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The costs of higher education are more expensive than ever, and there is no need for financial aid. Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) It will remain the main way students can access federal and state funds to cover tuition, fees and living expenses.
But how much assistance does the students actually receive? Let’s take a closer look at the latest FAFSA statistics and average financial aid package for students in 2025.
Notes: “Federal Aid” includes multiple forms of federal financial aid, including loans and grants. The loan must be repaid and generally no grants are required.
Types of federal financial aid
Federal financial aid is provided in several forms to cover tuition, fees, housing and other university expenses.
- Grants: You need assistance that doesn’t need to be repaid, such as Pell Grant.
- Federal Government Research (FWS): Part-time jobs for eligible students to make money at school expenses. Qualified students usually work on campus.
- Federal Student Loans: Borrowed funds that require interest repayment, including subsidies, unsubsidized, plus loans.
Federal government loans and institutional grants account for more than half of the total student aid. See the table below for a complete breakdown.
Average assistance for undergraduate students over the years
The average student financial aid package consists primarily of grants and loans. This has remained constant over the past 20 years.
| Grade year | Average grant aid | Average federal loan | Other average aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-2004 | $6,490 | $5,140 | $990 |
| 2013-2014 | $10,120 | $6,550 | $1,760 |
| 2023-2024 | $11,610 | $3,900 | $850 |
| sauce: College Board |
Average institutional grant aid by institution type
- Private, nonprofit, four-year universities offer the most institutional grants with an average aid of $20,860.
- Public schools (both grades 4 and 2) offer just a small portion of that volume. It is important to note that it is usually much cheaper in terms of tuition fees.
Average facility grant assistance by sector, 2021-2022
Note: This is for my first full-time undergraduate student.
| Engine type | Average aid amount | Student Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Private, non-profit, four years | $20,860 | 83% |
| Released, 4 years | $4,170 | 62% |
| Released, 2 years | $520 | twenty two% |
| sauce: College Board |
FAFSA Submission Statistics
All US citizens and eligible non-citizens can fill in FAFSA. Aid is not limited to graduating high school and undergraduate students. Instead, students from any life who pursue many types of degrees may be eligible for assistance, including DACA students.
2021 FAFSA Simplification Act aims to streamline the federal aid application process, particularly by reducing the number of questions and increasing eligibility for marginalized groups.
As a result, the following changes occurred:
- More people have completed their FAFSA without housing or foster parents applicants.
- The significant reduction and simplification of questions have removed previous challenges to completing FAFSA. This included complications for reporting income exclusions (this will be considered in the financial needs analysis).
- Despite improvements, the FAFSA completion rate for high school seniors fell in 2024 due to technical delays in the deployment of new systems.
FAFSA submission statistics by demographics
According to data from Federal Student AidOf the 17,928,282 people who submitted FAFSA for the 2023-2024 application cycle:
- 47% were first-generation university students.
- 46% were between 19 and 24 years old. That is, about half are under the age of 18 or over 25.
- In contrast to paper and financial aid managers, 99% completed the FAFSA online.
- 28% were first-time university enrollees.
- 11% were pursuing alumni or professional degrees.
