The NPSAS is a comprehensive study that examines how students and their families pay for postsecondary education. It includes nationally representative samples of undergraduates, graduate and first-professional students; students attending public and private less-than-2-year institutions, community colleges, 4-year colleges, and major universities. Students who receive financial aid as well as those who do not receive financial aid participate in NPSAS. Comprehensive student interviews and administrative records, with exceptional detail concerning student financial aid, are available for academic years 1986-87, 1989-90, 1992-93, 1995-96, 1999-2000, 2003-04, 2008, and 2012.