RESEARCH TOOLS, TIPS, AND RESOURCES FOR FINANCIAL AID ADMINISTRATORS

RESEARCH TOOLS, TIPS, AND RESOURCES

FOR FINANCIAL AID ADMINISTRATORS

PRESENTERSMary Ann Coughlin, Springfield College, MABonnie Joerschke, Purdue University, INBarry Simmons, Virginia Polytechnic

Institute & State University, VA

SASFAA PRECONFERENCE WORKSHOP, FEBRUARY 11, 2007, NASHVILLE, TN

INTRODUCTIONAGENDA

9:00 a.m. Introduction and Goals 9:10 a.m. Why Conduct Research 9:30 a.m. COOL Demonstration10:00 a.m. EXPT Demonstration10:30 a.m. BREAK10:45 a.m. PAS Demonstration12:00 p.m. LUNCH12:45 p.m. National/Regional/State Sources 1:15 p.m. Institutional Sources 1:30 p.m. Research Tools

2:00 p.m. Hands On Exercises 2:50 p.m. Wrap Up 3:00 p.m. Close

GOALS

• Become familiar with information on your campus, the internet, or from external sources that will help you answer questions about your aid recipients or funds.

• Learn how to build comparative data.

• Provide an overview of available and frequently used financial aid databases and their limitations.

WHY CONDUCT RESEARCH?

Why Research?

• Compliance

• Federal Quality Assurance Program

• FISAP

• Donor Relations

• Defend/Support/Eliminate Programs

• Program Creation

Benchmarking

• Comparison group can be– Peer– Aspirational– Competitor– Predetermined

Program Creation Process

• Determine/Goal Outcome

• Build Conceptual Framework

• Secure Funding

• Develop Infrastructure

• Implement Infrastructure

• Evaluate Infrastructure Outcomes

IPEDS

THE INTEGRATED POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

DATA SYSTEM

LUNCH

NATIONAL/REGIONAL/STATE SOURCES


• Common Data Set – CDS

• Postsecondary Education Opportunity: Tom Mortenson’s Pell Report Card

• U.S. Department of Education

• Federation of State Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG)

• The College Board


• Grapevine

• The Institute for College Access and Success

• U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics

• State Grant Agencies or Higher Education Authority, Guarantors, etc.

• NASFAA


Common Data Set: www.commondataset.org– Collaborative effort between colleges and

publishers (College Board, Peterson’s, and U.S. News & World Report) to provide standard data items and definitions

– Set of standards and definitions of data items (not a survey instrument or set of data in a database.

http://www.commondataset.org/

NATIONAL/REGIONAL/STATE SOURCES—COMMON DATA SET

• Excellent source of information specific to an individual institution (e.g., financial need, indebtedness, need-based aid; grant or scholarship aid; self help aid, etc.)

• No central location of data; must search individual school’s website for comparative data

• Caution: school’s definition of a type of aid may differ from yours; requests completed data either for the prior year or estimated data for the current academic year. Be sure to compare same academic year data.

NATIONAL/REGIONAL/STATE SOURCES—COMMON DATA SET

Sect. A General InformationSect. B Enrollment DataSect. C First-Time FreshmenSect. D Transfer ActivitySect. E Academic OfferingsSect. F Student LifeSect. G ExpensesSect. H Financial AidSect. I Faculty/Class SizeSect. J Degrees Conferred

NATIONAL/REGIONAL/STATE SOURCES—Common Data Set

• Completing the Common Data Set” A Guide for Financial Aid Professionals, NASFAA Monograph Number 19, May 2006– Reports on some of the concerns in collecting and

reporting data– Provides advice on how to complete the college costs

and financial aid reporting requirements– Provides terminology and data definitions


• Postsecondary Education Opportunity (The Mortenson Research Seminar on Public Policy Analysis of Opportunity for Postsecondary Education.

• Password protected spreadsheets on the website (www.postsecondary.org) contain data on financial aid packages, gender, Pell Grants sorted by state, family income, etc.)

