The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System - Changes to IPEDS Data Collection 2004-05

IPEDS 2004-05 - Data Collection Changes and Clarifications

(Revised on August 26, 2004)

Institutional Characteristics:

Part A, the collection of the institution's mission statement becomes mandatory in Fall 2004
Part B, item on formally organized programs that do not lead to a formal award has been deleted
Part C, the question on ACT and SAT scores is changed. NCES eliminated the qualification that test scores be reported only if 60 percent or more incoming students submit scores; scores should be reported for all students taking a particular test,regardless of how many submit scores.
Part D, NCES added a radio button to determine if part-time first-professional students are enrolled
Part D, for those institutions that report "by program," NCES eliminated the question on programs of at least 300 contact or clock hours
Part E, (completed by new institutions) no longer includes the question about providing postsecondary instruction for at least 2 consecutive years

Completions:

The use of CIP:2000 is optional this year and will be mandatory next year. Institutions should be aware that the pre-loaded information (CIP codes and titles) will reflect CIP:2000 codes and titles.

Salaries:

This component is now mandatory for degree-granting institutions only beginning with the Winter 2004-05 collection. Institutions that offer only certificates above the baccalaureate level will no longer be required to respond.
Part B - the indicator that the institution offers fringe benefits for restricted housing and tuition plans is now collected separately for 9/10-month faculty and 11/12-month faculty.

Employees by Assigned Position

The screens that collect data for medical schools are restricted to institutions with M.D. programs. NCES will remove the screening question concerning the existence Page 1 of 3 of a medical school.

Fall Staff:

This is an optional year for reporting Fall Staff data
Prior year data were added to several screens that display summary information to aid editing and comparisons.

Enrollment:

Part A - 4-year institutions will be required to report data for the 9 selected fields of study as required by the Office for Civil Rights; CIP:2000 will be used to define these programs
Part B - the collection of age is optional this year
Part C - the collection of residence data is mandatory this year
The collection of Part D (Total Entering Class) is required only of those institutions that calculate graduation rates based on a fall cohort; those using a full 12-month period are not required to respond to this item.
Part F - NCES has modified the collection of Instructional Activity to accommodate institutions that measure courses in terms of "units" by allowing them to restate their calculated full-time equivalent (FTE).
Part G - retention rate data are now mandatory; however, institutions that have only less than one-year programs will not be required to report retention data.
Caveats boxes have been added to Parts D, F, and G so that institutions may provide comments when reporting these data.

Finance:

For public institutions: This is the final phase-in year for GASB 34/35; all GASB institutions must now use the new reporting standards.
The reporting endowment assets (market value at beginning and end of year) is now mandatory for public and not-for-profit institutions (Spring 2005 collection).

Graduation Rates:

4-year institutions should report on a 1998 cohort; less than 4-year institutions should report on a 2001 cohort
Allowable exclusions are expanded to include students called to active duty
Less than 2-year institutions are no longer required to provide data by race/ethnicity and gender.

Institutional Characteristics

Part B - NCES added the credit hour equivalents to the award level descriptions for certificates below the baccalaureate level
Part C - Instructions clarify that institutions should NOT convert test scores from one to another (SAT/ACT)
Part D - Questions on housing and board are modified to use "offer" rather than "provide"; "on-campus housing" will be changed to "institutionally-controlled housing both on and off campus" and "dormitory" will be changed to "housing" in Question D5
Also Part D - data on Price of attendance now provide for reporting a comprehensive fee (if institutions are unable to report data separately)

Winter Collection - Human Resources components:

Instructions will clarify that undergraduates are not to be included as employees
The screening question that relates to the contract length/teaching period of full-time instructional faculty has been restructured for clarity.
System offices that have 15 or more full-time employees are now required to report Fall Staff data.

Enrollment

Part D, NCES clarified the instructions for reporting total entering class.
Part F, Instructional Activity - NCES added the definition of contact hour activity to the survey screen; clarified that each program/student should be reported using only one method (credit hours or contact hours); clarified that activity should include all credit or contact hours attempted by students; and clarified that first-professional student activity is not included in this part.
Part G, Retention rates - NCES clarified the definition of who to include for program reporters (those who use a full 12-month cohort for calculating graduation rates), thus defining fall as a specific period (August 1 through October 31); clarified that students to be included in the numerator of the rate calculation include those who "reenrolled or are still enrolled "; and for 4-year institutions, clarified that the bachelor's -degree seeking cohort should include students whose intent was not known upon entry to the institution

Student Financial Aid:

Instructions were modified to clarify that Perkins Loans should be included when reporting loans to students