 percent of the 

normal time required

2016 46% 32.8%

2017 46 33.9

2018 46 34.8

2019 46

2020 46

2021 46

1 https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/
STUDENT AID OVERVIEW

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Year

Target: Percentage point 

difference between White and 

Black first-time, full-time 

students graduating with a 

4-year degree within 150 

percent of the normal time 

required

Actual: Percentage point 

difference between White and 

Black first-time, full-time 

students graduating with a 

4-year degree within 150 

percent of the normal time 

required

2016 15.6% 24.4%

2017 15.6 24.6

2018 15.6 23.5

2019 15.6

2020 15.6

2021 15.6

Year

Target: Percentage point 

difference between White and 

Hispanic first-time, full-time 

students graduating with a 

4-year degree within 150 

percent of the normal time 

required

Actual: Percentage point 

difference between White and 

Hispanic first-time, full-time 

students graduating with a 

4-year degree within 150 

percent of the normal time 

required

2016 8.5% 9.4%

2017 8.5 9.4

2018 8.5 9.2

2019 8.5

2020 8.5

2021 8.5

Year

Target: Percentage point 

difference between White and 

Black first-time, full-time 

students graduating with a 

less-than-4-year degree within 

150 percent of the normal time 

required

Actual: Percentage point 

difference between White and 

Black first-time, full-time 

students graduating with a 

less-than-4-year degree within 

150 percent of the normal time 

required

2016 5.1% 9.2%

2017 5.1 8.3

2018 5.1 7.4

2019 5.1

2020 5.1

2021 5.1
STUDENT AID OVERVIEW

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Year

Target: Percentage point 

difference between White and 

Hispanic first-time, full-time 

students graduating with a 

less-than-4-year degree within 

150 percent of the normal time 

required

Actual: Percentage point 

difference between White and 

Hispanic first-time, full-time 

students graduating with a 

less-than-4-year degree within 

150 percent of the normal time 

required

2016 0.7% 2.5%

2017 0.7 2.9

2018 0.7 4.7

2019 0.7

2020 0.7

2021 0.7

Year

Target: Percentage point 

difference between first-time, 

full-time students graduating 

with a 4-year degree within 150 

percent of the normal time 

required who received a Pell 

Grant and those who did not

Actual: Percentage point 

difference between first-time, 

full-time students graduating 

with a 4-year degree within 150 

percent of the normal time 

required who received a Pell 

Grant and those who did not

2016 18.4%

2017 19.8

2018 18.5

2019 TBD

2020 TBD

2021 TBD

Year

Target: Percentage point 

difference between first-time, 

full-time students graduating 

with a less-than-4-year degree 

within 150 percent of the 

normal time required who 

received a Pell Grant and those 

who did not

Actual: Percentage point 

difference between first-time, 

full-time students graduating 

with a less-than-4-year degree 

within 150 percent of the 

normal time required who 

received a Pell Grant and those 

who did not

2016 1.5%

2017 0.6

2018 0.8

2019 TBD

2020 TBD

2021 TBD

Additional Information: The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking students 

graduating with a 4-year degree within 150 percent of the normal time increased from 60.8 

percent in 2017 to 62.8 percent in 2018. The percentage of students completing a less-than-4-

year degree increased from 33.9 percent in 2017 to 34.8 percent in 2018. The graduation rates 

for both 2- and 4-year degree levels observed in 2018 were below the targets established for 

this measure.
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The completion gap between White and Black students who were enrolled in 4-year degree 

programs decreased slightly from 2017 to 2018 (24.6 percentage points to 23.5 percentage 

points). The gap observed in 2018 remains larger than the targets established in 2018 and 

future years. The completion gap between Pell recipients and non-Pell recipients decreased 

from 2017 to 2018 (19.8 percentage points to 18.5 percentage points). The overall 150 percent 

completion rate for students receiving Pell grants who were enrolled in 4-year degree programs 

was 50.6 percent in 2018.

From 2017 to 2018, the difference between the percentages of White and Black students 

graduating from less-than-4-year degree programs within 150 percent of the normal time

decreased by 0.9 percentage points to 7.4 percentage points — outside of the goal of 5.1 

percentage points. In 2017, Hispanic students graduated within 150 percent of the normal time 

at less-than-4-year programs at a lower rate than White non-Hispanic students with a gap of 2.9 

percentage points, and the gap further increased in 2018, with White non-Hispanic students 

graduating at a higher rate by 4.7 percentage points compared to Hispanic students. From 2017 

to 2018, the difference between the percentages of Pell recipients and non-Pell recipients 

graduating from less-than-4-year degree programs within 150 percent of the normal time 

increased very slightly but remains at a very small difference of 0.8%. The overall 150 percent 

completion rate for students receiving Pell grants who were enrolled in less-than-4-year degree 

programs was 34.5 percent in 2018.

Data for the measures supporting this objective are collected through the Graduation Rate 

Survey conducted as part of the annual Integrated Postsecondary Student Aid Study (IPEDS).

Some figures were revised to match IPEDS tables including completion data for Pell recipients, 

which has recently been made available. The Pell graduation rate is a new measure, and the 

Department plans to establish targets in the near future. The Department will continue to 

evaluate current performance measures and, where appropriate, revise these measures and 

goals.

Program Improvement Efforts

The Department is exploring ways to gather detailed program and student outcome data for

program-specific measures that will provide reliable indicators of program effectiveness.

Efficiency Measures

The Department is reassessing the efficiency measures for the individual student financial aid 

programs. The results of this reassessment will reflect proposed program changes and be 

incorporated into future budget requests.