Newswise — RTI International has received a $20 million contract from the U.S. Department of Education to survey and compile data on student financial aid programs in the United States.
The study will help researchers and federal policy makers address the affordability of postsecondary education and the effectiveness of existing financial aid programs.
The contract for the 2007-08 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study was awarded to RTI by the National Center for Education Statistics, a division of the Department of Education. RTI conducted a previous edition of this study in 2004.
For this project, RTI will design and conduct a nationally representative study of 85,000 students across the United States and in Puerto Rico who are enrolled in postsecondary education during the 2007-08 school year.
The contract includes an option that, if exercised by the government, would expand the study design to allow for data collection that is representative of both state and national student populations. If approved, the sample population would increase to more than 200,000 students.
This study is the only periodic, nationally representative survey of student financial aid. Its purpose is to create a data set that consolidates information on all the student aid programs funded by the federal government, the states, postsecondary institutions, employers and private organizations.
About RTI InternationalRTI International is an independent nonprofit research organization dedicated to conducting research and development that improves the human condition. With a staff of more than 2,500 people, RTI offers innovative research and technical solutions to governments and businesses worldwide in the areas of health and pharmaceuticals, advanced technology, surveys and statistics, education and training, economic and social development, and the environment. For more information, please visit us at: http://www.rti.org.
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