The online version of the IPEDS Glossary provides definitions for almost 500 postsecondary-related terms used in the collection and dissemination of IPEDS data.
| Land and land improvements |
Capital assets consisting of land and improvements such as athletic fields, golf courses, or lakes. Land is nondepreciable; some land improvements are depreciable and some are nondepreciable. |
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| Land-grant institution |
A land-grant college or university is an institution that has been designated by its state legislature or Congress to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. The original mission of these institutions, as set forth in the first Morrill Act, was to teach agriculture, military tactics, and the mechanic arts as well as classical studies so that members of the working classes could obtain a liberal, practical education. For more information on land-grant institutions see http://www.csrees.usda.gov/qlinks/partners/state_partners.html. |
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| Less than 2-year institution |
A postsecondary institution that offers programs of less than 2-years duration below the baccalaureate level. Includes occupational and vocational schools with programs that do not exceed 1800 contact hours . |
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| Less than 9/10-month salary contract/teaching period |
The contracted teaching period of faculty employed for less than 2 semesters, 3 quarters, 2 trimesters, or 2 4-month sessions. |
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| Level (of institution) |
A classification of whether an institution’s programs are 4-year or higher (4 year), 2-but-less-than 4-year (2 year), or less than 2-year. |
Sector
Control (of institution)
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| Levels of offering |
Information collected in the Institutional Characteristics component which indicates all applicable levels for all credit programs offered at an institution. Award levels are identified on the basis of recognition for their completion, duration, or a combination thereof. Degree-designated award levels indicate those degree levels for which the institution is authorized to make formal awards. Length of study is the equivalent of the number of full-time academic years. For example, at least 1 but less than 2 years refers to the number of credits or the course load that would normally be completed by a full-time student attending within the stated time period. |
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| Liabilities |
Debts and obligations of the institution owed to outsiders or claims or rights, expressed in monetary terms, of an institution’s creditors. GASB institutions are required to report liabilities under two categories - current liabilities and noncurrent liabilities. |
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| Library |
An organized collection of printed, microform, and audiovisual materials which (a) is administered as one or more units, (b) is located in one or more designated places, and (c) makes printed, microform, and audiovisual materials as well as necessary equipment and services of a staff accessible to students and to faculty. Includes units meeting the above definition which are part of a learning resource center. |
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| Library collections |
Books, films, tapes, and other materials maintained in library collections intended for use by patrons. |
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| LinchPin (institution) |
Term is no longer used. See Focus institution |
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| Loan funds |
Funds that have been loaned, or are available for loans to students, faculty, and staff. |
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| Loans to students |
Any monies that must be repaid to the lending institution for which the student is the designated borrower. Includes all Title IV subsidized and unsubsidized loans and all institutionally- and privately-sponsored loans. Does not include PLUS and other loans made directly to parents. |
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| Local appropriations, education district taxes, and similar support |
Local appropriations are government appropriations made by a governmental entity below the state level. Education district taxes include all tax revenues assessed directly by an institution or on behalf of an institution when the institution will receive the exact amount collected. These revenues also include similar revenues that result from actions of local governments or citizens (such as through a referendum) that result in receipt by the institution of revenues based on collections of other taxes or resources (sales taxes, gambling taxes, etc.). |
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| Local government grants and contracts (revenues) |
Revenues from local government agencies that are for training programs and similar activities for which amounts are received or expenditures are reimbursable under the terms of a local government grant or contract. |
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| Local grants |
Local monies awarded to the institution under local government student aid programs . |
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| Local grants (revenues) |
A sum of money or property bestowed on a postsecondary institution by a local government. These amounts can be treated as an allowance, an agency transaction, or as a student aid expense in the institution's General Purpose Financial Statements (GPFS) and are reported differently depending on their treatment. Generally, however, private institutions report these grants as allowances when applied to the student's account and as local grant revenues when received. |
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| Locked |
The survey status obtained when a keyholder has resolved all edits/errors and has decided that data are ready to “submit” to IPEDS. Once locked, the system becomes read only and the keyholder no longer has access to the system to alter data. |
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| Long programs |
Undergraduate programs that exceed the usual program length for a specific level. This would include programs of 5 years or longer for 4-year institutions and programs of 3 years or longer for 2-year institutions. |
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| Long-term debt |
Debt of the institution in the form of bonds, notes, capital leases, and other forms of debt that are repayable over a period greater than one year. |
Long-term debt - current portion
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| Long-term debt - current portion |
The amount of long-term debt that the institution is expected to pay or liquidate during the next year using current assets. |
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| Long-term investments |
Money or capital invested for purposes of receiving a profitable return over a period of time of more than one year. Long-term investments should be distinguished from temporary investments based on the intention of the organization regarding the terms of the investment rather than the nature of the investment itself. Includes: 1) cash held until appropriate investments are identified; 2) repurchase agreements and other money market media; 3) equity securities and mutual fund investments; 4) debt securities; 5) real estate held for income production; 6) beneficial interest in trusts; and 7) other. GASB institutions report these investments under "noncurrent assets." |
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| Losses |
Decreases in net assets from an organization's peripheral or incidental transactions and other events affecting the organization, other than those that result from expenses. |
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