Part A BPS25 FS Collection v21_tracked

2020/25 Beginning Postsecondary Students
(BPS:20/25) Full-Scale Study
Supporting Statement Part A
OMB # 1850-0631 v.21

Submitted by
National Center for Education Statistics
U.S. Department of Education

October 2024

Contents
A.  Justification ...................................................................................................................................... 1 
1.  Circumstances Making Collection of Information Necessary ...................................................................... 1 
a.  Purpose of this Submission ........................................................................................................................ 1 
b.  Legislative Authorization .......................................................................................................................... 21 
c.  Prior BPS Studies ......................................................................................................................................... 2 
d.  Prior and Related Studies ............................................................................................................................ 2 
2.  Purposes and Uses of the Data.......................................................................................................................... 3 
a.  BPS:20/25 Purposes .................................................................................................................................. 43 
b.  BPS:20/25 Research and Policy Issues ................................................................................................... 54 
3.  Use of Information Technology ...................................................................................................................... 75 
4.  Efforts to Identify Duplication........................................................................................................................ 76 
5.  Method Used to Minimize Burden on Small Businesses ............................................................................ 86 
6.  Frequency of Data Collection .......................................................................................................................... 86 
7.  Special Circumstances of Data Collection ..................................................................................................... 87 
8.  Consultants Outside the Agency ..................................................................................................................... 87 
9.  Provision of Payments or Gifts to Respondents .......................................................................................... 97 
10.  Assurance of Confidentiality .......................................................................................................................... 119 
11.  Sensitive Questions ........................................................................................................................................ 1412 
12.  Estimates of Response Burden .................................................................................................................... 1512 
13.  Estimates of Cost ........................................................................................................................................... 1613 
14.  Costs to Federal Government ..................................................................................................................... 1613 
15.  Reasons for Changes in Response Burden and Costs .............................................................................1613 
16.  Publication Plans and Time Schedule ......................................................................................................... 1613 
17.  Approval to Not Display Expiration Date for OMB Approval ............................................................ 1714 
18.  Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions ............................................. 1714 
B.  Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods
Appendixes
A. Technical Review Panel (TRP) Members
B. Confidentiality for Administrative Record Matching
C. Survey Data Collection Materials
D. Qualitative Testing Summary
D. Results of the BPS:20/25 Field Test Procedures and Methods
E. Survey Instrument
Tables
Table 1. Chronology of NPSAS and its Longitudinal Components ................................................................... 2 
Table 2. Average estimated burden to respondents for the BPS:20/25 full-scale data collection ........... 1513 
Table 3. Costs to NCES for BPS:20/25 Study ................................................................................................. 1613 
Table 4. Operational Schedule for BPS:20/25 Full-scale Study .................................................................... 1713 

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A. Justification
1. Circumstances Making Collection of Information Necessary
a.

Purpose of this Submission

This request is to conduct a field test of the 2020/25 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study
(BPS:20/25). This study is being conducted byfor the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within
the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), a part of the U.S. Department of Education., to conduct the full-scale
data collection for the 2020/25 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:20/25). The primary
contractor for this study is RTI International (Contract# 919900-18-C-0039) and subcontractors include
Activate Research, Inc.; EurekaFacts, LLC; HR Directions, LLC; Leonard Resource Group; Research Support
Services, Inc.; and Strategic Communications.
This submission covers materials and procedures required for conducting the BPS:20/25 field test student
survey and for matching data to administrative records. Following the field test study in 2024, NCES will provide
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) with a memorandum summarizing any changes planned for the
full-scale data collection. The materials for the BPS:20/25 full-scale study will be based upon the field test
materials included in this submission. The materials in this submission are based on those developed for the
previous survey and administrative data collection with this sample, the 2020/22 Beginning Postsecondary
Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:20/25) (OMB #1850-0631 v.19).
This submission covers BPS:20/25 full-scale materials and procedures required for conducting the student
survey and for matching data to administrative records. The materials for the BPS:20/25 full-scale study are
based upon the field test materials. This submission is designed to adequately justify the need for and overall
practical utility of the full study, presenting the overarching plan for all of the phases of the data collection and
providing as much detail about the measures to be used as is available at the time of this submission. As part of
this submissionPrior to the field test, NCES will publishpublished a notice in the Federal Register allowing first a
60- and then a 30-day public comment period. Field test materials, procedures, and results will informhave
informed this request for clearance for the full-scale study. After completion of the field test,For this full-scale
study NCES will publish a notice in the Federal Register allowing an additional 30-day public comment period
on the final details and materials of the BPS:20/25 full-scale study.
This submission includes:
- A membership list of the Technical Review Panel (TRP) (appendix A);
- A description of the confidentiality procedures in place for the administrative record matching (appendix B);
- Student data collection contacting materials (appendix C);
- Qualitative testing summary (appendix D); and
- Survey instrument (appendix E).
BPS studies are designed to follow a cohort of students who enroll in postsecondary education for the first time
during the same academic year, irrespective of the date of high school completion. The study collects data on
students' persistence in and completion of postsecondary education programs; their transition to employment;
demographic characteristics; and changes over time in their goals, marital status, income, and debt, among other
indicators. DataNationally representative data from BPS are used to help researchers and policymakers better
understand how financial aid influences persistence and completion, what percentages of students complete
various degree programs, what are the early employment and wage outcomes for certificate and degree attainers,
and why students leave school.
This submission describes the planned sampling, recruitment, and data collection procedures, and includes:
- A membership list of the Technical Review Panel (TRP) (appendix A);
- A description of the confidentiality procedures in place for the administrative record matching
(appendix B);
- Data collection contacting materials (appendix C);

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- Results of the BPS:20/25 field test procedures and methods (appendix D); and
- Survey instrument (appendix E).
b.

Legislative Authorization

NCES conducts BPS:20/25 in close consultation with other U.S. Department of Education offices, federal
agencies, and organizations (see sections A.4 and A.8 of this document). NCES is authorized to conduct BPS
under the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543) and the Higher Education
Opportunity Act of 2008 [HEOA 2008, 20 U.S.C. §1015(a)(k)]:
“Student aid recipient survey
(1) Survey required: The Secretary, acting through the Commissioner for Education Statistics, shall conduct,
on a State-by-State basis, a survey of recipients of Federal student financial aid under subchapter IV of
this chapter and part C of subchapter I of chapter 34 of title 42—
(A) to identify the population of students receiving such Federal student financial aid;
(B) to describe the income distribution and other socioeconomic characteristics of recipients of such
Federal student financial aid;
(C) to describe the combinations of aid from Federal, State, and private sources received by such
recipients from all income categories;
(D) to describe the—
(i) debt burden of such loan recipients, and their capacity to repay their education debts; and
(ii) the impact of such debt burden on the recipients’ course of study and post-graduation plans;
(E) to describe the impact of the cost of attendance of postsecondary education in the determination by
students of what institution of higher education to attend; and
(F) to describe how the costs of textbooks and other instructional materials affect the costs of
postsecondary education for students.
(2) Frequency: The survey shall be conducted on a regular cycle and not less often than once every four
years.
(3) Survey design: The survey shall be representative of students from all types of institutions, including fulltime and part-time students, undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, and current and former
students.
(4) Dissemination: The Commissioner for Education Statistics shall disseminate to the public, in printed and
electronic form, the information resulting from the survey.”
c.

