A
| Academic Program | An instructional program leading toward an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, doctor’s, or first-professional degree or resulting in credits that can be applied to one of these degrees. | |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Support | A functional expense category that includes expenses of activities and services that support the institution’s primary missions of instruction, research, and public service. It includes the retention, preservation, and display of educational materials (for example, libraries, museums, and galleries); organized activities that provide support services to the academic functions of the institution (such as a demonstration school associated with a college of education or veterinary and dental clinics if their primary purpose is to support the instructional program); media such as audiovisual services; academic administration (including academic deans but not department chairpersons); and formally organized and separately budgeted academic personnel development and course and curriculum development expenses. Also included are information technology expenses related to academic support activities; if an institution does not separately budget and expense information technology resources, the costs associated with the three primary programs will be applied to this function and the remainder to institutional support. Under FASB standards this includes actual or allocated costs for operation and maintenance of plant, interest, and depreciation. Under GASB standards this does not include operation and maintenance of plant or interest but may include depreciation expense. | |
| Academic Year | IPEDS report definition: The period of time generally extending from September to June; usually equated to 2 semesters or trimesters, 3 quarters, or the period covered by a 4-1-4 calendar system. | |
| Accrediting Bodies | Organizations (or agencies) that establish operating standards for educational or professional institutions and programs, determine the extent to which the standards are met, and publicly announce their findings. The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is the University’s institutional accreditation body. | |
| ACT | ACT, previously known as the American College Testing program, measures educational development and readiness to pursue college-level coursework in English, mathematics, natural science, and social studies. Student performance does not reflect innate ability and is influenced by a student’s educational preparedness. | |
| Adjunct Faculty | Non-tenure track faculty serving in a temporary or auxiliary capacity to teach specific courses on a course-by-course basis. Includes both faculty who are hired to teach an academic degree-credit course and those hired to teach a remedial, developmental, or ESL course; whether the latter three categories earn college credit is immaterial. Excludes regular part-time faculty (who, unlike adjuncts are not paid on a course-by-course basis), graduate assistants, full-time professional staff of the institution who may teach individual courses (such as a dean or academic advisor), and appointees who teach non-credit courses exclusively. | |
| Adjusted Cohort | In the Graduation Rates component of IPEDS, an institution’s revised cohort minus any allowable exclusions. | |
| A & P (Administrative and Professional) | Defined in employee contracts and usually includes Executive, administrative, and managerial; other professionals, according to IPEDS primary occupational activity definition. | |
| Administrative Unit | Various offices responsible non-academic activities. | |
| Admissions (students admitted) | Applicants that have been granted an official offer to enroll in a postsecondary institution. | |
| Admissions test scores | Scores on standardized admissions tests or special admissions tests. | |
| Advanced placement (AP) courses | College-level courses taught in high school. Students may take an examination at the completion of the course; acceptable scores allow students to earn college credit toward a degree, certificate, or other formal award. | |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community attachment. | American Indian or Alaska Native (old definition) Race/ethnicity (new definition) |
| Adult Learner | Students that are 25 years of age and older. | |
| Applicant | An individual who has submitted an application for admission to the institution for a specific entry term. | |
| Asian | A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian Subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. | Asian/Pacific Islander (old definition) Race/ethnicity (new definition) |
| Associate Degree | An award that normally requires at least 2 but less than 4 years of full-time equivalent college work. | |
| Athletically-related student aid | Any scholarship, grant, or other form of financial assistance, offered by an institution, the terms of which require the recipient to participate in a program of intercollegiate athletics in order to be eligible to receive such assistance. | |
| Auxiliary enterprises expenses | Expenses for essentially self-supporting operations of the institution that exist to furnish a service to students, faculty, or staff, and that charge a fee that is directly related to, although not necessarily equal to, the cost of the service. Examples are residence halls, food services, student health services, intercollegiate athletics (only if essentially self-supporting), college unions, college stores, faculty and staff parking, and faculty housing. Includes depreciation related to auxiliary enterprises (if separately assigned by the institution). FASB institutions also charge or allocate interest expense to auxiliary enterprises. |
B
| Bachelor’s Degree | An award (baccalaureate or equivalent degree, as determined by the Secretary, U.S. Department of Education) that normally requires at least 4 but not more than 5 years of full-time equivalent college-level work. This includes all bachelor’s degrees conferred in a 5-year cooperative (work-study) program. A cooperative plan provides for alternate class attendance and employment in business, industry, or government; thus, it allows students to combine actual work experience with their college studies. Also includes bachelor’s degrees in which the normal 4 years of work are completed in 3 years. | |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s or equivalent degree-seeking sub-cohort | In the GRS component of IPEDS, a cohort of students who were seeking a bachelor’s or equivalent degree upon entry. | |
| Balance Sheet | An official financial statement that lists a postsecondary institution’s assets and liabilities as of a specified date. | |
| Benefits | Payments made to or on behalf of an individual over and above that received in the form of a salary or wage. Frequently this is associated with an insurance payment. | |