• Source of data: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

http://www.postsecondary.org/


U.S. Department of Education• Numerous data bases besides COOL/EXPT or

PAS. Including– NSLDS – COD Reports– National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

• National Education Data Resource Center (NEDRC) tables• Quick Tables• Data Analysis System (DAS)

– Central Processor: draws a sample of applicants quarterly for QC and research purposes


• Federation of State Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) www.uspirg.org/home/ – Data on student aid, college costs, textbook

prices, and student debt– Links to individual state PIRGs

• The College Board www.collegeboard.org– Trends in College Pricing: national trends in the

cost of attendance; tuition discounts, etc.– Trends in Student Aid: annual data on amount of

financial aid distributed to students

http://www.uspirg.org/home/

http://www.collegeboard.org/


• Grapevine www.coe.ilstu.edu/grapevine – Reports on state tax appropriations for the new fiscal

year– Available tables include: state tax appropriations per

capita; appropriations per $1,000 of personal income; state rankings on one, two, five and ten-year percentage changes; annual average five-year percentage changes in state tax appropriations; and state tax appropriations by region.

– Also includes a 50-state summary table showing total state tax appropriations for the current year and percent of changes over time (1, 2, 5, and 10 years).

http://www.coe.ilstu.edu/grapevine


• The Institute for College Access and Success www.economicdiversity.org – First publicly available source of campus-level data on

student income, race and ethnicity, and student loan usage that can be compared over time and across institutions.

– 200 different data elements for 3,000 colleges– Summary page available for institutional profiles– Comparison tool builds tables from selected variables

at the state, regional or national level. Table can be printed or downloaded into Excel files.

http://www.economicdiversity.org/


• U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics www.bls.gov/cpi. Provides an inflation calculator as well as individual indices for goods and services

CPI INFLATION CALCULATOR

http://www.bls.gov/cpi


• State Grant Agencies or Authorities, Guarantors, etc.– Source of state level data for colleges and

universities• For example: The Indiana Commission for Higher

Education provides a series of reports that contain information about Indiana postsecondary education.

• The “CHE Dynamic Report” soon to be available will allow users to make multiple selections for personalizing report information and analysis.


• National Assn. of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) www.nasfaa.org – Annotated Bibliography of Student Financial Aid: summaries of

student aid research

– National Profile of Federal Student Aid Programs: information about each program, number of students served and

appropriations.– Research Tools, Tips & Resources for Financial aid

Administrators– Staffing and Salary Tools & Models– So You’d Like to Do Some Research—An Introduction to the

New ERIC (Education Resources Information Center)

http://www.nasfaa.org/

INSTITUTIONAL SOURCES


• Annual Reports

• Data Digests

• Fact Books

• Data Warehouses

• Digital Dashboard (Desktop)


• Annual Report– Key document that delivers information about

your department – Various formats– Can be overwhelming task to create one– Tips:

• Create a schedule for writing and production• Involve members of staff--you do not have to do it

alone• Determine your target audience• Determine the theme/content of your report


• Annual Report– Excellent on-line source: “Creating an Annual Report

in Microsoft Word”, State Library of Iowa,

www.silo.lib.ia.us/for-ia-libraries/tell-library-story/Props/annual-reports/index.htm

• They state: “Annual reports are used by all kinds of institutions. . .as a public relations piece. They are a way of being accountable and proving your value. They can tell statistical stories, but they should also include some of the memorable highlights of the year…”

http://www.silo.lib.ia.us/for-ia-libraries/tell-library-story/Props/annual-reports/index.htm

http://www.silo.lib.ia.us/for-ia-libraries/tell-library-story/Props/annual-reports/index.htm

INSTITUTIONAL SOURCES—ANNUAL REPORT

PURDUE UNIVERSITY WEST LAFAYETTE

ACADEMIC YEAR NATIONAL AVERAGE* AVERAGE AWARD

1991-1992 $1,530 $1,531

1992-1993 $1,543 $1,550

1993-1994 $1,506 $1,450

1994-1995 $1,502 $1,445

1995-1996 $1,515 $1,431

1996-1997 $1,577 $1,488

1997-1998 $1,696 $1,579

1998-1999 $1,878 $1,749

1999-2000 $1,933 $1,799

2000-2001 $2,070 $1,985

2001-2002 $2,298 $2,234

2002-2003 $2,436 $2,436

2003-2004 $2,467 $2,471

2004-2005 $2,441 $2,474

2005-2006 $2,486 $2,495* Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Post Secondary Education (as reported on the ACE, Center for Policy Analysis website) and from FinAid.org website: Pell Grant

