STUDENT
Total Donated
$181,240,561
Contributions
268,780
Unique Donors
10,709
Top Employer
STUDENT
Filers who entered STUDENT on federal contribution schedules account for $181.2M, according to FEC.gov aggregates on LobbyVault. The cluster is 268,780 contributions from 10,709 donors — a smaller unique-donor pool than the status words RETIRED or NOT EMPLOYED, with a still-large dollar total. STUDENT is a self-reported employer/occupation string, not a NAICS education sector, and it is not a count of enrolled undergraduates. Some rows may be graduate students, some may be people who used the word loosely, and some may list a university as employer instead of this label.
Key figures
- STUDENT-labeled receipts total $181.2M in itemized FEC data.
- 10,709 donors produced 268,780 contribution lines.
- School-name employer rows are not inside this total.
- STUDENT is self-reported FEC text, not a NAICS industry.
A school-status word in the employer column
FEC forms ask for employer. Many people without a payroll job type STUDENT. Others type a university name, which becomes a different industry key. LobbyVault's $181.2M is only the STUDENT string. It is not 'higher education as a NAICS industry' and not a campus PAC.
Committees still itemize these receipts under the same rules as any other individual gift. The label does not create a youth-vote statistic. Age is not in this industry rollup.
10,709 donors and a $181.2M headline
10,709 donors produced 268,780 STUDENT contribution lines. Relative to NOT EMPLOYED's millions of lines, this is a tighter list. Dollars can still concentrate if a smaller set of names gives repeatedly or in large itemized amounts. The packet does not publish a mean gift, so this page does not invent one.
Party share is not part of the industry total. Recipient committees live on the donor table.
Full analysis: STUDENT as an FEC label: $181.2M itemized →
Questions
- How much have STUDENT donors given in federal elections?
- LobbyVault's FEC.gov rollup attributes $181.2M to the STUDENT string, from 268,780 contributions and 10,709 donors. University-as-employer rows are separate. The label is not a NAICS education sector. Figures on this answer are limited to that FEC string as indexed on LobbyVault; unitemized gifts and non-federal filings are omitted.
- Is this all college students in the United States?
- No. It is the set of itemized receipts whose grouped FEC text is STUDENT. Enrollment data live in other agencies. People who typed a school name are in other industry rows. Figures on this answer are limited to that FEC string as indexed on LobbyVault; unitemized gifts and non-federal filings are omitted.
- Why are there only 10,709 donors but $181.2M?
- The donor count is 10,709 unique contributors under this label; the contribution count is 268,780 lines. Repeat giving and large itemized gifts can produce a high dollar total on a modest unique-donor list. The packet does not publish an average.
- Does STUDENT include parents giving for a child?
- FEC records name the contributor. If the form says STUDENT, that is the stored occupation/employer text for that named person. This page does not reassign gifts to relatives. Figures on this answer are limited to that FEC string as indexed on LobbyVault; unitemized gifts and non-federal filings are omitted.
Industry labels come from FEC employer/occupation self-reports, not NAICS. Data from FEC.gov via LobbyVault.