| Black or African American (new definition) | A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. | Black, non-Hispanic (old definition)Race/ethnicity (new definition) |
| Branch institution | A campus or site of an educational institution that is not temporary, is located in a community beyond a reasonable commuting distance from its parent institution, and offers full programs of study, not just courses. |
C
| Carnegie Classification | An institutional classification coding structure developed by the Andrew W. Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The 2000 Carnegie Classification categorizes selected institutions as: Doctoral/Research Universities–Extensive Doctoral/Research Universities-Intensive Master’s Colleges and Universities I Master’s Colleges and Universities II Baccalaureate Colleges–Liberal Arts Baccalaureate Colleges–General Baccalaureate/Associate’s Colleges Associate’s Colleges Specialized Institutions: Theological seminaries and other specialized faith-related institutions Medical schools and medical centers Other separate health profession schools Schools of engineering and technology Schools of business and management Schools of art, music, and design Schools of law Teachers colleges Other specialized institutions Tribal Colleges and Universities | |
|---|---|---|
| Census Date | The 10th Day Census is the official student enrollment count taken on the tenth day of classes each academic term. This snapshot of enrollment data is used for internal planning and reporting, external reporting, and resource allocation purposes. | |
| Certificate | A formal award certifying the satisfactory completion of a postsecondary education program. | |
| CIP code | A six-digit code in the form xx.xxxx that identifies instructional program specialties within educational institutions. | |
| Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) | A taxonomic coding scheme for secondary and postsecondary instructional programs. It is intended to facilitate the organization, collection, and reporting of program data using classifications that capture the majority of reportable data. The CIP is the accepted federal government statistical standard on instructional program classifications and is used in a variety of education information surveys and databases. | |
| Classified Staff | Defined in employee contracts and usually includes Technical and paraprofessional; Clerical and secretarial; Skilled crafts; and Service/maintenance (see separate definitions)., according to IPEDS primary occupational activity definition. | |
| Cohort | A specific group of students established for tracking purposes. | |
| Common Data Set (CDS) | A collaborative effort among data providers in the higher education community and publishers as represented by the College Board, Thomson Peterson’s, and U.S. News & World Report. The combined goal of this collaboration is to improve the quality and accuracy of information provided to all involved in a student’s transition into higher education, as well as to reduce the reporting burden on data providers. | |
| Comparison group | The group of peer institutions used for comparison purposes within the IPEDS Peer Analysis System (PAS). Comparison groups may be identified by the analyst by name or UnitID, they may be built by using characteristics (variables) from the IPEDS data, or they may be automatically generated by the system. Also referred to as a peer group. | Automatic peer group LinchPin (institution) |
| Completer | A student who receives a degree, diploma, certificate, or other formal award. In order to be considered a completer, the degree/award must actually be conferred. | |
| Completers within 150% of normal time | Students who completed their program within 150% of the normal (or expected) time for completion. | Normal time to completion |
| Completions (C) | One of nine components in IPEDS. This component collects data annually from all Title IV institutions on the number of recognized degree completions in postsecondary education programs by level (associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, doctor’s, and first-professional). | |
| Contact Hour | A unit of measure that represents an hour of scheduled instruction given to students. Also referred to as clock hour. | Credit Hour |
| Contact Hour Activity | The provision of coursework to students which can be measured in terms of contact or clock hours . | |
| Continuing professional education | Programs and courses designed specifically for individuals who have completed a degree in a professional field (such as law, medicine, dentistry, education, or social work) to obtain additional training in their particular field of study. | |
| Control (of institution) | A classification of whether an institution is operated by publicly elected or appointed officials (public control) or by privately elected or appointed officials and derives its major source of funds from private sources (private control). | Institutional affiliation Sector Level (of institution) |
| Credit | Recognition of attendance or performance in an instructional activity (course or program) that can be applied by a recipient toward the requirements for a degree, diploma, certificate, or other formal award. | |
| Credit Course | A course that, if successfully completed, can be applied toward the number of courses required for achieving a degree, diploma, certificate, or other formal award. | |
| Credit Hour | A unit of measure representing the equivalent of an hour (50 minutes) of instruction per week over the entire term. It is applied toward the total number of credit hours needed for completing the requirements of a degree, diploma, certificate, or other formal award. | Clock hour Contact hour |
| Credit Hour Activity | The provision of coursework to students which can be measured in terms of credit hours. |
D
| Degree | An award conferred by a college, university, or other postsecondary education institution as official recognition for the successful completion of a program of studies. | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree/certificate-seeking students | Students enrolled in courses for credit who are recognized by the institution as seeking a degree or other formal award. At the undergraduate level, this is intended to include students enrolled in vocational or occupational programs. | |
| Diploma | A formal document certifying the successful completion of a prescribed program of studies. | |
| Distance learning | An option for earning course credit at off-campus locations via cable television, internet, satellite classes, videotapes, correspondence courses, or other means. | |
| Doctor’s degree | The highest award a student can earn for graduate study. The doctor’s degree classification includes such degrees as Doctor of Education, Doctor of Juridical Science, Doctor of Public Health, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in any field such as agronomy, food technology, education, engineering, public administration, ophthalmology, or radiology. | |
