Science and Engineering Indicators 2014

Map

U.S. map and list of abbreviation

Findings

• The total amount of state financial aid from grants provided to undergraduates doubled nationwide, increasing from $4.6 billion in 2001 to $9.1 billion in 2011.
• On a per-student basis, state funding for student grants across the United States increased from $613 per undergraduate in 2001 to $858 per undergraduate in 2011.
• There are major differences in the amount of state aid provided to undergraduate students in different states. State values for this indicator ranged from $16 to $2,553 in 2011. Seven jurisdictions averaged less than $100 per undergraduate student, while 14 provided more than $1,000 per student.
• Eleven states reported spending less per student for student financial aid in 2011 than in 2001, even though the cost of undergraduate education rose rapidly during this period.

Description

The cost of an undergraduate education can be reduced with financial assistance from the state or federal government or from an academic institution. This indicator is calculated by dividing the amount of financial support from state grants by the number of full-time undergraduate students who attend both public and private institutions in the state. A high value is one indicator of state efforts to provide access to higher education at a time of escalating undergraduate costs. The actual distribution of state grants to individual students may be affected by the percentage of undergraduates who are state residents.

This indicator should be viewed relative to the tuition charged to undergraduates in a state, as some states have chosen to subsidize tuition for all students at public institutions rather than provide grants. Other differences between states, such as the amount of scholarship aid available from other sources, the percentage of students attending out-of-state institutions, and their eligibility for state funding, mean that readers should exercise caution when making comparisons between states and examining changes over time.

Total state grant expenditures for financial aid include need-based and non–need-based grants. State assistance through subsidized or unsubsidized loans and awards to students at the graduate and first professional degree levels is not included. The year is the end date of the academic year. For example, data for 2011 represent costs for the 2010–11 academic year.

Data Table

Source Data

State Data Tool

The state data tool allows interactive exploration of the 58 indicators in this chapter. Users have the ability to choose and explore a single indicator in-depth, compare multiple indicators for preselected groups, customize their own graphics, or download data tables. Click the button below to get started.