Prior BPS Studies

With the first BPS cohort starting in 1990 (BPS:90), the BPS:20 cohort is the fifth study of beginning
postsecondary students. Beginning with the BPS:96 cohort, first time beginning (FTB) students are surveyed at
three points in time for up to 6 years: in the base year (through the NPSAS student interview) and 3 and 6 years
later in the BPS follow-up interviews. The BPS:90 cohort was also surveyed at three points in time, but the
second follow-up was 5 years later.
d. Prior and Related Studies
The chronology of the previous administrations of the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS)
study and its associated BPS and Baccalaureate and Beyond (B&B) longitudinal components are shown in Table
1 below.
Table 1. Chronology of NPSAS and its longitudinal componentsLongitudinal Components
Base year

First follow-up

Second follow-up

2

Third follow-up

NPSAS:90
NPSAS:93
NPSAS:96
NPSAS:2000
NPSAS:04
NPSAS:08
NPSAS:12
NPSAS:16
NPSAS:18-AC

BPS:90/92
B&B:93/94
BPS:96/98
B&B:2000/01
BPS:04/06
B&B:08/09
BPS:12/14
B&B:16/17
—

BPS:90/94
B&B:93/97
BPS:96/01
ǂ
BPS:04/09
B&B:08/12
BPS:12/17
B&B:16/20
—

NPSAS:20
NPSAS:24

BPS:20/22
ǂ

BPS:20/25
ǂ

—
B&B:93/03
—
ǂ
—
B&B:08/18
—
ǂ
—
BPS:20 Postsecondary
Transcript Study*—
ǂ

*Contract option, implementation to be determined.
— Not applicable.
ǂ - No funding available to field the B&B study.
NOTE: NPSAS = National Postsecodnary Student Aid Study,NOTE: BPS = Beginning Postsecondary Students; B&B = Baccalaureate and Beyond.

The seven major issues addressed in these Sample Surveys Division studies are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Undergraduate access/choice of institution;
Persistence;
Progress/curriculum;
Attainment/outcome assessment;
Financial aid and student debt;
Access to graduate programs; and
Benefits of postsecondary education to individuals and society.

BPS follows a cohort of students who entered postsecondary education for the first time in the same academic
year. BPS differs from other studies in two key ways: the population it follows and the sources of data from
which it draws. First, it is the only nationally representative study of all beginning college students. Unlike other
studies, it includes students entering postsecondary education immediately after high school as well as those
entering after being away from school for years. In addition, unlike other studies that focus only on baccalaureate
students, BPS includes not just students seeking bachelor's degrees but also students pursuing certificates,
working toward associate's degrees, and taking postsecondary classes outside of a degree or certificate program.
BPS is also unique in that it includes a student interview and does not rely solely on institution-reported data.
The inclusion of a student interview allows BPS to provide a more accurate portrait of students' experiences in
postsecondary education, their persistence and attainment anywhere within postsecondary education and not just
their retention and attainment at a specific institution, and their outcomes six years after first beginning.
The BPS:20/25 field test includes approximately 3,280 sample members who first began postsecondary
education in the 2018-19 academic year. Of the 3,280 sample members, approximately 2,660 will be fielded for
data collection. The remaining 620 sample members will not be fielded as they were either (1) nonrespondents to
both the base-year NPSAS:20 student survey and the BPS:20/22 field test data collection, or (2) they did not
have enough survey or administrative data to verify that they began their postsecondary education in the 2018-19
academic year and there will be no eligibility screener for the BPS:20/25 field test.
The BPS:20/25 full-scale study will be a nationally representative sample of approximately 34,240 students who
were first-time beginning students (FTBs) during the 2019-20 academic year. Approximately 28,650 of the
sampled students are expected to be fielded for the full-scale survey data collection. Double nonrespondents,
those who did not complete either the base year NPSAS:20 student survey or the BPS:20/22 data collection
survey, will not be fielded. These students are asked to complete a survey and administrative data are also
collected for them. Administrative data matching will be conducted with sources including the National Student
Loan Data System (NSLDS), which contains federal loan and grant files; the Central Processing System (CPS),
which houses and processes data contained in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms; the
National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) which provides enrollment and degree verification; and potentially other
administrative data sources such as the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). These data will be obtained
through file matching and downloaded from the data sources. In addition, this request includes conducting panel
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maintenance activities for the BPS:20/25 full-scale sample.
Data on the first academic year for this BPS cohort were collected in 2020. Data on their second and third years
were collected in 2022 with the BPS:20/22 first follow-up study. The BPS:20/25 second follow-up study will
provide data on these sample members' fourth, fifth, and sixth years after entering postsecondary education.
Academic transcripts from all known institutions attended by sample members may be collected in 2026.
An unusual circumstance for the BPS:20 cohort is global outbreak of COVID-19 during their first year of
postsecondary enrollment (the NPSAS:20 year). Several questions were added to the NPSAS:20 survey related to
COVID-19, and questions related to COVID-19 were also included in the first-follow-up BPS:20/22 student
survey. A subset of these items will be carried forward into BPS:20/25. These data collections will provide
unique data on the potential impacts of COVID-19 on postsecondary enrollment and outcomes. The BPS:20
cohort may also be unique compared to prior BPS cohorts by providing selected state-representative data.
BPS:20 will attempt to build on the state-representative NPSAS:20 design to provide state representative BPS
data sets for selected states and postsecondary institution types where sufficient sample can be obtained.
2. Purposes and Uses of the Data
This section provides information on the purposes of BPS and an overview of the primary research issues it
addresses.
a.

