43rd Annual Survey Report on State-Sponsored Student Financial Aid, 2011-2012 Academic Year
Author: National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs (NASSGAP)
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Expenditures,State Aid,Student Financial Aid,Grants,Tuition,National Surveys,Merit Scholarships,Awards,Financial Support,Undergraduate Students,Graduate Students,Student Loan Programs,Financial Needs,Geographic Location,Scholarships

This report provides data regarding state-funded expenditures for student financial aid and illustrates the extent of efforts made by the states to assist postsecondary students. Information in this report is based on academic year 2011-12 data from the 43rd Annual National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs (NASSGAP) survey. Data highlights include: (1) In the 2011-12 academic year, the states awarded about $11.1 billion in total state funded student financial aid, an increase of about 0.7 percent in nominal terms, but a decrease of 0.7 percent in constant dollar terms from the $11 billion in aid awarded in 2010-11; (2) The majority of state aid remains in the form of grants. In 2011-12, almost 4.2 million grant awards were made representing about $9.4 billion in need and nonneed-based grant aid. This represents an increase of about 1.7 percent from the $9.2 billion in grants awarded in 2010-11. Of the grant money awarded in 2011-12, 74 percent was needbased and 26 percent was nonneed-based, a notable increase in the percentage of need-based aid from previous years; (3) Funding for undergraduate need-based grant aid increased nationwide from about $6.4 billion in 2010-11 to about $6.8 billion in 2011-12, an increase of 6 percent. In nominal terms; (4) Eight states (California, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey, Washington and North Carolina) collectively awarded about $4.8 billion in undergraduate need-based grant aid, accounting for about 70 percent of all aid of this type; and (5) States provided about $1.7 billion in nongrant student aid, including loans, loan assumptions, conditional grants, work -study, and tuition waivers, down almost 4 percent from last year. Loans and tuition waivers accounted for 76 percent of nongrant funds awarded. Most states reported state-funded undergraduate programs with a need component, however, four states reported no need based aid programs. Twenty six states identified undergraduate programs which made awards based only on merit. Exclusively need-based aid constituted 47 percent of all aid to undergraduates, exclusively merit-based aid accounted for 19 percent, with the rest, 34 percent, accounted for by other programs and by programs with both need and merit components. The amount of undergraduate aid awarded in 2011-12 through programs with a merit component remained level at about $3.9 billion. This compares to $4.7 billion awarded to undergraduates through programs based only on need. South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Washington DC provided the greatest amount of grant aid on a per capita basis. South Carolina. Georgia, and Tennessee provided the most undergraduate grant dollars compared to undergraduate full time equivalent enrollment. South Carolina, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington had the highest proportion of total expenditures for state-funded grants compared to State fiscal support for higher education. [For the &quot;42nd Annual Survey Report on State-Sponsored Student Financial Aid, 2010-2011 Academic Year,&quot; see ED533145.]