| Doctoral/Research Universities–Extensive (Carnegie) | An institutional classification developed by the Andrew W. Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Doctoral/Research Universities–Extensive typically offer a wide range of baccalaureate programs , and they are committed to graduate education through the doctorate. During the period studied, they awarded 50 or more doctoral degrees per year across at least 15 disciplines. | Carnegie Classification |
| Doctoral/Research Universities–Intensive (Carnegie) | An institutional classification developed by the Andrew W. Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Doctoral/Research Universities–Intensive typically offer a wide range of baccalaureate programs , and they are committed to graduate education through the doctorate. During the period studied, they awarded at least ten doctoral degrees per year across three or more disciplines, or at least 20 doctoral degrees per year overall. | Carnegie Classification |
| Domestic diverse (students) | A categorization of enrolled students who are both U.S. citizens (not international) and self-identify as a race other than White, including American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Hispanic/Latino, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or a combination of 2 or more races. | |
| Dual credit | A program through which high school students are enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) courses, taught at their high school, that fulfill high school graduation requirements and may earn the student college credits. | |
| Dual enrollment | A program through which high school students may enroll in college courses while still enrolled in high school. Students are not required to apply for admission to the college in order to participate. |
E
| Educational offerings | Educational programs offered by postsecondary institutions that are occupational, academic, or continuing professional that qualify as postsecondary education programs OR recreational or avocational, adult basic, remedial instruction, high school equivalency, or high school programs that are not deemed postsecondary. | |
|---|---|---|
| Entering students (undergraduate) | Students coming into the institution for the first time (in the fall term) at the undergraduate level. Includes: students who initially attended the prior summer term and returned again in the fall; all first-time, first-year undergraduate-level students; students transferring into the institution at any undergraduate level for the first time; both full-time and part-time students; and all degree and certificate-seeking as well as non-degree/certificate seeking students. | |
| Exclusions | Those students who may be removed (deleted) from a cohort (or subcohort). For the Graduation Rates data collection students maybe removed from a cohort if they left the institution for one of the following reasons: died or were totally and permanently disabled; to serve in the armed forces; to serve with a foreign aid service of the federal government, such as the Peace Corps; or to serve on official church missions. |
F
| Faculty | Persons identified by the institution as such and typically those whose initial assignments are made for the purpose of conducting instruction, research or public service as a principal activity (or activities). They may hold academic rank titles of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, lecturer or the equivalent of any of those academic ranks. Faculty may also include the chancellor/president, provost, vice provosts, deans, directors or the equivalent, as well as associate deans, assistant deans and executive officers of academic departments (chairpersons, heads or the equivalent) if their principal activity is instruction combined with research and/or public service. The designation as “faculty” is separate from the activities to which they may be currently assigned. For example, a newly appointed president of an institution may also be appointed as a faculty member. Graduate, instruction, and research assistants are not included in this category. | |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Cohort | The group of students entering in the fall term established for tracking purposes. For the Graduation Rates component, this includes all students who enter an institution as full-time, first-time degree or certificate-seeking undergraduate students during the fall term of a given year. | First-time student (undergraduate) |
| Fall Term | The part of the academic year that begins between late August and early September. | |
| FASB (Financial Accounting Standards Board) | Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is recognized by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) as the body authorized to establish accounting standards. In practice it defers to the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) for the setting of accounting standards for local and state government entities. | |
| Financial Aid | Grants, loans, assistantships, scholarships, fellowships, tuition waivers, tuition discounts, veteran’s benefits, employer aid (tuition reimbursement) and other monies (other than from relatives/friends) provided to students to meet expenses. This includes Title IV subsidized and unsubsidized loans made directly to students. | |
| First-generation student | Students whose parent(s) or legal guardian(s) have not completed a bachelor’s degree | |
| First-professional certificate (post-degree) | An award that requires completion of an organized program of study designed for persons who have completed the first-professional degree. Examples could be refresher courses or additional units of study in a specialty or subspecialty. | |
| First-professional degree | An award that requires completion of a program that meets all of the following criteria: (1) completion of the academic requirements to begin practice in the profession; (2) at least 2 years of college work prior to entering the program; and (3) a total of at least 6 academic years of college work to complete the degree program, including prior required college work plus the length of the professional program itself. First-professional degrees may be awarded in the following 10 fields: Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.) Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.) Law (L.L.B., J.D.) Medicine (M.D.) Optometry (O.D.) Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.) Theology (M.Div., M.H.L., B.D., or Ordination) Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) | |
| First-time student (undergraduate) | A student attending any institution for the first time at the undergraduate level. Includes students enrolled in academic or occupational programs. Also includes students enrolled in the fall term who attended college for the first time in the prior summer term, and students who entered with advanced standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school). | |