HISTORY OF AVERAGE FEDERAL PELL GRANT AWARDS

INSTITUTIONAL RESOURCES—ANNUAL REPORT

2005-2006 2004-2005 2003-2004 2002-2003 2001-2002 2000-2001 1999-2000 1998-1999 1997-1998 1996-1997

Number of Recipients 5,107 5,499 5,507 5,395 5,160 4,850 4,863 5,258 4,877 4,818

Total Dollars Received $12,740,069 $13,604,722 $13,606,513 $13,142,094 $11,528,126 $9,628,637 $8,749,179 $9,195,052 $7,700,701 $7,167,724

Average Award $2,495 $2,474 $2,471 $2,436 $2,234 $1,985 $1,799 $1,749 $1,579 $1,488

Undergraduate Enrollment * 32,291 32,198 32,377 32,461 32,648 32,668 32,526 32,038 30,850 30,213

Percent of Undergraduates with Pell Grants 15.8% 17.1% 17.0% 16.6% 15.8% 14.8% 15.0% 16.4% 15.8% 15.9%

*Revised 11-20-06 to include Statewide Technology Enrollment

PURDUE UNIVERSITY--WEST LAFAYETTE: TOTAL FEDERAL PELL GRANT RECIPIENTS


Resident: 2005-2006 2004-2005 2003-2004 2002-2003 2001-2002 2000-2001 1999-2000 1998-1999 1997-1998 1996-1997

Maximum Pell $4,050 $4,050 $4,050 $4,000 $3,750 $3,300 $3,125 $3,000 $2,700 $2,470

Average Pell per Purdue Student $2,443 $2,437 $2,453 $2,391 $2,190 $1,964 $1,791 $1,792 $1,553 $1,529

Fees/Tuition $6,458 $6,092 $5,860 $5,580 $4,164 $3,872 $3,724 $3,564 $3,370 $3,210

Percent of Fees Covered by Average Pell 38% 40% 42% 43% 53% 51% 48% 50% 46% 48%

Percent of Fees Covered by Maximum Pell 63% 66% 69% 72% 90% 85% 84% 84% 80% 77%

Nonresident: 2005-2006 2004-2005 2003-2004 2002-2003 2001-2002 2000-2001 1999-2000 1998-1999 1997-1998 1996-1997

Maximum Pell $4,050 $4,050 $4,050 $4,000 $3,750 $3,300 $3,125 $3,000 $2,700 $2,470

Average Pell per Purdue Student $2,690 $2,625 $2,543 $2,628 $2,450 $2,097 $1,833 $1,624 $1,686 $1,372

Fees/Tuition $19,824 $18,700 $17,640 $16,260 $13,872 $12,904 $12,348 $11,784 $11,170 $10,640

Percent of Fees Covered by Average Pell 14% 14% 14% 16% 18% 16% 15% 14% 15% 13%

Percent of Fees Covered by Maximum Pell 20% 22% 23% 25% 27% 26% 25% 25% 24% 23%

PURDUE UNIVERSITY--WEST LAFAYETTE: FEDERAL PELL GRANT RECIPIENTS BY RESIDENCY


FISCAL YEAR

RATE TYPE

PROGRAM TYPE

# BORROWERS

ENTERED REPMT &

DEFAULTED

# BORROWERS

ENTERING REPMT

COHORT DEFAULT

RATE

NATIONAL COHORT DEFAULT

RATE1987 Official FFEL 103 4786 2.2 17.61988 Official FFEL 89 4831 1.8 17.21989 Official FFEL 120 4412 2.7 21.41990 Official FFEL 101 3891 2.6 22.41991 Official FFEL 94 4002 2.3 17.81992 Official FFEL 113 3690 3.1 15.01993 Official FFEL 108 3888 2.7 11.61994 Official FFEL 136 4156 3.2 10.71995 Official FFEL 176 4379 4.0 10.41996 Official FFEL 239 4751 5.0 9.61997 Official FFEL 190 5196 3.6 8.81998 Official FFEL 164 5204 3.1 6.91999 Official FFEL 122 5249 2.3 5.62000 Official FFEL 142 5331 2.6 5.92001 Official FFEL 90 6431 1.3 5.42002 Official FFEL 84 4707 1.7 5.22003 Official FFEL 70 5287 1.3 4.52004 Official FFEL 39 4495 0.8 5.1

PURDUE UNIVERSITY - WEST LAFAYETTE

FEDERAL STAFFORD LOAN COHORT DEFAULT RATES


FISCAL YEAR

RATE TYPE

COHORT DEFAULT

RATE


RATEUniv. of Ill.

