The fourth edition of analyses of selected federal student assistance and categorical programs prepared by the National Institute of Independent Colleges and Universities is presented. Sections include: (1) federal student assistance--undergraduate programs (Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, State Student Incentive Grants, Guaranteed Student Loans, etc.); (2) federal student assistance--graduate and professional programs (mining fellowships, legal training for the disabled, fellowships for Indian students, Health Education Assistance loans, etc.); (3) federal categorical programs--Department of Education (biomedicine, cooperative education, libraries, Teacher Corps, etc.); and (4) federal categorical programs--other departments and agencies. Each program is described and its funding is provided, including the administration's recommended budget request for fiscal year 1982. For several programs, there is an analysis of the distribution of funding by sector, type of institution and control, and state. The information and data for these reports have been compiled from published documents from federal agencies, from unpublished records and data, and from interviews with agency personnel. The emphasis is upon programs administered by the Department of Education, although programs of general interest to independent institutions from other federal departments and agencies are also included, such as those from: Department of Health and Human Services; Department of Commerce; Department of Energy; Department of Labor, National Endowment for the Arts; National Endowment for the Humanities; and National Science Foundation. (LC)