More than 60 percent of Pell Grants cover the total price of college attendance

More than 60 percent of Pell Grant recipients at 4-year institutions received federal student loans to cover the total price of college attendance in four academic years between 2003-04 and 2015-16.

A new NCES Data Point report, Trends in Ratio of Pell Grant to Total Price of Attendance and Federal Loan Receipt, examines Pell Grants in relation to the total price of attendance by control and level of institution for four academic years: 2003–04, 2007–08, 2011–12, and 2015–16. Total price of attendance includes tuition and fees, plus the cost of room and board, books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses.

The findings include the following:

• Overall, Pell Grants covered 24 percent of the total price of attendance, with the exception of 2007-08, when Pell grants covered 20 percent of the total price of attendance.
• Pell Grants covered a higher percentage of the total price of attendance for students at public 2-year institutions compared to all other institutions.
• A smaller percentage of Pell Grant recipients at public 2-year institutions received federal student loans compared to all other institutions.
• Pell Grant recipients at private nonprofit 4-year and private for-profit institutions had higher rates of federal loan receipt than public institutions.

This is a revision to an earlier Data Point, which lacked the full definition of what is included in the total price of attendance. This report uses data from four iterations of the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study.