Florida State University softball tops the list of highest grossing programs, reporting more than $2.2 million – or $95,837 per athlete – in 2016, followed by Baylor University ($2.17 million) and University of Missouri ($1.8 million), according to a Higher Education Tribune analysis of the latest federal data.
The U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education compiles athletics data annually from more than 2,000 schools receiving federal financial aid.
More than 1,600 of those schools have softball programs. In all, they grossed nearly $451 million in 2016.
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Top 200 softball programs by revenue
School | State | Division | Total undergraduates | Softball players | Softball team revenue | Revenue per athlete | |
1 | Florida State University | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 29,051 | 23 | $2,204,241 | $95,837 |
2 | Baylor University | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 14,087 | 19 | $2,170,407 | $114,232 |
3 | University of Missouri-Columbia | MO | NCAA Division I-FBS | 24,060 | 23 | $1,836,083 | $79,830 |
4 | Mississippi State University | MS | NCAA Division I-FBS | 16,134 | 28 | $1,755,203 | $62,686 |
5 | James Madison University | VA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 18,467 | 28 | $1,706,393 | $60,943 |
6 | Fordham University | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 8,725 | 20 | $1,469,723 | $73,486 |
7 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | VA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,420 | 17 | $1,391,829 | $81,872 |
8 | California State University-Fresno | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,828 | 27 | $1,359,136 | $50,338 |
9 | Oregon State University | OR | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,395 | 21 | $1,354,748 | $64,512 |
10 | DePaul University | IL | NCAA Division I without football | 13,126 | 21 | $1,339,619 | $63,791 |
11 | Boston College | MA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 9,486 | 21 | $1,334,868 | $63,565 |
12 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | LA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,859 | 38 | $1,333,558 | $35,094 |
13 | University of Tulsa | OK | NCAA Division I-FBS | 3,248 | 22 | $1,308,605 | $59,482 |
14 | East Carolina University | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 19,698 | 20 | $1,301,852 | $65,093 |
15 | Hofstra University | NY | NCAA Division I without football | 6,462 | 17 | $1,264,712 | $74,395 |
16 | The University of Texas at El Paso | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 13,321 | 23 | $1,249,378 | $54,321 |
17 | University of the Pacific | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 3,375 | 20 | $1,238,173 | $61,909 |
18 | Liberty University | VA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 27,100 | 23 | $1,194,720 | $51,944 |
19 | The University of Alabama | AL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 29,071 | 19 | $1,170,919 | $61,627 |
20 | Brigham Young University-Provo | UT | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,012 | 21 | $1,159,283 | $55,204 |
21 | Utah State University | UT | NCAA Division I-FBS | 16,888 | 39 | $1,154,146 | $29,593 |
22 | St John's University-New York | NY | NCAA Division I without football | 11,468 | 19 | $1,148,777 | $60,462 |
23 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | HI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 10,676 | 23 | $1,148,735 | $49,945 |
24 | Villanova University | PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 6,469 | 20 | $1,121,030 | $56,052 |
25 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | NJ | NCAA Division I-FBS | 33,939 | 18 | $1,118,705 | $62,150 |
26 | The University of Texas at Austin | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 37,026 | 21 | $1,115,054 | $53,098 |
27 | San Diego State University | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 26,530 | 25 | $1,108,185 | $44,327 |
28 | Seton Hall University | NJ | NCAA Division I without football | 5,484 | 23 | $1,093,915 | $47,562 |
29 | California State University-Fullerton | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 27,925 | 26 | $1,087,444 | $41,825 |
30 | Coastal Carolina University | SC | Other | 8,828 | 21 | $1,083,720 | $51,606 |
31 | University of Central Florida | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 38,228 | 20 | $1,082,535 | $54,127 |
32 | Stetson University | FL | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,017 | 19 | $1,074,658 | $56,561 |
33 | Providence College | RI | NCAA Division I without football | 3,768 | 20 | $1,071,173 | $53,559 |