| First-year student | A student who has completed less than the equivalent of 1 full year of undergraduate work; that is, less than 30 semester hours (in a 120-hour degree program) or less than 900 contact hours. | |
| Fiscal Year | A twelve-month period running from July 1st through the following June 30th. | |
| Freshman | A first-year undergraduate student who have earned 01-27 credit hours. | |
| Fringe Benefits | Cash contributions in the form of supplementary or deferred compensation other than salary. Excludes the employee’s contribution. Employee fringe benefits include retirement plans, social security taxes, medical/dental plans, guaranteed disability income protection plans, tuition plans, housing plans, unemployment compensation plans, group life insurance plans, worker’s compensation plans, and other benefits in-kind with cash options. | |
| Fringe benefits expenditures | Cash contributions (of the institution) in the form of supplementary or deferred compensation other than salary. Excludes the employee’s contribution. | |
| Full-time equivalent (FTE) students | A measurement equal to one student enrolled full time for one academic year. For undergraduate credit hours divide by 15 and graduate credit hours divided by 12. | |
| Full-time instructional faculty | Those members of the instruction/research staff who are employed full time and whose major regular assignment is instruction, including those with released time for research. Also, includes full-time faculty for whom it is not possible to differentiate between teaching, research and public service because each of these functions is an integral component of his/her regular assignment. | Primarily instruction Instruction combined with research and/or public service |
| Full-time staff (employees) | As defined by the institution. The type of appointment at the snapshot date determines whether an employee is full time or part time. The employee’s term of contract is not considered in making the determination of full or part time. | |
| Full-time student | Undergraduate–A student enrolled for 12 or more semester credits , or 12 or more quarter credits, or 24 or more contact hours a week each term. Graduate–A student enrolled for 9 or more semester credits, or 9 or more quarter credits, or a student involved in thesis or dissertation preparation that is considered full time by the institution. First-professional–As defined by the institution. |
G
| Graduate Student | A student who holds a bachelor’s or first-professional degree, or equivalent, and is taking courses at the post-baccalaureate level. These students may or may not be enrolled in graduate programs. | |
|---|---|---|
| Graduation Rate | The rate required for disclosure and/or reporting purposes under Student Right-to-Know. This rate is calculated as the total number of completers within 150% of normal time divided by the revised cohort minus any allowable exclusions. | Cohort |
| Graduation Rates (GRS) | One of the nine components of IPEDS. This annual survey was added in 1997 to help institutions satisfy the requirements of the Student Right-to-Know legislation. Data are collected on the number of students entering the institution as full-time, first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduate students in a particular year (cohort), by race/ethnicity and gender; the number completing their program within 150 percent of normal time to completion; the number that transfer to other institutions if transfer is part of the institution’s mission; and the number of students receiving athletically-related student aid in the cohort and number of these completing within 150 percent of normal time to completion. Schools with athletic aid must also provide the total number of students receiving aid in the prior year, by race/ethnicity and gender within sport. The GRS automatically generates worksheets that calculate rates, including average rates over 4 years. | |
| Grants and contracts (revenues) | Revenues from governmental agencies and nongovernmental parties that are for specific research projects, other types of programs , or for general institutional operations (if not government appropriations). Examples are research projects, training programs, student financial assistance, and similar activities for which amounts are received or expenses are reimbursable under the terms of a grant or contract, including amounts to cover both direct and indirect expenses. Includes Pell Grants and reimbursement for costs of administering federal financial aid programs. Grants and contracts should be classified to identify the governmental level – federal, state, or local – funding the grant or contract to the institution; grants and contracts from other sources are classified as nongovernmental grants and contracts. GASB institutions are required to classify in financial reports such grants and contracts as either operating or nonoperating. | |
| Grants by state government | These are state monies awarded to the institution under student financial aid programs , including the state portion of State Student Incentive Grants (SSIG). |
H
| Hispanic or Latino (new definition) | A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. | Hispanic (old definition) Race/ethnicity (new definition) |
|---|---|---|
| Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) | The Higher Education Act, 20 USCA Section 1101a defines a Hispanic-serving institution as an institution of higher education that (a) is an eligible institution; (b) at the time of application, has an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25 percent Hispanic students; and (c) provides assurances that not less than 50 percent of the institution’s Hispanic students are low-income individuals. Note: low income is defined as 150% of the poverty level as determined by the Bureau of the Census. | |
| Housing capacity | The maximum number of students for which an institution can provide residential facilities, whether on or off campus. |
I
| Initial cohort | A specific group of individuals established for tracking purposes. For the Graduation Rates component of IPEDS, the initial cohort is defined as all students who enter an institution as full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking students during either (1) the fall term of a given academic year, or (2) between September 1st and August 31st of the following year. | Cohort Revised cohort |
|---|---|---|
| Institution of higher education | A term formerly used in IPEDS and HEGIS to define an institution that was accredited at the college level by an agency or association recognized by the Secretary, U.S. Department of Education. These schools offered at least a one-year program of study creditable toward a degree and they were eligible for participation in Title IV Federal financial aid programs. | |
