The New Jersey Statewide Data System announced on May 6 the release of the first New Jersey State Financial Aid Outcomes Dashboard, which provides data on educational and employment outcomes for full-time, degree-seeking students who receive state-funded financial aid.
The dashboard aims to inform policymakers and the public about how state financial aid impacts student persistence, graduation rates, transfer rates, and employment after graduation. The information is intended to support efforts to improve higher education policy and workforce development in New Jersey.
According to the announcement, the dashboard links longitudinal data from several agencies: higher education enrollment from the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, wage data from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, and financial aid receipt records from the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. Students are grouped by their first-time enrollment year. If a student receives more than one type of state-funded aid while pursuing a degree, they are counted in each relevant program’s outcome statistics.
Highlights from this initial release include an increase over time in the proportion of full-time associate degree students receiving any state financial aid. The data also show that full-time associate or bachelor’s degree students who receive New Jersey financial aid are more likely to continue into their second year compared with those who do not receive such support. Furthermore, recipients pursuing associate degrees have higher completion rates than non-recipients. Both associate and bachelor’s graduates with any form of state-funded aid are also more likely to be employed after graduation than those without it.
Users can explore various outcomes through six categories displayed at the top of the online dashboard. Filters allow users to view results by enrollment year, type of financial aid program received, degree pursued, and other characteristics.
The New Jersey Statewide Data System serves as a centralized platform for securely storing public administrative data across multiple agencies in order to expand access for analysis that supports governance improvements. According to the official website, Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy operates as part of Rutgers University—the State University of New Jersey—and advances social impact through research centers focused on community development, transportation policy, health initiatives, workforce development programs and energy policy.