34 | LIU Brooklyn | NY | NCAA Division I without football | 3,749 | 20 | $1,059,474 | $52,974 |
35 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | MA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 21,340 | 19 | $1,054,498 | $55,500 |
36 | Creighton University | NE | NCAA Division I without football | 3,970 | 29 | $1,052,036 | $36,277 |
37 | University of Memphis | TN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,372 | 19 | $1,048,883 | $55,204 |
38 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | AL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 8,941 | 29 | $1,040,637 | $35,884 |
39 | Loyola Marymount University | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 5,987 | 20 | $1,033,636 | $51,682 |
40 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | NM | NCAA Division I-FBS | 9,825 | 23 | $1,033,569 | $44,938 |
41 | Ohio University-Main Campus | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,794 | 19 | $1,026,485 | $54,026 |
42 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | PA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,129 | 18 | $1,004,841 | $55,825 |
43 | San Jose State University | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 21,569 | 28 | $1,001,948 | $35,784 |
44 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | TN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,719 | 26 | $1,000,349 | $38,475 |
45 | Lehigh University | PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 4,990 | 18 | $999,948 | $55,553 |
46 | Syracuse University | NY | NCAA Division I-FBS | 14,324 | 20 | $995,881 | $49,794 |
47 | George Washington University | DC | NCAA Division I without football | 10,343 | 19 | $993,027 | $52,265 |
48 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | CO | NCAA Division I-FBS | 21,211 | 21 | $968,959 | $46,141 |
49 | Bucknell University | PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,525 | 21 | $966,750 | $46,036 |
50 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | WA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,165 | 21 | $966,490 | $46,023 |
51 | Furman University | SC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,691 | 23 | $963,997 | $41,913 |
52 | Colgate University | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,864 | 19 | $962,079 | $50,636 |
53 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus | ND | NCAA Division I-FCS | 10,631 | 20 | $957,827 | $47,891 |
54 | University of California-Santa Barbara | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 21,199 | 22 | $949,320 | $43,151 |
55 | University of Arizona | AZ | NCAA Division I-FBS | 29,049 | 23 | $948,362 | $41,233 |
56 | University of Houston | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 25,399 | 21 | $943,179 | $44,913 |
57 | College of Charleston | SC | NCAA Division I without football | 9,470 | 20 | $940,749 | $47,037 |
58 | Lipscomb University | TN | NCAA Division I without football | 2,651 | 16 | $940,522 | $58,783 |
59 | University of Delaware | DE | NCAA Division I-FCS | 17,736 | 21 | $937,931 | $44,663 |
60 | University of South Alabama | AL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 9,596 | 24 | $937,591 | $39,066 |
61 | University of South Florida-Main Campus | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 23,603 | 28 | $932,519 | $33,304 |
62 | University of Nevada-Las Vegas | NV | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,237 | 24 | $929,583 | $38,733 |
63 | Miami University-Oxford | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 16,109 | 18 | $927,610 | $51,534 |
64 | Illinois State University | IL | NCAA Division I-FCS | 17,420 | 26 | $924,253 | $35,548 |
65 | University of Toledo | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,810 | 20 | $922,846 | $46,142 |
66 | Bethany College | KS | NAIA Division II | 640 | 55 | $920,634 | $16,739 |
67 | Bradley University | IL | NCAA Division I without football | 4,278 | 20 | $913,828 | $45,691 |
68 | Saint Joseph's University | PA | NCAA Division I without football | 4,649 | 21 | $900,921 | $42,901 |
69 | Elon University | NC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,854 | 19 | $894,600 | $47,084 |
70 | Marshall University | WV | NCAA Division I-FBS | 7,917 | 18 | $882,915 | $49,051 |
71 | Wichita State University | KS | NCAA Division I without football | 8,566 | 24 | $882,911 | $36,788 |
72 | Texas State University | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,180 | 24 | $877,830 | $36,576 |
73 | Drexel University | PA | NCAA Division I without football | 13,258 | 25 | $875,905 | $35,036 |
74 | University of San Diego | CA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,433 | 21 | $875,030 | $41,668 |