| Institution’s staff (not in medical schools) | Term used to describe all staff employed by or employees working in a postsecondary institution, except those employed by or working in the medical school component of the institution. Includes staff employed by or employees working in the postsecondary component of a hospital or medical center that offers postsecondary education as one of its primary missions; also includes those working in first-professional schools (e.g., law schools, dental schools, schools optometry) except medical schools. | |
| Institutional grants | Scholarships and fellowships granted and funded by the institution and/or individual departments within the institution, (i.e., instruction, research, public service) that may contribute indirectly to the enhancement of these programs. Includes scholarships targeted to certain individuals (e.g., based on state of residence, major field of study, athletic team participation) for which the institution designates the recipient. | |
| Institutional grants (funded) (allowances) | Scholarships and fellowships awarded to students from institutional resources that are restricted to student aid. Private institutions generally report these grants as allowances. If control over these resources passes to the student, the amount is reported as an expense. (Used for reporting under FASB Standards.) | |
| Institutional grants (unfunded) (allowances) | Scholarships and fellowships awarded to students from unrestricted institutional resources. Private institutions generally report these grants as allowances. If control over these resources passes to the student, the amount is reported as an expense. (Used for reporting under FASB Standards.) | |
| Institutional grants from restricted resources | Institutional grants to students funded from restricted-expendable resources for student aid, such as scholarships and fellowships. (Used for reporting under GASB Standards.) | |
| Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) | The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) conducted by the NCES. IPEDS began in 1986 and involves annual institution-level data collections. All postsecondary institutions that have a Program Participation Agreement with the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), U.S. Department of Education are required to report data using a web-based data collection system. IPEDS currently consists of the following components:Institutional Characteristics (IC); Completions (C); Employees by Assigned Position (EAP); Fall Staff (S); Salaries (SA); Enrollment (EF); Graduation Rates (GRS); Finance (F); and Student Financial Aid (SFA). |
K
| Keyholder | The person designated by an official institutional representative to have in their possession the necessary UserID and password to gain access to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data collection system to complete the survey. The key holder is responsible for entering data and locking the site by each survey completion date. |
|---|
L
| Lower Division Course – Baccalaureate | Courses with course numbers in the range of 002-299. | |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Division Student – Baccalaureate | An undergraduate student who has less than 60 credit hours towards a baccalaureate degree but has no Associate degree or higher degree. Usually includes students classified as freshman and sophomore. |
M
| Major | A subject of academic study chosen by student as a field of specialization. Also referred as “program”. | |
|---|---|---|
| Master’s Colleges and Universities I (Carnegie) | An institutional classification developed by the Andrew W. Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Master’s Colleges and Universities I typically offer a wide range of baccalaureate programs, and they are committed to graduate education through the master’s degree. During the period studied, they awarded 40 or more master’s degrees per year across three or more disciplines. | Carnegie Classification |
| Master’s Colleges and Universities II (Carnegie) | An institutional classification developed by the Andrew W. Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Master’s Colleges and Universities II typically offer a wide range of baccalaureate programs , and they are committed to graduate education through the master’s degree. During the period studied, they awarded 20 or more master’s degrees per year. | Carnegie Classification |
| Master’s degree | An award that requires the successful completion of a program of study of at least the full-time equivalent of 1 but not more than 2 academic years of work beyond the bachelor’s degree. |
N
| National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) | The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in the Institute of Education Sciences, is the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Education and the primary federal provider of education statistics on the condition of Americn education. | |
|---|---|---|
| National institutional accreditation | Institutional accreditation normally applies to an entire institution, indicating that each of its parts is contributing to the achievement of an institution’s objectives, although not necessarily all on the same level of quality. The various commissions of the regional accrediting associations, for example, perform institutional accreditation, as do some national institutional accrediting agencies. | |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (new definition) | A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. | Asian/Pacific Islander (old definition) Race/ethnicity (new definition) |
| Non E & G current funds expenditures | Includes self-supporting operations of the institution that furnish a service to students, faculty, or staff and charge a fee related to the service. Also includes funds expended for operations that are independent of the mission of the institution. | |
| Non-degree-seeking student | A student enrolled in courses for credit who is not recognized by the institution as seeking a degree or formal award. | |
| Non-professional staff | Employees of an institution whose primary function or occupational activity is classified as one of the following: technical and paraprofessional; clerical and secretarial; skilled crafts; or service/maintenance. | Professional staff |
| Noncredit course | A course or activity having no credit applicable toward a degree, diploma, certificate, or other formal award. | |
| Nonresident alien | A person who is not a citizen or national of the United States and who is in this country on a visa or temporary basis and does not have the right to remain indefinitely. | |
| Normal time to completion | The amount of time necessary for a student to complete all requirements for a degree or certificate according to the institution’s catalog. This is typically 4 years (8 semesters or trimesters, or 12 quarters, excluding summer terms) for a bachelor’s degree in a standard term-based institution; 2 years (4 semesters or trimesters, or 6 quarters, excluding summer terms) for an associate’s degree in a standard term-based institution; and the various scheduled times for certificate programs. |
