In 2010, the National Center for
Education Research (NCER) and the National Center for Education
Statistics (NCES), both within the U.S. Department of Education’s
Institute of Education Sciences (IES), began collaborating on an
education grant opportunity related to the cross-sectional National
Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). NPSAS is a large,
nationally-representative sample of postsecondary institutions and
students that contains student-level records on student
demographics and family background, work experience, expectations,
receipt of financial aid, and postsecondary enrollment (see
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/npsas/about.asp; (OMB #1850-0666)).
Since 1987, NPSAS has been fielded every 3 to 4 years, most
recently during the 2015–16 academic year. The goal of the
NCER-NPSAS grant opportunity collaboration is to provide
researchers with the possibility of developing unique research
projects pertaining to college persistence and completion that
utilize a subset of the NPSAS sample that is not already set aside
for one of the NPSAS-based longitudinal studies (BPS or B&B).
Under the NCER-NPSAS grant opportunity, researchers can submit
applications to the Postsecondary and Adult Education topic within
the Education Research Grants program (CFDA 84.305A), under either
the Exploration or Efficacy and Replication research goal.
Consistent with these two goals, NCER supports research projects
using NPSAS to: (1) explore relationships between malleable factors
(e.g., information on benefits of financial aid and FAFSA renewal)
and postsecondary persistence and completion, as well as the
mediators and moderators of those relationships; and (2) evaluate
the efficacy of interventions aimed at improving persistence and
completion of postsecondary education (e. g., financial aid and
FAFSA renewal advice delivered via text messaging). Researchers
approved for funding through this program can obtain indirect
access to a subsample of the national NPSAS sample (after the
study’s student interviews are completed) in order to conduct
unique research projects that adhere to the guidelines set forth in
the Request for Applications (RFA) for the Education Research
Grants Program, as well as guidelines set forth by NCES and the
NPSAS program. This request is to conduct, in 2017, the “Financial
Aid Nudges 2017: A National Experiment to Increase Retention of
Financial Aid and College Persistence” study, funded by the
NCER-NPSAS grant and designed to measure the effectiveness of an
intervention that will provide financial aid information,
reminders, and advising to college students who were initially
interviewed as part of NPSAS:16.
US Code:
20
USC 9573 Name of Law: : Education Sciences Reform Act of
2002
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
NCER-NPSAS Grant Study-Financial Aid Nudges Messages Change Memo.docx
NCER-NPSAS Grant Study-Financial Aid Nudges Messages Change Sheet.pdf
NCER-NPSAS Grant Study - Financial Aid Nudges 2017: A National Experiment to Increase Retention of Financial Aid and College Persistence