The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) examines how students who have received financial aid, and their families, pay for postsecondary education. It includes nationally representative samples of undergraduates, graduates, and first-professional students, encompassing students attending less-than-2-year institutions, 2-year schools, 4-year colleges, and major universities. The report contains data on nearly 70,000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled during the 1989-90 school year, collected from more than 1,130 postsecondary institutions. About 51,000 students and a subsample of about 16,000 of their parents were interviewed by telephone. Among the findings are the following: (1) about 6 million undergraduates received financial aid during 1989-90; (2) about three out of four aided undergraduates received some type of aid administered by the U.S. Department of Education; (3) about one out of four aided undergraduates received some type of campus-based aid; (4) about 3 out of 10 aided undergraduates received institutional aid, such as athletic or academic scholarships; and (5) among Title IV aid recipients, although the average amount of Title IV aid received was $3,175, about 17% of these recipients received $5,000 or more. Statistical data make up the bulk of the report. Appendices include technical and table notes, a glossary, and a Beta Test Site Application. (GLR)