O
| Off-campus centers (extension centers) | Sites outside the confines of the parent institution where courses are offered that are part of an organized program at the parent institution. The sites are not considered to be temporary but may be rented or made available to the institution at no cost by another institution or an organization, agency, or firm. | |
| Official fall reporting date | The date (in the fall) on which an institution must report fall enrollment data to either the state, its board of trustees or governing board, or some other external governing body. | |
| On-campus housing | Any residence halls owned or controlled by an institution within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area and used by the institution in direct support of or in a manner related to, the institution’s educational purposes. |
P
| Part-time staff (employees) | As determined by the institution. The type of appointment at the snapshot date determines whether an employee is full time or part time. The employee’s term of contract is not considered in making the determination of full or part time. Casual employees (hired on an ad-hoc basis or occasional basis to meet short-term needs) and students in the College Work-Study Program (CWS) are not considered part-time staff. | |
|---|---|---|
| Part-time student | Undergraduate–A student enrolled for either 11 semester credits or less, or 11 quarter credits or less, or less than 24 contact hours a week each term. Graduate–A student enrolled for either 8 semester credits or less, or 8 quarter credits or less. | |
| Peer Analysis System (PAS) | A web-based application designed to enable users to compare one postsecondary institution (of the user’s choice) to a group of institutions (also of the user’s choice), using data collected through the IPEDS surveys. PAS also allows users to download entire data files or subsets of data files and to print copies of the survey instruments populated with data provided by an institution(s). | |
| Pell Grant program | (Higher Education Act of 1965, Title IV, Part A, Subpart I, as amended.) Provides grant assistance to eligible undergraduate postsecondary students with demonstrated financial need to help meet education expenses. | |
| Perkins Loan program | (Higher Education Act of 1965, Title IV, Part E, as amended, Public Laws 89-329, 92-318, et al; 20 USC 1087aa-1087hh.). Formerly known as National Direct Student Loans NDSL), the Perkins Loan program provides low interest loans to eligible postsecondary students (undergraduate, graduate, or professional students) with demonstrated financial need to help meet educational expenses. | |
| Placement services for program completers | Assistance for students in evaluating their career alternatives and in obtaining full-time employment upon leaving the institution. | |
| Post-master’s certificate | An award that requires completion of an organized program of study equivalent to 24 semester credit hours beyond the master’s degree, but does not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctor’s level. | |
| Postbaccalaureate certificate | An award that requires completion of an organized program of study equivalent to 18 semester credit hours beyond the bachelor’s. It is designed for persons who have completed a baccalaureate degree, but does not meet the requirements of a master’s degree. | |
| Postbaccalaureate student | A student with a bachelor’s degree who is enrolled in graduate-level or first-professional courses. | |
| Postsecondary award, certificate, or diploma (at least 1 but less than 2 academic years) | Requires completion of an organized program of study at the postsecondary level (below the baccalaureate degree) in at least 1 but less than 2 full-time equivalent academic years , or designed for completion in at least 30 but less than 60 semester or trimester credit hours, or in at least 45 but less than 90 quarter credit hours, or in at least 900 but less than 1,800 contact or clock hours, by a student enrolled full time. | |
| Postsecondary award, certificate, or diploma (at least 2 but less than 4 academic years) | Requires completion of an organized program of study at the postsecondary level (below the baccalaureate degree) in at least 2 but less than 4 full-time equivalent academic years , or designed for completion in at least 60 but less than 120 semester or trimester credit hours, or in at least 90 but less than 180 quarter credit hours, or in at least 1,800 but less than 3,600 contact or clock hours, by a student enrolled full time. | |
| Postsecondary award, certificate, or diploma (less than 1 academic year) | Requires completion of an organized program of study at the postsecondary level (below the baccalaureate degree) in less than 1 academic year (2 semesters or 3 quarters), or designed for completion in less than 30 semester or trimester credit hours, or in less than 45 quarter credit hours, or in less than 900 contact or clock hours, by a student enrolled full time. | |
| Postsecondary education | The provision of a formal instructional program whose curriculum is designed primarily for students who are beyond the compulsory age for high school. This includes programs whose purpose is academic, vocational, and continuing professional education, and excludes avocational and adult basic education programs. | |
| Postsecondary education institution | An institution which has as its sole purpose or one of its primary missions, the provision of postsecondary education. | |
| Primarily instruction | A primary function or occupational activity category used to classify persons whose specific assignments customarily are made for the purpose of conducting instruction or teaching and who hold academic titles of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, lecturer or the equivalent. Includes deans, directors, or the equivalent, as well as associate deans, assistant deans, and executive officers of academic departments (chairpersons, heads, or equivalent) if their principal activity is instruction. | |
| Primary occupational activity | The principal activity of a staff member as determined by the institution. If an individual participates in two or more activities, the primary activity is normally determined by the amount of time spent in each activity. Occupational activities are designated as follows: Executive, administrative, and managerial; Faculty (instruction/research/public service); Graduate assistants; Other professional (support/service); Technical and paraprofessional; Clerical and secretarial; Skilled crafts; and Service/maintenance (see separate definitions). | |
| Private for-profit institution | A private institution in which the individual(s) or agency in control receives compensation other than wages, rent, or other expenses for the assumption of risk. | Private institution Private not-for-profit institution Public institution |
