Useful New Data Tool: Economicdiversity.org
March 16th, 2006This article “Rich Student, Poor Student” from Inside Higher Ed highlights the launch of a new data website, economicdiversity.org, a project of The Institute for College Access and Success, Inc. (TICAS). The site provides two options for campuses, researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders to access student income data for both public and private institutions:
Institutional Profiles: For each school, view a summary page with key facts plus detailed data on enrollment, income, race and ethnicity, financial aid applicants, and usage of Pell grants and student loans.
Comparison Tool: Select and compare variables and institutions at the state, regional, or national level. Findings are automatically presented in table form, and can be printed or downloaded into Excel files.
A quick dive into the site provided some interesting snapshots of AIKCU campuses and the students they serve (note: data is only available for 19 member campuses - the site doesn’t include 2-year privates, which St. Catharine was classified as for 2003-04, the most recent data year included in the site).
For example, pulling a quick table of dependent student family income levels of students who applied for aid and averaging the campus percentages indicates that: 21% of dependent students at the average AIKCU campus have family incomes under $30,000; 32.7% are in the $30-60K income bracket; and 46.3% have family incomes over $60K.
Doing the same thing for the 8 public universities shows that the average public university serves students in very similar proportions: 24% of dependent students have family incomes under $30K; 31.5% between $30-60K; and 44% over $60K.