BPS:20/25 Purposes

With its longitudinal perspective, BPS provides key measures for understanding undergraduate persistence and
attainment, transfer patterns, employment while enrolled, and student loan debt over time. It also tracks changes
over time in students' goals, marital status, income, and debt. Because BPS traces a student's path throughout the
postsecondary education system over a number of years, it provides a much more complete picture of
postsecondary persistence and success than studies that cannot track students once they leave a particular
institution.
The major issues addressed in BPS are:
• persistence in, and completion of, postsecondary education programs,
• academic performance and other transcript information,
• transition to employment,
• demographic characteristics, and
• changes over time in goals, marital status, income, and debt.
BPS:20/25 will continue following a cohort of students who first began postsecondary education during the
2019-20 academic year (full-scale), when the coronavirus pandemic began. The impacts of this event on
education have been substantial and BPS:20/25 is uniquely positioned to provide longitudinal data on the
experiences of students from year one of the pandemic through six years later, to enable researchers to examine
enrollment, persistence, attainment, educational experiences, and employment outcomes for a cohort of students
whose postsecondary education began during an unprecedented and far-reaching event.
As demographics change in the U.S., policymakers and practitioners are increasingly concerned about the
difference between who enters postsecondary education and who attains postsecondary credentials and who
does not. BPS:20/25 will be able to provide the latest nationally representative numbers on how key populations
are entering and faring in postsecondary education, particularly students from low socioeconomic and minority
backgrounds. These data will allow researchers and policymakers to explore the factors related to populations
experiencing greater success on persistence, attainment, and labor market outcomes.
Policymakers and researchers are morealso focused on how the education and employment outcomes of
students are shaped by the control and level of the institution they attend. For example, the U.S. Department of
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Education manages the College Scorecard, a web tool designed to publicize key metrics about student outcomes
such as graduation rate and average salary after graduation across a variety of institution types so students and
families can make more informed college choice decisions. By providing the sample size and key student- and
institution-level measures for these analyses, BPS:20/25 enables researchers and policymakers to analyze
students' attainment and employment by sector, while also controlling for other variables that may be related to
these outcomes.
The cost of college, the percentage of students borrowing, and the amounts borrowed have increased. since the
last BPS cohort started postsecondary education in 2011-12. As a result, the impact of college costs, financial aid,
and student loans on students' ability to complete credentials is an ever more pressing issue. In recent years, Pell
Grant eligibility has been expanded, and the amount of the grant increased. There have also been changes in
state-based aid programs. BPS:20/25 can help inform these policy decisions by providing data on how grants,
and other financial aid, impact students' road to a credential.
Finally, researchers and policymakers are interested in how attainment and employment are affected by several
aspects of the postsecondary experience, such as remedial education, online education, and employment while in
school. Students' lack of college readiness and need for remedial or developmental education have been
identified as impediments in students' time to degree, as well as factors in students dropping out without a
credential. In fact, the Department of Education launched a new Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary
Readiness to strengthen the research, evaluation, and support of college readiness efforts across the nation. BPS
includes information on high school coursetakingcourse taking, grades, and test scores as well as developmental
coursetakingcourse taking in different subjects while in college, which can provide key data for the Center's
work. The growth of online courses and degree programs has also attracted attention, with researchers and
practitioners wanting to better understand its potential in speeding students' time to degree and the ways such
courses and programs are perceived by employers. The degree to which working while enrolled helps or hurts
postsecondary attainment, time to degree, and later employment outcomes is a key debate. Through the
information collected on employment history, BPS:20/25 will be able to add real data to this discussion.
b.

BPS:20/25 Research and Policy Issues

Following are some of the many research and policy issues to be addressed with BPS:20/25 data:
Postsecondary Enrollment Characteristics and Experiences
-How are FTB students distributed across institutions of varying control and levels, and different degree
programs?
-What fields of study do FTB students pursue, and in which fields do they obtain degrees?
-How frequently do FTB students change their field of study, particularly from science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics (STEM) to non-STEM fields and vice versa?
-On average, how many credits do students earn before completing a certificate or degree program?
-To what extent do FTB students participate in online, night, and weekend courses and programs?
-How did the coronavirus pandemic impact the-What enrollment patterns were evident for FTB students who
were affected by the coronavirus pandemic?
-How do answers to the above questions differ by factors like demographic characteristics, control and level of
institution, and field of study?
Employment During Enrollment
-What percentage of students work while enrolled, and how many hours do they work?
-How do students' individual patterns in working while enrolled change by year of enrollment and U.S. economic
conditions?
-How do answers to the above questions differ by factors like demographic characteristics, control and level of
institution, and field of study?
Financial Aid and Borrowing
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-How much financial support do dependent FTB students receive from their parents or other relatives and
friends for their postsecondary education?
-What proportion of FTB students receive federal Pell Grants or, veterans benefits, or other Department of
Defense education benefits?
-What proportion of FTB students take out private loans, and in what amount?
-How does the percentage of FTB students taking out federal loans and the average amount borrowed vary by
demographic and enrollment characteristics?
-How does the amount of grants and loans FTB students receive from federal, institutional, and private sources
differ during each year of enrollment?
-How much do FTB students borrow in private loans?
-What kinds of borrowers struggle in repayment and default on their student loans after 6 years?
-How do answers to the above questions differ by factors like demographic characteristics, control and level of
institution, and other enrollment characteristics?
Education and Career Expectations
-What degrees or certificates do FTB students expect to attain, when do they expect to complete them, and how
confident are they in these expectations?
-What is the relationship between thesedegree or certificate attainment expectations and actual attainment
outcomes 6 years after students begin college?
-How much social and emotional support do FTB students receive from their families and friends in their
pursuit of their educational goals?
-Did the coronavirus pandemic lead students to change their programs of study?
-To what careers do FTB students aspire, and what do they think they will earn in these positions?
-How close are students' predicted earnings to actual average earnings in their expected careers?
-How do answers to the above questions differ by factors like demographic characteristics?, control and level of
institution, and other enrollment characteristics?
Persistence
-At what rate do students stop out of postsecondary education, how oftenmany times do they do itstop out, and
when do they do itstop out?
-At what rate do students transfer between institutions, when do they transfer, and what are the most common
transfer patterns in terms of the types of institutions left and entered?
-What proportion of certificate attainers enter another certificate or degree program? Are their subsequent
certificates and degrees in related fields of study?
-What proportion of FTB students are enrolled in their first institution 6 years after initially enrolling but have
yet to earn a credential?
-What proportion of FTB students left postsecondary education as a result of the coronavirus pandemic?
-What proportion of FTB students are enrolled in any institution 6 years after first enrolling but have yet to earn
a credential?
-Among students who leave postsecondary education without a credential, in what year did they leave?
-How do answers to the above questions differ by demographic characteristics, high school preparation, control
and level of institution, attendance intensity, employment during enrollment, financial aid and borrowing,
physical and mental health, sense of belonging at institution, discount rate, and education and career
expectations?
Attainment
-What percentage of FTB students earn a certificate, associate's degree, or bachelor's degree?
-How long does it take FTB students to earn each of these credentials?
-How do answers to the above questions differ by institution level and control, attendance intensity, transfer
patterns, stop-outs, changes in major and major choice? What roleroles do demographic characteristics, high
school preparation, employment during enrollment, financial aid and borrowing, physical and mental health,
6

