Financial Aid Research Reports

Research and policy perspectives on enrollment and outcomes for students who receive financial aid.

For an alternative format of this information, please contact:

Financial Aid Research

Research Report 20-2: Financial aid key program participants and outcomes
This study seeks to answer the following research questions: What are the most common financial aid categories and how have the distributions of aid types changed over time? What are the demographic breakdowns within the largest federal and Washington-focused financial aid categories of Pell grant, Federal loans, State Need Grant/WA College Grant, Opportunity Grant, and the College Bound Scholarship? What are the completion rates for students within each aid type, four years after they receive aid? What kind of credential do they earn? How many quarters on average does it take to complete? The paper concludes with a summary of key findings as well as next steps for future research, in particular in light of the emerging impact of COVID-19 on the future for Washington students in higher education.

Research Brief 19-2: Retention outcomes for two-year college grant-eligible students: Served and not served by the Washington State Need Grant
This brief is a follow-up to the 2013 research report which studied the differences in outcomes for eligible students who received and did not receive a State Need Grant. The key findings provide a baseline of information as the colleges prepare to launch the newly revised Washington College Grant.

Research Report 13-1: A Descriptive Study of Washington State Need Grant Eligible Students Enrolled in Community and Technical Colleges in 2011-12, March 2013
This report describes two-year community and technical college students eligible for and enrolled in community and technical colleges in 2011-12. It compares eligible students who were served and not served for demographics, enrollment status and college retention rates.