This report is the first publication based on the 2003-04 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:04), conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education. NPSAS is a comprehensive study that examines how students and their families pay for postsecondary education. The study includes nationally representative samples of undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional students; students attending less-than-2-year, 2-year, and 4-year institutions, and institutions awarding advanced degrees; and students who receive financial aid and those who do not receive aid. This report describes the percentages of students receiving various types of financial aid and average amounts received, by type of institution attended, attendance pattern, dependency status, and income level. All average amounts of financial aid described in the report and presented in the tables reflect the weighted means and are based only on the recipients of the specified types of aid. The following are appended: (1) Glossary; and (2) Technical Notes and Methodology. (Contains 18 tables.)