sense of belonging at institution, discount rate, and education and career expectations play?
Employment Outcomes After Leaving Postsecondary Education
-How much do FTB students earn after 6 years, and what benefits do they receive?
-What percentage of FTB students are employed in their field of study? How do their employment outcomes
compare to those who are not employed in their field of study?
-Among FTB students who did not enter postsecondary education directly from high school, to what extent
does their employment before and after postsecondary education differ? To what extent does employment prior
to postsecondary education influence employment outcomes after postsecondary education?
-How do FTB students' employment outcomes after leaving postsecondary education compare to their
employment during their postsecondary education?
-What percentage of FTB students have experienced unemployment spells? How many spells have they had, and
how many months has each spell lasted?
-How do answers to the above questions differ by degree and certificate attainment; field of study; and level,
control, and selectivity of institution attended? What role do demographic characteristics, employment prior to
and during postsecondary enrollment, debt, and earlier education and career expectations play?
Answers to these and other questions are vital if policymakers at the local, state, and national levels are to
respond adequately to the changing environment of postsecondary education. Since inception, the NPSAS, BPS,
and B&B series have resulted in numerous NCES publications addressing these issues. These reports can be
found at: https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/.
3. Use of Information Technology
The BPS:20/25 student survey will use web-based questionnaires across two electronic modes of data collection:
a self-administered survey, which is mobile-friendly to allow completion of the survey on a tablet or smartphone,
and computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). The survey will be available through the study website
that resides on NCES servers.
The website used for the BPS:20/25 data collection will reside on NCES' FIPS Moderate servers. Secure Socket
Layer (SSL) protocol is used to encrypt the data transmitted over the Internet, the survey data is encrypted at rest
and all parts of the websites that collect student data are password protected. On a nightly basis, the data
collection contractor will download student survey data to their FIPS Moderate network via a secure web service.
Once in the FIPS Moderate network, data will be cleaned and undergo quality analysis. The data collection
contractor maintains Authority To Operate (ATOs) with OCIO for the systems associated with the processing
of data collected at NCES.
4. Efforts to Identify Duplication
Efforts to identify duplication have included NCES consultations with other federal offices, such as the U.S.
Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education; the Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy
Development; and other agencies, such as the Government Accountability Office; the Congressional Budget
Office (CBO); and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In addition, NCES collaborates with the
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) to
ensure that each unit is kept up to date on each other's studies pertaining to postsecondary students and
institutions. NCES and NSF meet on a regular basis to cover topical issues relevant to both offices, and each has
staff serving on study TRPs. NCES routinely consults with nonfederal associations, such as the American
Council on Education, the Career Education Colleges and Universities, the National Association of Student
Financial Aid Administrators, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Council of
Graduate Schools, the Institute for Higher Education Policy, the State Higher Education Executive Officers
Association, and the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs to confirm that data
collected through NPSAS and BPS are not available from any other sources.

7

NCES also consults with academic researchers, several of whom attend the NPSAS and BPS TRP meetings.
Beyond identification of duplication, these consultations provide methodological insights from the results of
similar and related studies conducted by NCES, other federal agencies, and nonfederal sources. The
consultations also assure that data collected through BPS will meet the needs of the federal government and
relevant organizations. No studies in the United States singularly duplicate the data produced by BPS.
5. Method Used to Minimize Burden on Small Businesses
The target respondents for BPS:20/25 interviews are individuals, and the data collection activities will not
involve burden to small businesses or entities.
6. Frequency of Data Collection
BPS studies have been conducted periodically since 1990. BPS:20/22 was the first follow-up data collection
following NPSAS:20, which served as the base-year, and from which the BPS student sample was selected.
BPS:20/25 will be the second follow-up.
NPSAS and its longitudinal spin-off studies, BPS and B&B, are conducted to reflect the large-scale and rapid
changes in federal policy concerning postsecondary student aid. Eligibility restrictions change, sizes of grant and
loan amounts fluctuate, and the balance between various aid options can change dramatically. A recurring study
is essential, first, to help predict future costs for financial aid because loan programs create continued obligations
for the federal government as long as the loans are being repaid.
Second, repeated surveys can capture the changing nature of the postsecondary environment. With the
longitudinal design of the NPSAS survey and BPS follow-ups, representative national samples of first-time
beginningFTB students with similar base-year characteristics may be compared over time to determine the
effects of changes in federal policy and programs. Third, repeated surveys can help researchers understand the
effect of economic conditions on the employment outcomes for subbaccalaureate educational certificate holders.
7. Special Circumstances of Data Collection
No special circumstances of data collection are anticipated.
In March 2024, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) announced revisions to Statistical Policy
Directive No. 15: Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity
(SPD 15) and published the revised SPD15 standard in the Federal Register (89 FR 22182).
Historically, BPS has not collected race and ethnicity data. As seen in Table 1, BPS:20/25 is the second (and
currently planned as the final) follow-up data collection with the NPSAS:20 study cohort. Because it is a followup study, BPS has utilized the race and ethnicity data provided in the base-year NPSAS administration. However,
given the revised SPD15 standard, collecting race and ethnicity using the modified categories would provide
insight to NCES about how postsecondary students respond to these questions, and obtain methodological data
about the impact that this new version may have on future postsecondary student demographic estimates. To
minimize respondent burden and programming requirements, the race and ethnicity question with minimum
categories and examples will be fielded (see Figure 2 from 89 FR 22182). The resulting methodological data will
allow for concordance analyses across NPSAS:20 and BPS:20/25 data and the examination of endorsement rates
for new or modified categories, such as Middle Eastern or North African and Hispanic or Latino. However, any
data or findings published from BPS:20/25 will be stratified and analyzed based on the original race and ethnicity
standards under which the base-year NPSAS:20 study collected data.
The most recent NPSAS:2024 data collection package cleared by OMB (OMB#1850-0666 v.38) described at a
high level NCES’s plans for NPSAS to be compliant with the newly published SPD15 standards by the next
student data collection for NPSAS.