Industry ties
Cycle-over-Cycle Trend
| Cycle | Total | Contributions | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | $287,176 | 347 | 288 |
| 1982 | $95,527 | 98 | 32 |
| 1984 | $80,850 | 74 | 41 |
| 1986 | $40,500 | 44 | 32 |
| 1988 | $78,500 | 78 | 39 |
| 1990 | $72,097 | 89 | 36 |
| 1992 | $223,702 | 195 | 49 |
| 1994 | $124,388 | 200 | 40 |
| 1996 | $202,794 | 210 | 39 |
| 1998 | $150,099 | 211 | 35 |
| 2000 | $262,673 | 328 | 53 |
| 2002 | $186,820 | 224 | 44 |
| 2004 | $435,747 | 393 | 62 |
| 2006 | $353,644 | 265 | 47 |
| 2008 | $603,805 | 428 | 70 |
| 2010 | $442,587 | 319 | 46 |
| 2012 | $909,130 | 452 | 63 |
| 2014 | $526,093 | 325 | 50 |
Top Donors
| # | Name | Total | Contributions | City / State | Occupation | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GILMORE, ELIZABETH | $5,900 | 2 | KALAMAZOO, MI | — | 1980 |
| 2 | KOFFMAN, DAVID L | $4,000 | 4 | BINGHAMTON, NY | — | 1980 |
| 3 | MARSH, JULIE | $3,672 | 2 | MUNCIE, IN | — | 1980 |
| 4 | GOLDMAN, DOUGLAS E | $3,000 | 4 | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | — | 1980 |
| 5 | MADDEN, STRAUGHN | $3,000 | 2 | AMARILLO, TX | — | 1980 |
| 6 | COHN, MARK | $2,750 | 4 | HILLSBOROUGH, CA | — | 1980 |
| 7 | GARBER, ELIZABETH | $2,668 | 4 | LEVERETT, MA | — | 1980 |
| 8 | FORMAN, COLLINS | $2,250 | 3 | FORT LAUDERDALE, FL | — | 1980 |
| 9 | KESSEL, IRENE | $2,000 | 2 | WAYSIDE, NJ | — | 1980 |
| 10 | DANFORTH, DOROTHY D | $2,000 | 2 | WASHINGTON, DC | — | 1980 |
| 11 | DANFORTH, THOMAS J | $2,000 | 2 | WASHINGTON, DC | — | 1980 |
| 12 | DANFORTH, ELEANOR | $2,000 | 2 | WASHINGTON, DC | — | 1980 |
| 13 | KEENAN, SARAH K | $2,000 | 2 | HOUSTON, TX | — | 1980 |
| 14 | COLIN, ANN | $2,000 | 2 | NEW YORK, NY | — | 1980 |
| 15 | CADLE, CARON P MS | $2,000 | 2 | PRINCETON, NJ | — | 1980 |
| 16 | DANFORTH, ANN CLAGGETT | $2,000 | 2 | — | — | 1980 |
| 17 | COLIN, LAURA | $2,000 | 2 | NEW YORK, NY | — | 1980 |
| 18 | DANFORTH, JOHANNA C | $2,000 | 2 | WASHINGTON, DC | — | 1980 |
| 19 | LINDNER, KEITH | $2,000 | 2 | CINCINNATI, OH | — | 1980 |
| 20 | HILLMAN, BONNIE DEA | $2,000 | 2 | SEDONA, AZ | — | 1980 |
| 21 | ETCHEVERRY, DOMINICK | $2,000 | 1 | BOSTON, MA | — | 1980 |
| 22 | MCALILEY, CHRIS | $2,000 | 2 | BROOKLINE, MA | — | 1980 |
| 23 | MILBANK, JEREMIAH III | $2,000 | 4 | GREENWICH, CT | — | 1980 |
| 24 | MCKINNON, DAN E | $2,000 | 2 | TROY, AL | — | 1980 |
| 25 | HEFNER, CATHERINE E MS | $2,000 | 2 | DENVER, CO | — | 1980 |
| 26 | DANFORTH, MARY T | $2,000 | 2 | WASHINGTON, DC | — | 1980 |
| 27 | GILMORE, ELIZABETH B | $2,000 | 2 | KALAMAZOO, MI | — | 1980 |
| 28 | LAWFORD, VICTORIA | $1,900 | 3 | MCLEAN, VA | — | 1980 |
| 29 | MILLER, GABRIELLE | $1,750 | 2 | CLEVELAND, OH | — | 1980 |
| 30 | HILER, PATRICIA A | $1,750 | 2 | LAPORTE, IN | — | 1980 |
| 31 | HEFTEL, SUSAN | $1,350 | 2 | HONOLULU, HI | — | 1980 |
