Profile of Very Low- and Low-Income Undergraduates in 2015-;16 (NCES 2020-460)

This Statistics in Brief focuses on two groups of low-income undergraduate students enrolled in U.S. postsecondary institutions in 2015-;16: very low- and low-income students, defined as those whose family incomes fell below 50 percent and between 50 and 100 percent, respectively, of the federal poverty level for their family size. This report compares these students’ demographic and enrollment characteristics, financial aid, and price of attendance with those of students whose family incomes were above the federal poverty level. This report draws on data from the 2015-;16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:16).