8

8. Consultants Outside the Agency 
Recognizing the significance of the BPS:20/25 data collection, several strategies have been incorporated into the
project work plan to create opportunities for the critical review and acquisition of comments relating to project
activities, interim and final products, and projected and actual outcomes. These strategies include consultations
with persons and organizations both internal and external to NCES, the U.S. Department of Education, and the
federal government.
Previous BPS implementations have benefited from consultations with a TRP composed of staff from several
offices in the Department of Education; representatives of NSF, OMB, and CBO; and nonfederal members who
are considered experts in postsecondary education issues (a list of the TRP membersattendees is provided in
Appendix A). These consultations provide methodological insights from the results of similar and related studies
conducted by NCES, other federal agencies, and nonfederal sources. The consultations also assure that data
collected through BPS will meet the needs of the federal government and relevant organizations.
In May 2019, members of the NPSAS:20 TRP were consulted regarding specific questions included in the
NPSAS:20 student survey that were targeted to the BPS cohort. In June 2020, the BPS TRP reviewed the
BPS:20/22 field test plan and content of the student survey. In July 2021, a second BPS TRP meeting was held
to review the field test results and collect recommendations for the full-scale collection. In June 2023, the BPS
TRP reviewed the BPS:20/25 field test plan and content of the student survey. In July 2024, a final BPS TRP
was held to review the field test results and collect recommendations for the full-scale collection.
9. Provision of Payments or Gifts to Respondents
The cashuse of incentives to motivate completion of the student survey can provide significant advantages to the
government in terms of higher quality data with increased response rates and minimized nonresponse bias
(Groves, Singer, and Corning, 2000).1 In addition, the use of incentives may also result in decreased data
collection costs due to improved efficiency.
The monetary incentives for respondents are valued at $30-$7065. The BPS:20/25 field testfull scale data
collection will involve two distinct data collection groups and three main data collection phases. This general
setup builds upon the designs implemented in other longitudinal studies where it has contributed to maximizing
response rates and minimizing the potential for nonresponse bias (e.g., BPS:20/25 field test, BPS:20/22,
BPS:12/14, BPS:12/17, B&B:16/17, B&B:08/18).
InThe BPS:20/25 we plan to implementfull-scale study plans include differential treatments based on prior
round response status, an approach that was successfully implemented in the B&B:16/17 field test, where
NPSAS:16 field test nonrespondents received either an aggressive or a default protocol. The response rate
among NPSAS:16 field test nonrespondents who received the aggressive protocol was about 12 percentage
points higher than the group that received the default protocol (37 percent; default 25 percent response rate
t(2,097) = 3.52, p < .001).
For the BPS:20/25 field testfull-scale design, we will distinguish the following data collection groups and design
protocols:


Default Group: Any sample member that respondentwho responded to all NPSAS:20 and BPS:20/22
survey requests (n = 1,98920,620), including:
o NPSAS:20 and BPS:20/22 survey respondents, excluding sample members who only partially
completed the BPS:20/22 survey (final partials (n = 1,741) ) .
o NPSAS:20 administrative -only cases who were also BPS:20/22 survey respondents, excluding
BPS:20/22 final partials (n = 142).

1

Groves, R. M., Singer, E., & Corning, A. (2000). Leverage-saliency theory of survey participation: description and an illustration. The
Public Opinion Quarterly, 64(3), 299-308.
9

o NPSAS:20 ineligible respondents who, via a screener, self-identified that they began their
postsecondary education between July 1, 2018 and April 30, 2019, excluding BPS:20/22 final
partials (n = 106).


Aggressive Group: NPSAS:20 interview non-respondents (n = 50), BPS:20/22 field test interview nonrespondents (n = 547),survey nonrespondents, BPS:20/22 survey nonrespondents, or BPS:20/22 field
test final partials (n = 76).



The BPS:20/25 field test design will also investigate the effects of offering sample members a monetary
incentive in exchange for verifying their address information (e.g., phone number, mailing and email
address) at the beginning of the survey. Immediately upon completion of this address confirmation (i.e.,
before the survey starts), sample members in the experimental group will receive a $5 incentive payment
via their method of choice (PayPal or check), while sample members in the control group will receive no
incentive for completing this confirmation.8,030).

The baseline incentive for the prior yearround respondents in the default group will be $30. Including the
possible $5 address confirmation incentive (if a sample member is in the experimental group discussed above),
and a $10 boost postpaid incentive ataround week 11, (see incentive boosts section below) yields an incentive
range of $30 to $4540 for sample members in the default group.
The baseline incentive for sample members in the aggressive group will be $45. The baseline incentive will be
paid in addition to a possible $5 address confirmation incentive (if in the experimental group as discussed
above), and a $20 boost postpaid incentive (see incentive boosts section below). The incentive range is $45 to
$70 in this aggressive data collection protocol.
A subset of survey questions will be included in a short reinterview, offered to all interview completers. The
reinterview will be used to test the temporal reliability of data collected by the survey. To increase participation
and ensure sufficient data to assess reliability, we will offer a $5 incentive. Historically, reinterview analysis has
shown high temporal reliability in surveys used on the NPSAS suite of studies. For example, for NPSAS:16,
nearly 90 percent of the variables for which agreement statistics were calculated had agreement rates over 80
percent.
The justification for the aforementioned incentives is as follows: The use of incentives for completion of the
student survey can provide significant advantages to the government in terms of increased response rates and
higher quality data while minimizing the potential for nonresponse bias. In addition, the use of incentives may
also result in decreased data collection costs due to improved efficiency.
Including a $20 boost postpaid incentive around week 11 yields an incentive range of $45 to $65 in the
aggressive data collection protocol.
An increased baseline incentive for the aggressive group versus the default group is motivated by an experiment
conducted in BPS:12/14 showing that a $45 baseline incentive yielded the highest response rates. However,
thisthe experiment was underpowered to detect differences from $30 in the lower propensity response groups
(Wilson et al. 2015). Nonetheless, the $30 baseline incentive offered to these sample members in prior studies
was not sufficient to encourage response (i.e., n = 50 Field Test sample members did not respond to NPSAS:20
field test nonrespondents and n = 623 did not provide complete responses to BPS:20/22 field test
nonrespondents). Therefore, we recommend implementing a higher baseline incentive given that the $30
baseline incentive was not enough to encourage these sample members to respond in prior years. Further, the
$40 BPS:20/22 field test incentive yielded a completion rate of only 25 percent among sample members in the
aggressive group, while a $45 baseline incentive for the aggressive group in the BPS:20/22 full scale yielded a
completion rate of 38 percent in the BPS:20/22 full-scale and a 41 percent completion rate in the BPS:20/25
field test. Data collection results from the BPS:20/25 field test are discussed further in Appendix D.
Researchers have used incentive boosts as a nonresponse conversion strategy for sample members who have
implicitly or explicitly refused to complete the survey (e.g., Groves and Heeringa 2006; Singer and Ye 2013).
10