75 | Ball State University | IN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,018 | 22 | $874,569 | $39,753 |
76 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | CA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 19,650 | 21 | $871,653 | $41,507 |
77 | Kent State University at Kent | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 19,034 | 26 | $866,178 | $33,315 |
78 | Campbell University | NC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,734 | 21 | $858,385 | $40,875 |
79 | University of Illinois at Chicago | IL | NCAA Division I without football | 16,408 | 19 | $855,034 | $45,002 |
80 | Samford University | AL | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,204 | 18 | $848,454 | $47,136 |
81 | Quinnipiac University | CT | NCAA Division I without football | 6,784 | 17 | $846,429 | $49,790 |
82 | Butler University | IN | Other | 4,171 | 23 | $843,717 | $36,683 |
83 | Drake University | IA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,091 | 17 | $842,353 | $49,550 |
84 | Georgia State University | GA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 19,062 | 29 | $839,779 | $28,958 |
85 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | NM | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,732 | 22 | $832,271 | $37,831 |
86 | University of Nevada-Reno | NV | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,390 | 23 | $827,801 | $35,991 |
87 | Seattle University | WA | NCAA Division I without football | 4,463 | 21 | $813,369 | $38,732 |
88 | Middle Tennessee State University | TN | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,985 | 23 | $805,916 | $35,040 |
89 | Saint Francis University | PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 1,540 | 20 | $804,805 | $40,240 |
90 | California Baptist University | CA | NCAA Division II without football | 5,878 | 25 | $802,775 | $32,111 |
91 | Longwood University | VA | NCAA Division I without football | 3,951 | 18 | $799,139 | $44,397 |
92 | Eastern Kentucky University | KY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 11,002 | 20 | $798,425 | $39,921 |
93 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,818 | 18 | $797,855 | $44,325 |
94 | University of Evansville | IN | NCAA Division I without football | 2,015 | 24 | $796,977 | $33,207 |
95 | University of Detroit Mercy | MI | NCAA Division I without football | 2,160 | 19 | $796,200 | $41,905 |
96 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | NCAA Division I without football | 14,542 | 22 | $794,101 | $36,096 |
97 | Eastern Michigan University | MI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,714 | 23 | $793,852 | $34,515 |
98 | The University of Texas at Arlington | TX | NCAA Division I without football | 16,663 | 24 | $792,723 | $33,030 |
99 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 28,201 | 20 | $791,274 | $39,564 |
100 | University of Connecticut | CT | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,538 | 18 | $788,762 | $43,820 |
101 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | IL | NCAA Division I-FCS | 10,509 | 16 | $783,139 | $48,946 |
102 | California State University-Northridge | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 29,056 | 26 | $780,122 | $30,005 |
103 | Belmont University | TN | NCAA Division I without football | 5,925 | 19 | $777,708 | $40,932 |
104 | Mercer University | GA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 4,012 | 21 | $777,391 | $37,019 |
105 | Sacred Heart University | CT | NCAA Division I-FCS | 4,793 | 23 | $775,129 | $33,701 |
106 | Central Michigan University | MI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 17,077 | 24 | $773,833 | $32,243 |
107 | University of California-Davis | CA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 28,544 | 23 | $772,986 | $33,608 |
108 | Troy University | AL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 9,329 | 20 | $769,820 | $38,491 |
109 | California State University-Sacramento | CA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 23,181 | 24 | $767,472 | $31,978 |
110 | University of Rhode Island | RI | NCAA Division I-FCS | 12,422 | 25 | $765,010 | $30,600 |
111 | University at Buffalo | NY | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,732 | 20 | $761,376 | $38,069 |
112 | Northern Illinois University | IL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,323 | 23 | $756,560 | $32,894 |
113 | Loyola University Chicago | IL | NCAA Division I without football | 10,261 | 17 | $755,902 | $44,465 |
114 | Florida Atlantic University | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,715 | 21 | $749,832 | $35,706 |
115 | Towson University | MD | NCAA Division I-FCS | 16,827 | 23 | $748,140 | $32,528 |