Ind. Univ.

Univ. of

Iowa

Univ. of

Mich.

Mich. State Univ.

Univ. of

Minn.

North-western

Univ.

Ohio State Univ.

Penn State Univ.

Univ. of

Wisc.1987 Official 2.2 17.61988 Official 1.8 17.21989 Official 2.7 21.41990 Official 2.6 22.41991 Official 2.3 17.81992 Official 3.1 15.01993 Official 2.7 11.61994 Official 3.2 10.7 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.8 4.9 3.5 1.4 5.5 3.0 2.91995 Official 4.0 10.4 4.8 4.8 3.7 4.0 5.0 5.1 1.3 6.3 3.5 2.51996 Official 5.0 9.6 4.0 5.3 3.5 3.8 5.4 3.5 1.7 4.4 4.1 2.81997 Official 3.6 8.8 4.5 5.3 4.2 4.2 6.4 4.6 1.6 6.9 4.9 1.81998 Official 3.1 6.9 3.4 4.3 3.7 2.8 5.0 3.1 1.4 5.0 3.8 2.11999 Official 2.3 5.6 2.4 4.4 3.1 2.6 3.9 1.9 0.6 4.3 3.2 1.02000 Official 2.6 5.9 2.4 4.8 3.2 2.3 3.4 2.6 0.5 3.9 3.3 1.22001 Official 1.3 5.4 1.7 3.9 2.4 2.4 2.7 2.3 0.7 4.2 4.2 1.22002 Official 1.7 5.2 1.6 3.2 2.2 1.7 2.4 2.0 0.9 3.7 3.8 1.02003 Official 1.3 4.5 1.3 2.4 1.8 1.2 1.9 1.6 0.8 2.7 2.6 0.82004 Official 0.8 5.1 1.4 2.3 1.5 1.2 2.3 1.6 0.9 2.9 2.9 0.3

PURDUE UNIVERSITY - WEST LAFAYETTE COMPARISON TO BIG TEN SCHOOLS' COHORT DEFAULT RATE

FEDERAL STAFFORD/FEDERAL DIRECT STAFFORD LOAN COHORT DEFAULT RATES


FISCAL YEAR

RATE TYPE

COHORT DEFAULT

RATE


RATE

Cornell Univ.-Ithaca

Georgia Inst. Of Tech.

Penn State Univ.

Texas A&M Univ.

Univ. of

Ariz.

Univ. of

Calif. - Berk.

Univ. of

Calif.-Davis

Univ. of Ill.

Univ. of

Mich.

Univ. of

Texas-Austin

Univ. of

Wisc.1987 Official 2.2 17.61988 Official 1.8 17.21989 Official 2.7 21.41990 Official 2.6 22.41991 Official 2.3 17.81992 Official 3.1 15.01993 Official 2.7 11.61994 Official 3.2 10.7 3.0 3.3 3.8 2.91995 Official 4.0 10.4 3.5 4.8 4.0 2.51996 Official 5.0 9.6 4.1 4.0 3.8 2.81997 Official 3.6 8.8 4.9 4.5 4.2 1.81998 Official 3.1 6.9 2.2 2.2 3.8 3.7 4.0 3.8 3.8 3.4 2.8 4.8 2.11999 Official 2.3 5.6 1.0 2.2 3.2 2.1 3.5 2.9 2.3 2.4 2.6 3.5 1.02000 Official 2.6 5.9 1.2 1.5 3.3 2.3 4.7 2.9 2.3 2.4 2.3 3.8 1.22001 Official 1.3 5.4 1.2 1.6 4.2 2.5 4.1 1.7 1.8 1.7 2.4 4.0 1.22002 Official 1.7 5.2 1.1 1.2 3.8 1.7 3.4 2.0 1.6 1.6 1.7 3.0 1.02003 Official 1.3 4.5 0.7 0.7 2.6 1.7 2.8 1.1 1.4 1.3 1.2 2.7 0.82004 Official 0.8 5.1 0.6 0.9 2.9 2.0 3.6 1.5 1.1 1.4 1.2 2.4 0.3