These boosts are especially common in large federal surveys during their nonresponse follow-up phase (e.g., The
Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Survey of Family Growth) and have been implemented
successfully in other postsecondary education surveys (e.g., HSLS:09 second follow-up; BPS:12/17; NPSAS:20).
In NPSAS:20, a $10 incentive boost increased the overall response rate by about 3.2 percentage points above the
projected response rate. Therefore, a $10 incentive boost increase to the BPS:20/25 baseline incentive is planned
during the Nonresponse Follow-Upnonresponse follow-up phase for all remaining nonrespondents in the
default data collection group. Remaining nonrespondents in the aggressive data collection group will be offered a
$20 incentive boost increase to the baseline incentive. This is because the $10 incentive boost in NPSAS:20 did
not show any effect on this group. If necessary, incentive boosts may be targeted only at certain groups of
nonrespondents to achieve response goals (e.g., targeting nonrespondents from certain states to ensure
representativeness, targeting aggressive group nonrespondents to reduce the potential for nonresponse bias). For
additional details about the incentive plan, see B.4.
Prior to the start of data collection, BPS:20/25 sample members will be matched to a federal database
maintained by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Controls (OFAC). OFAC
administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions based on U.S. foreign policy and national security goals.
As part of its enforcement efforts, OFAC publishes a list of individuals and companies called the “Specially
Designated Nationals List” or SDN. Their assets are blocked and U.S. entities are prohibited from conducting
trade or financial transactions with those on the list (https://www.treasury.gov/resourcecenter/sanctions/Pages/default.aspx). In order to determine if there are any BPS:20/25 sample members to
whom NCES cannot offer an incentive, the sample members will be matched to the SDN using the Jaro-Winkler
and Soundex algorithms recommended by OFAC. To avoid over-matching, BPS:20/25 staff will review the
cases based on full name, date of birth, and address. The small number of individuals who cannot be confirmed
as not matching the SDN list will receive a survey request without an incentive offer.
10. Assurance of Confidentiality
NCES assures participating individuals that all information collected under BPS:20/25 may be used only for
statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as
required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151).
The primary contractor for this study is RTI International. Confidentiality and data security protection
procedures have been put in place for BPS:20/25 to ensure that the contractor and its subcontractors comply
with all privacy requirements, including:
1. The statement of work of this contract;
2. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 (20 U.S.C. §1232(g));
3. Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. §552a);
4. Privacy Act Regulations (34 CFR Part 5b);
5. Computer Security Act of 1987;
6. U.S.A. Patriot Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-56);
7. Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9573);
8. Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015 (6 U.S.C. §151);
9. Foundations of Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018, Title III, Part B, Confidential Information Protection
10. The federal regulations pertaining to these laws;
11. Any revision or amendment to these laws and regulations;
10.12.
The U.S. Department of Education General Handbook for Information Technology Security
General Support Systems and Major Applications Inventory Procedures (March 2005);
11.13.
The U.S. Department of Education Incident Handling Procedures (February 2009);
12.14.
The U.S. Department of Education, ACS Directive OM: 5-101, Contractor Employee Personnel
Security Screenings;
13.15.
NCES Statistical Standards; and
11

14.16.

All new legislation that impacts the data collected through the contract for this study.

Furthermore, the contractor will comply with the Department of Education’s IT security policy requirements as
set forth in the Handbook for Information Assurance Security Policy and related procedures and guidance, as
well as IT security requirements in the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), Federal
Information Processing Standards (FIPS) publications, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars, and
the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards and guidance. All data products and
publications will also adhere to the revised NCES Statistical Standards, as described at the website:
https://nces.ed.gov/statprog/2012/.
By law (20 U.S.C. §9573), a violation of the confidentiality restrictions is a felony, punishable by imprisonment of
up to 5 years and/or a fine of up to $250,000. The BPS:20/25 procedures for maintaining confidentiality include
notarized (the requirement for notarization continues to be waived to accommodate restrictions due to COVID19) nondisclosure affidavits obtained from all personnel who will have access to individual identifiers; personnel
training regarding the meaning of confidentiality; controlled and protected access to computer files; built-in
safeguards concerning status monitoring and receipt control systems; and a secure, staffed, in-house computing
facility. BPS:20/25 follows detailed guidelines for securing sensitive project data, including, but not limited to:
physical/environment protections, building access controls, system access controls, system login restrictions,
user identification and authorization procedures, encryption, and project file storage/archiving/destruction.
Additionally, the contractor will take security measures to protect the web data collection application from
unauthorized access. The web server will include an SSL certificate and will be configured to force encrypted
data transmission over the Internet. All files uploaded to the website will be stored in a secure project folder that
is accessible and visible to authorized project staff only. To access restricted pages containing confidential
information, website users will be required to log in by entering an assigned ID number and password. Through
the website, the primary coordinators at the institution will be able to use a “Manage Users” link, available only
to them, to add and delete user accounts for other staff at the same institution. The new users will be assigned a
temporary password, which they will be required to change upon logging in to the website for the first time.
Security measures have been put in place to protect data during file matching procedures described in section
A.3 of this document. NCES has a secure data transfer system, which uses SSL technology, allowing the transfer
of encrypted data over the Internet. The IES File Transfer System will be used for all administrative data sources
that do not have their own secure file transfers systems. All data transfers will be encrypted.
The Department has established a policy regarding the personnel security screening requirements for all
contractor employees and their subcontractors. The contractor must comply with these personnel security
screening requirements throughout the life of the contract, including several requirements that the contractor
must meet for each employee working on the contract for 30 days or more. Among these requirements are that
each person working on the contract must be assigned a position risk level. The risk levels are high, moderate,
and low based upon the level of harm that a person in the position can cause to the Department’s interests. Each
person working on the contract must complete the requirements for a “Contractor Security Screening.”
Depending on the risk level assigned to each person’s position, a follow-up background investigation by the
Department will occur.
Administrative data
BPS:20/25 and other NCES postsecondary studies include data linkages with many existing sources of valuable
data, listed in appendix CB, including the Department of Education’s (ED) CPS for FAFSA data, Processing
System (FPS), National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS,), and National Student Clearinghouse (NSC.).
These NCES studies also obtain data from postsecondary institution student records, information on military
service records from Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA,), and admissions test scores from ACT and The
College Board. Linkages to additional data providers, such as Experian and the National Directory of New Hires
(NDNH), may be explored for BPS:20/25. Many of these administrative data matches are not guaranteed and
will require separate Memorandums of Understanding, Agreements, or Contracts with the entities responsible
for the individual data elements.
12

