IHEP Responds to U.S. Department of Education’s Reinstatement of Key Student Aid Study

Washington, DC (July 11, 2025) –The U.S. Department of Education recently reinstated the 2024 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) contract. IHEP Vice President of Research and Policy Diane Cheng issued the following statement:

“After an abrupt cancellation in February, we are pleased that the Education Department recently reinstated the 2024 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study contract. This study provides invaluable insights about which students enroll in college, how they pay for college, and their experiences while enrolled, such as rates of hunger and homelessness. By including student survey responses and data from colleges and federal sources, NPSAS offers crucial information that is not available elsewhere. For almost 40 years, NPSAS has provided data that policymakers and researchers rely on to understand student experiences in college and craft policy solutions that help more students succeed.

“And while federal law requires the regular collection of data about how students pay for college, we remain concerned about the future of NPSAS.  The Trump Administration’s budget request for fiscal year 2026 proposes a 67 percent cut to the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). IES also remains severely understaffed after mass layoffs, calling into question whether it will have sufficient resources to continue vital data collections.

“Behind each data point is a student, a family, and their experiences in and affording college. NPSAS is an essential tool for shedding light on how our country’s students fare as they earn a college education. Along with reinstating the NPSAS contract, Education Department and Congressional leaders should ensure IES has the resources for a complete and timely release of 2024 NPSAS data and to conduct NPSAS in the future, so policymakers and researchers have the information necessary to help tomorrow’s students succeed in college and beyond.”

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For more information and background, read IHEP’s The Case for IES Postsecondary Studies and Resources blog series which explores the devastating impact of cuts to postsecondary data collections led by the Institute of Education Sciences and layoffs at the National Center for Education Statistics. These actions threaten the nation’s ability to understand and respond to the experiences of today’s college students.