ED Response to 30-Day Public Comments

Dear Ms. Valentine:

This letter is submitted on behalf of the 27 undersigned members and partners of the Postsecondary Data Collaborative (PostsecData), in response to the Department of Education's (ED) comment request notice regarding the 2017-18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC). PostsecData is comprised of organizations committed to the use of high-quality postsecondary data to improve student success and advance educational equity, and the organizations below represent diverse constituents including students, institutions, and states.

We are writing to express our support for the National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES') proposed revision to add NPSAS:18-AC to the existing NPSAS study cycle. The nationally representative sample of undergraduate and graduate students across all 50 states will support state and federal policymaker and researcher efforts in answering critical questions related to college affordability and students' financing of postsecondary education. Making NPSAS data available on a biannual basis will enhance the field's ability to conduct timely analyses. Further, we applaud NCES efforts to release a NPSAS data-set with a larger sample size capable of supporting both national and state-level analyses, providing state representative samples for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico for the first time. The ability to explore state-level estimates of college costs and student aid will be a true value-add, enhancing states' ability to craft and implement data-driven policies.

Postsecondary data that empower policymakers to make evidence-backed decisions and researchers to produce timely analyses are vital to addressing issues of college affordability and improving student outcomes. We value the Department's dedication to strengthening the postsecondary data infrastructure, and are grateful for its recognition of the need for high-quality data.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed revision. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call or email Mamie Voight, vice president of policy research at the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) at (202) 587-4967 or mvoight@ihep.org.

Sincerely,

Achieving the Dream
Advance CTE
American Association of Community Colleges
American Association of State Colleges and Universities
Association of Public & Land-grant Universities
California EDGE Coalition
Campaign for College Opportunity
Center for Law and Social Policy
Complete College America
Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
Higher Learning Advocates
Institute for Higher Education Policy
Jobs for the Future
Knowledge Alliance
Lehman College of The City University of New York
NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
National Association for College Admission Counseling
National Center for Higher Education Management Systems
National College Access Network
New America Education Policy Program
Postsecondary Analytics
Public Insight Corporation
The Bell Policy Center
The Institute for College Access & Success
Veterans Education Success
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
Young Invincibles

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NCES Response to Comment in Support of NPSAS:18-AC

Dear Members of the Postsecondary Data Collaborative,

Thank you again for your feedback posted on October 23, 2017 responding to a 30-day request for comments on the proposed 2017-18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC). The National Center for Education Statistics appreciates the support the Collaborative provides for the success of this study.

Sincerely,

Sean Simone

National Postsecondary Student Aid Study

Longitudinal Surveys Branch

National Center for Education Statistics

U.S. Department of Education

Office: 202-245-7631

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Comment on Living Arrangements and Access to Meals

Document: ED-2017-ICCD-0102-0045

Name: Anonymous

As a college student I can attest first hand to the fact that areas of need such as living arrangements and meals are not truly taken into account when it comes to analyzing aid for students. When it comes to Universities/Colleges that may be located in major cities it becomes harder for students specifically those who are not freshmen to get back into campus housing. With that being said you are now identified as an off campus student and your funding could potentially change. Some universities have stipulations for students who utilize a meal plan on campus, requiring them to reside in an on campus dorm. If you happen to live off campus your meal plan options may vary or you may have to purchase campus dollars to be used at other food locations on campus.

While it is easy to say there are work arounds to said problems, I can personally speak from experience and say that there can be a lot more student academic success and higher graduation rates if areas like these that go unlooked play a major role in the success of a student and our future as a whole.

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NCES Response to Comment on Living Arrangements and Access to Meals

To whom it may concern,

Thank you for your feedback posted on September 29, 2017 responding to a 30-day request for comments on the proposed 2017-18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC). The National Center for Education Statistics appreciates your interest in the NPSAS:18-AC data collection.

Thank you for drawing attention to your personal experiences with campus housing and access to meals. We agree that this should be an area of focus when examining student financial aid. As a part of the collection of student records, NCES plans to collect the estimated cost of attendance for postsecondary education (which includes the institution’s estimates for housing and food costs). However, one limitation of NPSAS:18-AC is that it does not include a student questionnaire to collect data on topics such as access to food and housing.

However, NCES is planning to test food and housing items (specifically related to food and housing insecurity) in the student questionnaire in the NPSAS:20 field test. The public will have an opportunity to comment on all proposed NPSAS:20 student questionnaire items, including those pertaining to food and housing insecurity, first during a 60-day and then during a 30-day public comment periods associated with OMB clearance of the NPSAS:20 field test.

We thank you again for bring this important topic to our attention.