Regarding file matching with administrative sources, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA, 34
CFR Part 99) allows the disclosure of personally identifiable information from students’ education records
without prior consent for the purposes of BPS:20/25 according to the following excerpts: 34 CFR §99.31 asks,
“Under what conditions is prior consent not required to disclose information?” and explains in 34 CFR §99.31(a)
that “An educational agency or institution may disclose personally identifiable information from an education
record of a student without the consent required by §99.30 if the disclosure meets one or more” of several
conditions. These conditions include, at 34 CFR §99.31(a)(3):
“The disclosure is, subject to the requirements of §99.35, to authorized representatives of-(i) The Comptroller General of the United States;
(ii) The Attorney General of the United States;
(iii) The Secretary; or
(iv) State and local educational authorities.”
BPS:20/25 is collecting data under the Secretary’s authority. Specifically, NCES, as an authorized representative
of the Secretary of Education, is collecting this information for the purpose of evaluating a federally supported
education program. Any personally identifiable information is collected with adherence to the security protocol
detailed in 34 CFR §99.35:
“(a)(1) Authorized representatives of the officials or agencies headed by officials listed in §99.31(a)(3) may
have access to education records in connection with an audit or evaluation of Federal or State supported
education programs, or for the enforcement of or compliance with Federal legal requirements that relate to
those programs.
(2) The State or local educational authority or agency headed by an official listed in §99.31(a)(3) is responsible
for using reasonable methods to ensure to the greatest extent practicable that any entity or individual
designated as its authorized representative—
(i) Uses personally identifiable information only to carry out an audit or evaluation of Federal- or Statesupported education programs, or for the enforcement of or compliance with Federal legal requirements
related to these programs;
(ii) Protects the personally identifiable information from further disclosures or other uses, except as
authorized in paragraph (b)(1) of this section; and
(iii) Destroys the personally identifiable information in accordance with the requirements of paragraphs (b)
and (c) of this section.
(b) Information that is collected under paragraph (a) of this section must—
(1) Be protected in a manner that does not permit personal identification of individuals by anyone other than
the State or local educational authority or agency headed by an official listed in §99.31(a)(3) and their
authorized representatives, except that the State or local educational authority or agency headed by an official
listed in §99.31(a)(3) may make further disclosures of personally identifiable information from education
records on behalf of the educational agency or institution in accordance with the requirements of §99.33(b);
and
(2) Be destroyed when no longer needed for the purposes listed in paragraph (a) of this section.
(c) Paragraph (b) of this section does not apply if:
(1) The parent or eligible student has given written consent for the disclosure under §99.30; or
(2) The collection of personally identifiable information is specifically authorized by Federal law.”
Additionally, the study, including the administrative data linkage, qualifies for a 45 CFR Part 46 waiver of
consent based on the following factors:
 There is minimal risk to the participants. There is no physical risk and only minimal risk associated with
linkage of data to sample members. The public-use and restricted-use data, prepared as part of the contract
13

with the data collection contractor, will not include Social Security Numbers (SSNs) or other extremely
sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (e.g., name, birthdate, etc.) even though these data elements are
used for the linkage. Data will undergo disclosure avoidance analysis and disclosure treatment steps to
further reduce the risk.
 The waiver will not affect the rights and welfare of sampled students. Public-use and restricted-use data are
only used for research purposes and lack direct individually-identifying information. The data are further
protected through disclosure avoidance procedures approved by the NCES Disclosure Review Board.
 The study cannot be conducted practicably without the waiver. To obtain written consent from sampled
students for each administrative source, multiple forms would have to be sent to them with multiple followup telephone and in-person visits, adding to the burden on sample members. This process would add weeks
to the data collection process and is not feasible from a time standpoint. Additionally, the value of these
data would be jeopardized from a nonresponse bias perspective.
Appendix B includes additional information regarding confidentiality for administrative record matching.
Student
The following language will be included, as appropriate, in sample contact materials and on data collection
instruments:
NCES is authorized to conduct the 2020/25 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study
(BPS:20/25) by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA, 20 U.S.C. §9543) and to collect
students' education records from educational agencies or institutions for the purpose of evaluating
federally supported education programs under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974
(FERPA, 34 CFR §§ 99.31(a)(3)(iii) and 99.35). The data are being collected for NCES by RTI
International, a U.S.-based nonprofit research organization.
All of the information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or
used, in identifiable form, for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C.
§151).
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection
of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this
voluntary information collection is 1850-0631. The time required to complete this information collection
is estimated to average approximately 30 minutes per survey response, including the time to review
instructions, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any
comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate, suggestions for improving this survey, or any
comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this survey, please write
directly to: The 2020/25 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:20/25) Field
TestFull-scale, National Center for Education Statistics, Potomac Center Plaza, 550 12th St., SW, Room
40074037, Washington, DC 20202. OMB Clearance No: 1850-0666 Expiration Date: xx/xx/xxxx
11. Sensitive Questions 
The BPS survey collects information about earnings, assets, marital and family statuses, gender identity and
sexual orientation, student basic needs, and mental health. Regulations governing the administration of these
questions require: (a) clear documentation of the need for such information as it relates to the primary purpose
of the study, and (b) provisions to clearly inform sample members of the voluntary nature of participation in the
study, as well as information about how their responses will be protected and may be used only for statistical
purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law
(20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151).
The collection of data related to income, earnings, assets, indebtedness, and long-range employment outcomes is
central to understanding key policy issues driving this study. Financial assets and obligations are important post14

graduate outcomes of students and are indicators of the rate of return of educational experiences to the
respondent.
The collection of information about marital and family status likewise facilitates the exploration of key policy
issues. Financial and family-related obligations also influence decisions about enrollment, employment, and loan
repayment so it is important to collect information about marital status and dependents. Gender identity and
sexual orientation can impact enrollment and employment experiences and outcomes, a topic of growing interest
for social research and policy.
Financial data related to earnings and assets, as well as marital and dependency statuses are key items used in
calculating need for financial aid, parental contributions, and financial aid awards. Consequently, the data
elements are critical to conduct policy-related analyses and to model and project the effects of federal program
changes on students and program costs.
Data elements capturing food and housing security are critical to measure how well the basic needs of
postsecondary students are being met. The NPSAS:20 student survey, which served as the base-year data
collection for BPS:20/25, was the first federal survey to collect food security data on a national postsecondary
student population. Homelessness is one indicator of housing security, which is a multidimensional construct. To
capture more nuanced information on student housing security, the BPS:20/22 survey collected indicators of
housing security such as housing affordability, stability, and safety. These indicators will also be collected in
BPS:20/25 and allow researchers to understand the impact that housing security can have on student persistence
and attainment and other outcomes of interest.
12. Estimates of Response Burden
Table 2 provides the projected estimates for response burden for the BPS:20/25 field testfull-scale study, which
are based on NPSAS:20 and BPS:20/22. We expect the student survey to require approximately 30 minutes, on
average, for completion. There will be a reinterview of approximately 10 minutes’ duration. A panel maintenance
(address update) will require approximately 3 minutes. Estimating an average hourly rate of $31372 for
participating students, the 1,2269,010 total burden hours are estimated to translate to $38,006333,370 total
burden time cost to respondents.
Table 2. Average estimated burden to student respondents for the BPS:20/25 field testfull-scale data collection
and full-scale address update

