High School Counseling and College Financial Aid

This Data Point uses data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09), a national study of more than 23,000 ninth-graders in 2009. Students answered surveys between 2009 and 2016. College transcripts and financial aid records were collected in 2017–18 in the Postsecondary Education Transcript Study and Student Financial Aid Records Collection (PETS-SR). This Data Point investigates whether students who expected to go to college after high school met with a high school counselor about financial aid and completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and whether meetings and completion varied by parental education. It also describes whether students who met with a high school counselor about financial aid received need-based or merit-based grants in college.