IPEDS Overview

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) is a collection of information on postsecondary schools. Prospective students use the information to compare schools. Schools and other researchers use the information to track trends and make improvements to better meet students' needs.

All postsecondary schools that participate in federal student financial aid programs provide the information in required survey reports.

IPEDS is a project of the US Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

General IPEDS Information

This information is gleaned from the IPEDS website. See that site for updated, comprehensive information.

The Role of the Keyholder

One person at your school is designated the Keyholder. That person is the point of contact for IPEDS and has the UserID and password to submit the survey data. The Keyholder and the school's chief executive also receive the school's IPEDS Data Feedback Report each year. The report compares your school's data to a group of similar schools.

The Keyholder is responsible for submitting the data on time, coordinating the school's efforts to collect the information. The Keyholder receives all the reminders and notices from IPEDS and also works with the state or system coordinator. (Some states and systems do some of the reporting for individual schools.)

The IPEDS New Keyholder handbook contains the critical information a Keyholder needs.

Survey Components

There are four annual submissions: registration, fall, winter, and spring. Each survey collects different types of information.

The GR200 item is about graduation rates for students taking up to 200% of the normal completion time to graduate.

Preparing for Submission

IPEDS recommends these steps to prepare for submitting data.

1. Set your calendar for these submission periods: registration, fall, winter, and spring submissions (including prior year revisions).
2. Learn the reporting requirements by reviewing the survey materials and posted changes.
3. Identify training needs, and use online tutorials and face-to-face workshops to meet the training needs.
4. Set up your school's data providers with materials and instructions.

Using the Data Collection System

The Data Collection System is customized for your school. It flags potential errors, and includes prior year values for comparison. You can enter data directly or upload files in either fixed-width or key-value formats. Uploading requires programming to produce proper files but can save time in the long run.

Communicating with NCES

NCES sends reminder emails when it's time to start entering data, and they contact you by phone if no data is entered or surveys aren't locked (completed) a few weeks before the deadline. The data collection system sends automatic emails confirming updated information and locked surveys. NCES also sends announcements at regular intervals.

You can contact the IPEDS help desk by phone or email.

1-877-225-2568

ipedshelp@rti.org

Using IPEDS Data

Use the Data Explorer, Data Feedback Report, and other resources on the IPEDS User the Data page.

The Institutional Reporting Process in J1 Desktop

Use the Institutional Reporting process in J1 Desktop to gather and submit data for IPEDS. The Create/Work with Snapshots window is where you collect the data for submission. The data comes from these tables:

• IR_STUDENT DATA

• IR_IPEDS_COMPLETIONS

• IR_IPEDS GRS

There are six specific reporting categories:

• Fall Enrollment reports the number of students enrolled by their race/ethnicity and age.

• 12 Month Enrollment reports the credit hours and clock hours for students enrolled in a 12-month period by their race/ethnicity.

• Completions reports a summary of students who have completed their degree or certification by their race/ethnicity.

• Outcome Measures reports the status update from both 2-year and 4-year institutions at 8 years after the cohort enters the institution, with award information collected for both the 6-year and 8-year timeframes. (Outcome Measures data collection began in 2015-16 with reports on the 2007 cohort.)

• Graduation Rate Survey reports the number of students seeking Bachelors or other degrees and students receiving athletic-related student aid for specific sports and calculates the totals for graduate and transfer rates.

• Graduation Rate Survey 200 reports the number of students who have completed their degree or certification within 200% normal time.

To see the counts or data for each IPEDS report and to generate a Web Import File, use the Regulatory Reporting window.