NCES/IPEDS and the National Science Foundation (NSF), through RTI International and AIR, have developed a program entitled “Improving Institutional
Research in Postsecondary Educational Institutions.” The goals of this program are to provide professional development opportunities to doctoral and postdoctoral
students, institutional researchers, educators, and administrators, and to foster the use of federal databases for institutional research in postsecondary education.
The program has the following major components:
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Postdoctoral Policy fellowships: Fellowships provide $5,000 monthly for support while the fellow is in residence in Washington, for a period from
9 months-1 year, with an additional $5,000 for expenses for the life of the fellowship. Postdoctoral Fellow projects will be responsible for undertaking
analysis that results in improvements to the quality, comparability, and usefulness of IPEDS. The Fellow will discuss and report work in progress at
regular meetings with NCES staff and at meetings of the institutional research and Washington policy research communities, and will make a final report and
recommendations at the end of the fellowship.
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Dissertation fellowships: Funds of up to $20,000 to support 1 year of activity are available to assist the doctoral student in the acquisition,
analysis, and reporting of data from the NCES and NSF datasets. Work is conducted at the student's home institution, and fellowship funds are expected
to cover budget items such as the costs of supplying data, dissemination of project results, travel, and salary support for the student. Proposals are
solicited from doctoral students beginning their dissertation work.
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Research grants: Funds of up to $40,000 are available to support up to 1 year of activity. It is expected that work will be conducted
at the principal investigator's home institution and that grant funds will cover budget items such as the costs of supplying data, dissemination of
project results, travel, and perhaps some salary replacement. The program provides grants to principal investigators to conduct institutional research on
postsecondary education using the NCES and NSF national databases, conduct institutional research that promises a significant contribution to the national
knowledge of the nature and operation of postsecondary education, conduct institutional research activities that will make a contribution to our knowledge
of postsecondary education, or conduct institutional research activities that will contribute to the professional development of personnel working in
postsecondary education.
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Summer Data Policy Institute fellowships: Forty fellowships for the National Data Policy Institute are open to institutional research practitioners,
faculty, graduate students, and educators affiliated with U.S. postsecondary institutions or governance agencies. To provide an international comparative
perspective, one fellowship is awarded through each of five international affiliated AIR groups. The Summer Data Policy Institute is a 2-week intensive session
scheduled each summer in the Washington, DC area.
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Grants for graduate study: Fellowships for up to $10,000 annually for up to three years will be awarded competitively for full- or part-time graduate
study at accredited U.S. universities at the certificate, master's or doctoral levels. The fellowships are for graduate study advancing or leading to careers
in institutional research, thereby increasing the national level of expertise of institutional research officers and the data that they produce. Specific program
goals are to have more people better trained in IR and completing advanced degrees.
 Go to the List of Grants & Fellowships on AIR's Website
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