PURDUE UNIVERSITY - WEST LAFAYETTE

FEDERAL STAFFORD/FEDERAL DIRECT STAFFORD LOAN COHORT DEFAULT RATES

COMPARISON TO PEER INSTITUTIONS' COHORT DEFAULT RATE

INSTITUTIONAL SOURCES—DATA DIGESTS

• Used by many post secondary institutions as their official source of data.

• Purdue University—West Lafayette Data Digest provides information on:– General facts and figures– Student data– Instruction and student life– Faculty and staff data– Finance facilities– Research

www.purdue.edu/DATADIGEST/

http://www.purdue.edu/DATADIGEST/


INSTITIUTIONAL SOURCES—DATA DIGESTS





• Fact Books– Similar to Data Digests: a structured

presentation of information about the institution frequently requested by students, faculty, staff, and other publics.

• Data Warehouses– Computer-based information systems that

contain data that originated from another application or an external system or source.


• Data Warehouses– Managers use them to extract information quickly and

easily – “Read only”, integrated databases designed to

answer comparative and “what if” questions– Unlike operational databases that are set up to handle

transactions and are kept up to date as of the last transaction, data warehouses are analytical, subject-oriented and structured to aggregate transactions as a snapshot in time. Useful in analyzing historical transaction data to detect patterns and trends.

Source: Minnesota State Archives at www.mnhs.org/preserve/records/dwintro.html


• Digital Dashboard (Desktop)– Resembles a car’s dashboard, organizing and

presenting information that is easy to read.– Integrates information from various

components into a dashboard– Graphics turn volumes of data into something

easy to read and understand. Helps the user focus on data important to their operation.

– Many companies offer dashboard technology (e.g., Microsoft).


• Digital Dashboards: additional reading– “Digital Dashboards: Driving Higher Education

Decisions”, Educause Center For Applied Research, Research Bulletin, Volume 2003, Issue 19, Sept. 16, 2003.

– “Tracking Key Performance Indicators with a Digital Dashboard”, by Leonard Gude, NASFAA Student Aid Transcript, Volume 17, No. 2, 2006.


TOOLS

TOOLS

• ISIR Analysis Tool– Designed by Federal Student Aid (FSA) to

help financial aid administrators improve the accuracy of ISIR information used to determine student eligibility for need-based aid.

– Use by non-QA schools does not release them from federal verification requirements.

TOOLS

• ISIR Analysis Tool– Steps to conduct a meaningful analysis of

changes in ISIR data1. Define the goal of your analysis2. Determine relevant records to be analyzed3. Decide which reports to run4. Run the reports and review results5. Apply improvements

• Participant’s Guide located atifap.ed.gov/qahome/guidance.html

http://www.ifap.ed.gov/qahome/guidance.html

TOOLS

• Excel– Trend Analysis– Comparative Analyses– Charts and Graphs for Annual Reports– Digital Dashboards– Pivot Tables

Tools

• Access

• Crystal Reports

• Brio

• Excel - Pivot Table

Dashboardin Excel

USF…Leonard Gude

TOOLS

Pivot Table Demonstration

• Pivot Table is an Excel Feature

• Database extract loaded into Excel

• Research Question:

Of the Pell population, what is the average award, TFC and unmet need by residency?

TOOLS

• Pivot Table Finding

– In-state unmet need = $3105

– Out-of-state unmet need = $7141

HANDS ON EXERCISES

WRAP UP

Contact Information

Dr. Mary Ann CoughlinSpringfield [email protected]

Bonnie C. Joerschke Purdue [email protected]

Dr. Barry W. Simmons Sr. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



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RESEARCH TOOLS, TIPS, AND RESOURCES FOR FINANCIAL AID ADMINISTRATORS