Data collection activity
BPS:20/25 Field Test
Field test student survey
NPSAS:20 Respondents and
BPS:20/22 FT Respondent
NPSAS:20 Respondent and
BPS:20/22 FT Nonrespondent
NPSAS:20 Nonrespondents and
BPS:20/22 FT Respondent
Field test student survey subtotal
Field test reinterview survey1

Sample
(Fielded
Cases
Only)

Expected
number of
responses

Average
time burden
per
response
(mins)

Total
time
burden
(hours)

1,624

1,624

30

812

28

154

154

30

77

200

50

100

100

30

50

2,660

70

1,878

1,878

30

939

1,878

40

751

751

10

125

Expected
eligible

Expected
response
rate
(percent)

Expected
number of
respondents

1,910

1,910

85

550

550

200
2,660
1,878

BPS:20/25 Full-scale

2

The hourly rate of $3137 for students was obtained by averaging the median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers
among high school graduates with no college ($916) and individuals with a bachelor’s degree ($1684) and dividing by 35 hours per week
(http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/wkyeng.pdf); accessed on August 8, 20239, 2024.
15

Data collection activity
Panel maintenance (address
updates)Student survey
Student survey3Full
Abbreviated

Sample
(Fielded
Cases
Only)

Expected
eligible

28,650
28,650
28,650

NA
28,650
28,650

Expected
response
rate
(percent)

Expected
number of
respondents

Expected
number of
responses

15
59 56
14
70

4,298
16,904 020
4,000
6,176220,020

4,298
16,904 020
4,000
6,92720,02
0

Total

Average
time burden
per
response
(mins)
3
30
15

Total
time
burden
(hours)
215
8,452010
1,000
1,2799,01
0

1

The student reinterview which, whenever feasible, is completed in the same mode as the original interview, is given to a subset of interview respondents and
includes a reduced number of interview questions. See Appendix E for a list of included questions.
2
Reinterview counts are not included in the total expected number of respondents because they are included in the interview respondent rows; only interview
respondents can be reinterview respondents. The expected number of respondents is the sum of field test survey respondents and full-scale panel
mantenance respondents only.
3
Greyed out rows represent tasks for which burden is not currently being requested. In this case, projected burden for the administration of the full-scale
survey is shown. These hours will be requested in the full-scale study package, currently scheduled for submission in fall 2024.
NOTE:* Unduplicated count of respondents.
NOTE: Sample sizes rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages are based on the unrounded count of expected eligible students within the row under
consideration. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

13. Estimates of Cost
There are no additional costs to the respondents.
14. Costs to Federal Government 
The total cost to the federal government for all field testfull-scale activities included in this package is
$1,6914,597,000. The total cost for the complete implementation for the BPS:20/25 study is $6,288,000.
Table 3. Costs to NCES for the 2020/25 Beginning Postsecondary Students LongitudinalBPS:20/25 Full-scale
Study
Costs to NCES
$6,2884,597,000

BPS:20/25 study implementation
Total
NCES Salaries and expenses
Contract costs
Field test total
Instrumentation and materials
Data collection
Systems and data processing
Full-scale total
Instrumentation and materials
Data collection
Systems and data processing

$330,000
$5,958,000
$1,691,000
$525,000
$768,000
$398,000
$4,267,000
$867,000
$2,509,000
$891,000

15. Reasons for Changes in Response Burden and Costs
The previous package for this data collection program was to clear the full-scale study for BPS:20/22, and so
burden and costs were appropriately higher for that full-scale national data collection. This request states only
burden and costs associated with the field test for BPS:20/25.
The increase in total burden hours from the last approved clearance is due to the fact that the last submission
was for the BPS:20/25 field test study.
16. Publication Plans and Time Schedule
The contract for BPS:20/25 requires multiple reports, publications, and other public information releases.
Results of the field test will be published as an appendix to the full-scale data file documentation.
The operational schedule for the BPS:20/25 field test and full-scale study is seen in Table 4 below.

16

Table 4.. Operational scheduleSchedule for BPS:20/25 Field Test and Full-scale Panel MaintenanceStudy
BPS:20/25 activity
Field TestFull-scale collection

Select student sample

Start date

End date

Wed 09/13/2023October
2024

Mon
11/13/2023December
2024

Panel maintenance
Survey data collection
Process data, construct data files
Prepare/update data collection reports

Tue 01/16/2024
Mon 03/04/2024February 2025
Tue 03/05/2024February 2025
Mon 03/04/2024February 2025

Full-scale
Panel maintenance

Fri 02/02/2024

Fri 06/28/2024October 2025
Fri 08/30/2024November 2025
Fri 08/30/2024November 2025
Tue 01/14/2025

Fri 01/31/2025

The following BPS:20/25 reports, publications, and other public information releases are planned at the
conclusion of the full-scale studydata collection:






Descriptivedescriptive summaries of significant findings for dissemination to a broad audience (,
including a First Look report);;
Detaileddetailed data file documentation describing all aspects of the full-scale study design and data
collection procedures, including an appendix summarizing the methodological findings from the field
test;
Completecomplete data files and documentation for research data users in the form of both a
restricted-use file;
the DataLab public-use data analysis system in which users create their own tables and charts using
predefined categories from a subset of variables, including PowerStats, which allows users to create
their own tables and charts using all publicly available variables; and
Specialspecial tabulations of issues of interest to the higher education community, as determined by
NCES.

17. Approval to Not Display Expiration Date for OMB Approval
The expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection will be displayed on data collection
instruments and materials. No special exception is being requested.
18. Exceptions to Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions
There are no exceptions to the certification statement identified in the Certification for Paperwork Reduction
Act Submissions of OMB Form 83-I.

17