116 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,257 | 17 | $746,971 | $43,939 |
117 | Kennesaw State University | GA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 24,171 | 26 | $742,269 | $28,549 |
118 | Abilene Christian University | TX | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,550 | 21 | $740,672 | $35,270 |
119 | Valparaiso University | IN | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,196 | 19 | $738,211 | $38,853 |
120 | Monmouth University | NJ | NCAA Division I-FCS | 4,484 | 18 | $737,483 | $40,971 |
121 | Lamar University | TX | NCAA Division I-FCS | 6,161 | 22 | $736,585 | $33,481 |
122 | University of Maine | ME | NCAA Division I-FCS | 8,082 | 20 | $736,240 | $36,812 |
123 | University of Akron Main Campus | OH | NCAA Division I-FBS | 13,367 | 22 | $734,638 | $33,393 |
124 | Bethune-Cookman University | FL | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,583 | 20 | $730,483 | $36,524 |
125 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | MA | NCAA Division I without football | 9,906 | 20 | $727,566 | $36,378 |
126 | University of Southern Mississippi | MS | NCAA Division I-FBS | 10,242 | 32 | $721,699 | $22,553 |
127 | University of Hartford | CT | NCAA Division I without football | 4,506 | 16 | $720,971 | $45,061 |
128 | Jacksonville State University | AL | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,392 | 25 | $718,921 | $28,757 |
129 | Weber State University | UT | NCAA Division I-FCS | 10,265 | 24 | $718,392 | $29,933 |
130 | SUNY at Albany | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 12,387 | 23 | $710,956 | $30,911 |
131 | Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | IL | NCAA Division I without football | 9,883 | 21 | $710,260 | $33,822 |
132 | University of California-Riverside | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 19,533 | 19 | $705,496 | $37,131 |
133 | Presbyterian College | SC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 943 | 22 | $701,905 | $31,905 |
134 | Radford University | VA | NCAA Division I without football | 8,091 | 17 | $696,107 | $40,947 |
135 | University of North Texas | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 25,486 | 15 | $694,693 | $46,313 |
136 | University of California-Los Angeles | CA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 30,329 | 24 | $694,680 | $28,945 |
137 | Robert Morris University | PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,940 | 17 | $690,775 | $40,634 |
138 | California State University-Long Beach | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 27,804 | 24 | $685,468 | $28,561 |
139 | McNeese State University | LA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,444 | 24 | $683,842 | $28,493 |
140 | University of North Dakota | ND | NCAA Division I-FCS | 8,787 | 24 | $683,197 | $28,467 |
141 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | PA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 39,883 | 20 | $682,227 | $34,111 |
142 | Western Michigan University | MI | NCAA Division I-FBS | 14,999 | 20 | $680,619 | $34,031 |
143 | University of Iowa | IA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 20,690 | 25 | $677,126 | $27,085 |
144 | University of the Incarnate Word | TX | NCAA Division I-FCS | 4,488 | 28 | $675,459 | $24,124 |
145 | University of Maryland-Baltimore County | MD | NCAA Division I without football | 9,474 | 20 | $674,407 | $33,720 |
146 | University of Northern Iowa | IA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 9,119 | 20 | $673,362 | $33,668 |
147 | Northwestern State University of Louisiana | LA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 5,182 | 25 | $672,954 | $26,918 |
148 | Louisiana Tech University | LA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 7,434 | 20 | $672,911 | $33,646 |
149 | Texas A & M University-College Station | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 44,975 | 21 | $671,974 | $31,999 |
150 | Houston Baptist University | TX | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,160 | 15 | $668,789 | $44,586 |
151 | Stony Brook University | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 15,729 | 17 | $667,956 | $39,292 |
152 | Appalachian State University | NC | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,450 | 30 | $664,051 | $22,135 |
153 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | NC | NCAA Division I without football | 13,904 | 19 | $661,020 | $34,791 |
154 | Lafayette College | PA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,505 | 17 | $659,968 | $38,822 |
155 | Western Kentucky University | KY | NCAA Division I-FBS | 12,967 | 17 | $654,208 | $38,483 |
