Percentage of Total Price of Attendance Covered by Pell Grants and Federal Loan Receipt of Pell Grantees

More than 60 percent of Pell Grant recipients at public 4-year institutions, private nonprofit 4-year institutions, and private for-profit institutions received federal student loans to cover the total price of college attendance in each selected academic year measured between 2003-04 and 2015-16 The National Center for Education Statistics releases a new Data Point report today July 9, entitled Trends in Ratio of Pell Grant to Total Price of Attendance and Federal Loan Receipt. This report examines the percentage of total price of attendance covered by Pell Grants by control and level of institution and the percentage of Pell Grant recipients who received federal student loans by control and level of institution for selected academic years between 2003-04 and 2015-16. The findings include the following: Overall, the percentage of total price of attendance covered by Pell Grants has remained consistent for selected years between 2003-04 and 2015-16, with the exception of 2007-08, which was lower. Pell Grants covered more of the total price of attendance for students at public 2-year institutions compared to all other institutions in all selected academic years between 2003-04 and 2015-16. Pell Grant recipients at public 2-year institutions received federal student loans at rates that were 40 to 68 percentage points lower than Pell Grant recipients at other types of institutions in all selected academic years between 2003-04 and 2015-16. This report uses data from four iterations of the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study.