44th Annual Survey Report on State-Sponsored Student Financial Aid: 2012-2013 Academic Year
Author: National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs (NASSGAP)
Date: 2013-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: State Aid,Student Financial Aid,College Students,Postsecondary Education,Surveys,Resource Allocation,Grants,Undergraduate Students,Student Needs,Student Loan Programs,Work Study Programs,Tuition,Geographic Location,Expenditures

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 2012-13 data from the 44th Annual NASSGAP survey. Highlights include: (1) In the 2012-13 academic year, the states awarded about $11.2 billion in total state funded student financial aid, an increase of about 1.3 percent in nominal terms, but a decrease of 0.6 percent in constant dollar terms from the $11.1 billion in aid awarded in 2011-12; (2) The majority of state aid (85 percent) remains in the form of grants. In 2012-13, almost 4.1 million grant awards were made representing about $9.6 billion in need and non-need-based grant aid. This represents an increase of about 2 percent from the $9.4 billion in grants awarded in 2011-12. Of the grant money awarded in 2012-13, 75 percent was need-based (up slightly from last year) and 25 percent was non-need-based; (3) Funding for undergraduate need-based grant aid increased nationwide from about $6.8 billion in 2011-12 to about $7.0 billion in 2012-13, an increase of about 3 percent in nominal terms; (4) Eight states (California, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey, Washington, and North Carolina) collectively awarded about $5 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 non-grant 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 48 percent of all aid to undergraduates, exclusively merit-based aid accounted for 19 percent, with the rest, 33 percent, accounted for by other programs and by programs with both need and merit components. The amount of undergraduate aid awarded in 2012-13 through programs with a merit component remained level at about $3.9 billion. This compares to $4.9 billion awarded to undergraduates through programs based only on need. South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Georgia provided the greatest amount of grant aid on a per capita basis. South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia provided the most undergraduate grant dollars compared to undergraduate full time equivalent enrollment. South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington, Pennsylvania, and Vermont had the highest proportion of total expenditures for state-funded grants compared to State fiscal support for higher education.