| 32 | HELMERICH, HANS | $1,250 | 2 | TULSA, OK | — | 1980 |
| 33 | HARRIS, RANDY | $1,250 | 2 | PROVIDENCE, RI | — | 1980 |
| 34 | MARSLAND, LAURIE J MS | $1,250 | 2 | PLYMOUTH, MA | — | 1980 |
| 35 | BECKER, DAVID | $1,250 | 2 | LOS ANGELES, CA | — | 1980 |
| 36 | BORNS, STEPHANIE | $1,000 | 1 | AMHERST, MA | — | 1980 |
| 37 | BRADY, KATHERINE C MS | $1,000 | 1 | FAR HILLS, NJ | — | 1980 |
| 38 | COHEN, JEFF MR | $1,000 | 1 | MALIBU, CA | — | 1980 |
| 39 | BLANCHARD, ELEANOR L | $1,000 | 1 | NEW YORK, NY | — | 1980 |
| 40 | BOWDEN, JEFFREY | $1,000 | 1 | WACO, TX | — | 1980 |
| 41 | CANIZARO, JOELLEN | $1,000 | 1 | NEW ORLEANS, LA | — | 1980 |
| 42 | BROWDER, CAROL ANN MRS | $1,000 | 1 | HARRIMAN, TN | — | 1980 |
| 43 | BARCLAY, KATHYRN | $1,000 | 1 | PULASKI, NY | — | 1980 |
| 44 | CANIZARO, JILL | $1,000 | 1 | NEW ORLEANS, LA | — | 1980 |
| 45 | BROSS, PETER F | $1,000 | 1 | MCLEAN, VA | — | 1980 |
| 46 | AUGSBURY, FRANK III | $1,000 | 1 | OGDENSBURG, NY | — | 1980 |
| 47 | CADLE, CARON P | $1,000 | 1 | PRINCETON, NJ | — | 1980 |
| 48 | ALLEN, LAUREL B MISS | $1,000 | 1 | MIAMI, FL | — | 1980 |
| 49 | ALLEN, IVAN IV MR | $1,000 | 1 | ATLANTA, GA | — | 1980 |
| 50 | BRADY, C D MR | $1,000 | 1 | FAR HILLS, NJ | — | 1980 |
Top Recipients
| # | Committee | Total | Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ACTBLUEC00401224 | $837,517 | 68 |
| 2 | DSCCC00042366 | $366,966 | 39 |
| 3 | DNC SERVICES CORP / DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEEC00010603 | $322,831 | 44 |
| 4 | DCCCC00000935 | $279,422 | 30 |
| 5 | OBAMA VICTORY FUND 2012C00494740 | $224,770 | 18 |
| 6 | HILLARY VICTORY FUNDC00586537 | $218,841 | 16 |
| 7 | AB PACC00492140 | $192,500 | 4 |
| 8 | BLACKPACC00609388 | $175,000 | 1 |
| 9 | RESTORE OUR FUTURE, INC.C00490045 | $151,000 | 3 |
| 10 | NANCY PELOSI VICTORY FUNDC00492421 | $146,200 | 4 |
| 11 | WINREDC00694323 | $145,459 | 38 |
| 12 | EMILYS LISTC00193433 | $122,517 | 18 |
| 13 | OBAMA FOR AMERICAC00431445 | $111,365 | 41 |
| 14 | LEADERSHIP PROJECT FOR AMERICA PACC00566182 | $104,000 | 4 |
| 15 | WORKING FAMILIES PARTY PACC00606962 | $101,500 | 2 |
| 16 | FIGHT FOR THE PEOPLE PACC00703975 | $84,722 | 42 |
| 17 | OBAMA VICTORY FUNDC00451393 | $72,789 | 14 |
| 18 | DNC-NON-FEDERAL INDIVIDUALC60000254 | $65,000 | 7 |
| 19 | AMERICA'S PRESIDENT COMMITTEEC00492322 | $60,000 | 4 |
| 20 | HMPC00495028 | $51,000 | 6 |
| 21 | HILLARY FOR AMERICAC00575795 | $50,426 | 29 |
| 22 | CONSERVATIVE OPPORTUNITY LEADERSHIP AND ENTERPRISE PACC00404392 | $50,000 | 1 |
| 23 | REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEEC00003418 | $47,136 | 28 |
| 24 | MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN PACC00580100 | $45,600 | 18 |
| 25 | CARTER/MONDALE PRESIDENTIAL COMMITTEE INCC00108407 | $42,500 | 56 |