| Private gifts, grants and contracts (revenues) | Revenues from private donors for which no legal consideration is involved and from private contracts for specific goods and services provided to the funder as stipulation for receipt of the funds. Includes only those gifts, grants, and contracts that are directly related to instruction, research, public service, or other institutional purposes. Includes monies received as a result of gifts, grants, or contracts from a foreign government. Also includes the estimated dollar amount of contributed services. | |
| Private institution | An educational institution controlled by a private individual(s) or by a nongovernmental agency, usually supported primarily by other than public funds, and operated by other than publicly elected or appointed officials. These institutions may be either for-profit or not-for-profit. | Public institution Private not-for-profit institution Private for-profit institution |
| Private not-for-profit institution | A private institution in which the individual(s) or agency in control receives no compensation, other than wages, rent, or other expenses for the assumption of risk. These include both independent not-for-profit schools and those affiliated with a religious organization. | Private institution Private for-profit institution Public institution |
| Program | A combination of courses and related activities organized for the attainment of broad educational objectives as described by the institution. | |
| Program category | A summary of groups of related instructional programs designated by the first 2 digits of its appropriate Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code. | |
| Program specialty | A specific instructional program that can be identified by a 6-digit Classification of Institutional Programs (CIP) Code. | |
| Public institution | An educational institution whose programs and activities are operated by publicly elected or appointed school officials and which is supported primarily by public funds. | Private institution Private not-for-profit institution Private for-profit institution |
| Public service (expense) | A functional expense category that includes expenses for activities established primarily to provide noninstructional services beneficial to individuals and groups external to the institution. Examples are conferences, institutes, general advisory service, reference bureaus, and similar services provided to particular sectors of the community. This function includes expenses for community services, cooperative extension services, and public broadcasting services. Also includes information technology expenses related to the public service activities if the institution separately budgets and expenses information technology resources (otherwise these expenses are included in academic support). FASB institutions include actual or allocated costs for operation and maintenance of plant, interest, and depreciation. GASB institutions do not include operation and maintenance of plant or interest, but may, as an option, distribute depreciation expense. | P |
R
| Race/ethnicity | Categories developed in 1997 by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that are used to describe groups to which individuals belong, identify with, or belong in the eyes of the community. The categories do not denote scientific definitions of anthropological origins. The designations are used to categorize U.S. citizens, resident aliens, and other eligible non-citizens. Individuals are asked to first designate ethnicity as: Hispanic or Latino or Not Hispanic or Latino Second, individuals are asked to indicate all races that apply among the following: American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Black or African American Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander White | |
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| Race/ethnicity unknown | The category used to report students or employees whose race/ethnicity is not known. | |
| Resident alien (and other eligible non-citizens) | A person who is not a citizen or national of the United States but who has been admitted as a legal immigrant for the purpose of obtaining permanent resident alien status (and who holds either an alien registration card (Form I-551 or I-151), a Temporary Resident Card (Form I-688), or an Arrival-Departure Record (Form I-94) with a notation that conveys legal immigrant status such as Section 207 Refugee, Section 208 Asylee, Conditional Entrant Parolee or Cuban-Haitian). | |
| Retention rate | A measure of the rate at which students persist in their educational program at an institution, expressed as a percentage. For four-year institutions , this is the percentage of first-time bachelors (or equivalent) degree-seeking undergraduates from the previous fall who are again enrolled in the current fall. For all other institutions this is the percentage of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students from the previous fall who either re-enrolled or successfully completed their program by the current fall. | |
| Revenues | The inflow of resources or other enhancement of net assets (or fund balance) of an institution or settlements of its liabilities (or a combination of both) from delivering or producing goods, rendering services, or other activities that constitute the institution’s ongoing major or central operations. Includes revenues from fees and charges, appropriations, auxiliary enterprises, and contributions and other nonexchange transactions. Revenues are reported net of discounts and allowances (that is, the revenue reported is reduced by the amount of discounts and allowances) for FASB institutions and for GASB institutions that have implemented GASB Statement No. 34. |
S
| SAT | Previously known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, this is an examination administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and used to predict the facility with which an individual will progress in learning college-level academic subjects. | |
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| Sector | One of nine institutional categories resulting from dividing the universe according to control and level. Control categories are public, private not-for-profit, and private for-profit. Level categories are 4-year and higher (4 year), 2-but-less-than 4-year (2 year), and less than 2-year. For example: public, 4-year institutions. | |
| Specialized accreditation | Specialized accreditation normally applies to the evaluation of programs, departments, or schools which usually are parts of a total collegiate or other postsecondary institution. The unit accredited may be as large as a college or school within a university or as small as a curriculum within a discipline. Most of the specialized accrediting agencies review units within a postsecondary institution which is accredited by one of the regional accrediting commissions. However, certain of the specialized accrediting agencies accredit professional schools and other specialized or vocational or other postsecondary institutions which are free-standing in their operations. Thus, a “specialized” or “programmatic” accrediting agency may also function in the capacity of an “institutional” accrediting agency. In addition, a number of specialized accrediting agencies accredit educational programs within non-educational settings, such as hospitals. | Accrediting agencies Accrediting bodies |