156 | Midland University | NE | NAIA Division II | 1,168 | 40 | $653,682 | $16,342 |
157 | Northern Kentucky University | KY | NCAA Division I without football | 9,119 | 25 | $650,808 | $26,032 |
158 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | TX | NCAA Division I-FBS | 19,995 | 21 | $647,677 | $30,842 |
159 | Saint Mary's College of California | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 2,590 | 19 | $642,182 | $33,799 |
160 | Central Connecticut State University | CT | NCAA Division I-FCS | 7,529 | 20 | $638,495 | $31,925 |
161 | Bryant University | RI | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,399 | 23 | $627,786 | $27,295 |
162 | Manhattan College | NY | NCAA Division I without football | 3,444 | 20 | $627,294 | $31,365 |
163 | College of the Holy Cross | MA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,689 | 17 | $627,177 | $36,893 |
164 | Menlo College | CA | NAIA Division I | 760 | 20 | $625,576 | $31,279 |
165 | Portland State University | OR | NCAA Division I-FCS | 13,698 | 21 | $625,191 | $29,771 |
166 | Indiana State University | IN | NCAA Division I-FCS | 9,347 | 17 | $623,615 | $36,683 |
167 | Corban University | OR | NAIA Division I | 938 | 32 | $620,359 | $19,386 |
168 | Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus | NJ | NCAA Division I without football | 2,329 | 16 | $619,989 | $38,749 |
169 | Florida International University | FL | NCAA Division I-FBS | 25,920 | 21 | $617,718 | $29,415 |
170 | Georgetown University | DC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 6,874 | 18 | $612,174 | $34,010 |
171 | Florida Gulf Coast University | FL | NCAA Division I without football | 10,809 | 23 | $610,331 | $26,536 |
172 | Canisius College | NY | NCAA Division I without football | 2,453 | 19 | $610,261 | $32,119 |
173 | Georgia Southern University | GA | NCAA Division I-FBS | 15,912 | 20 | $610,175 | $30,509 |
174 | Texas A & M University-Commerce | TX | NCAA Division II with football | 6,007 | 21 | $605,502 | $28,833 |
175 | Fairfield University | CT | NCAA Division I without football | 3,802 | 20 | $603,249 | $30,162 |
176 | Texas Wesleyan University | TX | NAIA Division I | 1,487 | 25 | $601,920 | $24,077 |
177 | Stephen F Austin State University | TX | NCAA Division I-FCS | 9,571 | 28 | $600,146 | $21,434 |
178 | La Salle University | PA | NCAA Division I without football | 3,174 | 22 | $599,776 | $27,263 |
179 | University of Northern Colorado | CO | NCAA Division I-FCS | 8,242 | 18 | $597,716 | $33,206 |
180 | Missouri State University-Springfield | MO | NCAA Division I-FCS | 15,008 | 20 | $597,437 | $29,872 |
181 | Wagner College | NY | NCAA Division I-FCS | 1,762 | 27 | $597,194 | $22,118 |
182 | Hampton University | VA | NCAA Division I-FCS | 3,652 | 19 | $592,691 | $31,194 |
183 | The University of Tennessee-Martin | TN | NCAA Division I-FCS | 4,943 | 22 | $591,979 | $26,908 |
184 | Siena College | NY | NCAA Division I without football | 3,060 | 19 | $591,089 | $31,110 |
185 | Santa Clara University | CA | NCAA Division I without football | 5,333 | 19 | $587,099 | $30,900 |
186 | University of South Dakota | SD | NCAA Division I-FCS | 4,922 | 19 | $585,907 | $30,837 |
187 | University of Missouri-Kansas City | MO | NCAA Division I without football | 6,528 | 22 | $584,158 | $26,553 |
188 | Boston University | MA | NCAA Division I without football | 16,199 | 22 | $583,936 | $26,543 |
189 | University of Oregon | OR | NCAA Division I-FBS | 18,309 | 17 | $582,625 | $34,272 |
190 | The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga | TN | NCAA Division I-FCS | 8,868 | 20 | $579,524 | $28,976 |
191 | The University of Findlay | OH | NCAA Division II with football | 2,561 | 40 | $578,792 | $14,470 |
192 | Tennessee Technological University | TN | NCAA Division I-FCS | 8,386 | 18 | $578,566 | $32,143 |
193 | Chipola College | FL | NJCAA Division I | 910 | 24 | $576,894 | $24,037 |
194 | Jacksonville University | FL | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,113 | 20 | $576,384 | $28,819 |
195 | Oakland University | MI | NCAA Division I without football | 12,917 | 22 | $576,243 | $26,193 |
196 | Concordia University-Irvine | CA | NCAA Division II without football | 1,772 | 25 | $575,870 | $23,035 |
197 | Robert Morris University Illinois | IL | NAIA Division II | 2,253 | 41 | $575,116 | $14,027 |
198 | University of Maryland-College Park | MD | NCAA Division I-FBS | 26,174 | 22 | $574,889 | $26,131 |
199 | Charleston Southern University | SC | NCAA Division I-FCS | 2,896 | 27 | $573,733 | $21,249 |
200 | Sam Houston State University | TX | NCAA Division I-FCS | 14,497 | 19 | $570,265 | $30,014 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education