| Stafford Loans | (Higher Education Act of 1965, Title IV-B, as amended, Public Law 89-329; 20 USC 1071.) Provides guaranteed loans for educational expenses from eligible lenders to vocational, undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional students at eligible postsecondary institutions. | |
| Standardized admissions tests | Tests prepared and administered by an agency that is independent of any postsecondary education institution. Tests provide information about prospective students and their academic qualifications relative to a national sample. Examples are the SAT and the ACT. | |
| State of residence | A person’s permanent address as determined by such evidence as a driver’s license or voter registration. For entering freshmen, state of residence may be the legal state of residence of a parent or guardian. | |
| State unknown | Status used when the reporting institution is unable to determine from existing records the home state or residence of the student. | |
| Student Right-to-Know Act | Also known as the “Student Right-to-Know and Campus Security Act” (P.L. 101-542), which was passed by Congress November 9, 1990. Title I, Section 103, requires institutions eligible for Title IV funding to disclose completion or graduation rates of certificate- or degree-seeking, full-time students entering an institution to all students and prospective students. Further, Section 104 requires each institution that participates in any Title IV program and is attended by students receiving athletically-related student aid to annually submit a report to the Secretary. This report is to contain, among other things, graduation/completion rates of all students as well as students receiving athletically-related student aid by race/ethnicity and gender and by sport, and the average completion or graduation rate for the four most recent years. These data are also required to be disclosed to parents, coaches, and potential student athletes when the institution offers athletically-related student aid. The Graduation Rates component of IPEDS was developed specifically to help institutions respond to these requirements. | |
| Student Class level | Students are classified on the basis of earned credits from all sources: Freshmen: 0 – 27 credits New freshmen: students enrolled in college for the first time as freshmen. Other freshmen: students who have been enrolled in college at the freshman level in the past and who are still freshmen based on their earned credits. Sophomores: 28-55 credits Juniors: 56 – 87 credits Seniors: 88 + credits | |
| Study abroad | Arrangement by which a student completes part of the college program studying in another country. Can be at a campus abroad or through a cooperative agreement with some other U.S. college or an institution of another country. | |
| Summer session | A summer session is shorter than a regular session and is not considered part of the academic year. It is not the third term of an institution operating on a trimester system or the fourth term of an institution operating on a quarter calendar system. The institution may have two or more sessions occurring in the summer months. Some schools, such as vocational and beauty schools, have year-round classes with no separate summer session. |
T
| Teacher certification | Program designed to prepare students to meet the requirements for certification as teachers in elementary, middle/junior high, and secondary schools. | |
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| Technical and paraprofessional | A primary function or occupational activity category used to classify persons whose assignments require specialized knowledge or skills which may be acquired through experience, apprenticeship, on-the-job-training, or academic work in occupationally specific programs that result in a 2-year degree or other certificate or diploma. Includes persons who perform some of the duties of a professional in a supportive role, which usually requires less formal training and/or experience than normally required for professional status. Includes mathematical technicians; life, physical, and social science technicians; agricultural and food science technicians; chemical technicians; geological and petroleum technicians; nuclear technicians; paralegals and legal assistants; miscellaneous legal support workers; health technologists and technicians; dietetic technicians; pharmacy technicians; licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses; medical records and health information technicians; opticians, dispensing; healthcare support occupations; nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants; physical therapist assistants and aides; massage therapists; dental assistants; medical assistants; and pharmacy aides. | |
| Tenure | Status of a personnel position with respect to permanence of the position. | |
| Tenure Track | Personnel positions that lead to consideration for tenure. | |
| Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) | The standardized test designed to determine an applicant’s ability to benefit from instruction in English. | |
| Transfer Student | A student who last attended another institution from which credit is acceptable toward the degree or certificate he or she is working on. | |
| Title IV institution | An institution that has a written agreement with the Secretary of Education that allows the institution to participate in any of the Title IV federal student financial assistance programs (other than the State Student Incentive Grant (SSIG) and the National Early Intervention Scholarship and Partnership (NEISP) programs). | Program Participation Agreement (PPA) |
U
| Undergraduate | A student enrolled in a 4- or 5-year bachelor’s degree program, an associate’s degree program, or a vocational or technical program below the baccalaureate. | |
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| Unduplicated count | The sum of students enrolled for credit with each student counted only once during the reporting period, regardless of when the student enrolled. | |
| UnitID | Unique identification number assigned to postsecondary institutions surveyed through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Also referred to as UNITID or IPEDS ID. | |
| Upper Division Course – Baccalaureate | Courses with course numbers in the range of 300-499. | |
| Upper Division Student – Baccalaureate | An undergraduate student who has earned 60 or more credit hours towards a baccalaureate degree or has an Associate degree. Usually includes students classified as junior or seniors |