Title: Proposed Changes for 2009-10 IPEDS

Prepared: March 2009

Type: Informational – Comments Requested

Status: Pending OMB Approval

Summary

The National Center for Education Statistics is seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to collect additional data beginning in the 2009-10 Integrated Postsecondary Education System (IPEDS) for the Institutional Characteristics (IC) and Student Financial Aid (SFA) surveys. The NCES is also seeking OMB approval to modify the reporting of student-to-faculty-ratio data and to simplify reporting for non-degree granting institutions.

The additional IC and SFA data are needed to meet requirements in the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA). Specifically, the NCES must display several categories of information on the College Navigator website, including two sets of net price data, a multiyear tuition calculator, and six “College Affordability and Transparency” lists.

Because the NCES will be required to display three years of average net price data for each institution by July 2010, they propose collecting additional data in the 2009-10 SFA for three cohorts of first-time, full-time undergraduate students: 2006-07, 2007-08, and 2008-09. This means that if the proposed changes are approved, institutions will be required to provide data in 2009-10 relating to financial aid disaggregated by living arrangements (on-campus, off-campus with family, and off-campus not with family) for two aid years that have already ended (2006-07 and 2007-08) in addition to the current aid year (2008-09).

Current Status

The proposed IPEDS changes and the methodology for computing net price were based on input from the IPEDS Technical Review Panel (TRP). See https://edsurveys.rti.org/IPEDS_TRP/documents/TRP_25_20081028.pdf, especially the table on page 6, for more information.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is seeking comments on the proposed IPEDS changes. Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity requirements should be emailed to ICDocketMgr@ed.gov by April 27, 2009. (For more information see the February 24, 2009, Federal Register notice at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-3924.pdf.)

Detail of Proposed Changes for the 2009-10 IPEDS
1. Fall Enrollment (EF)
The collection of data for student-to-faculty ratios will be revised. Institutions will report their student-to-faculty ratio, using a worksheet that provides guidance on how to calculate the ratio, instead of separately reporting each of the components necessary for the calculation (as was done in the 2008-09 IPEDS reporting). For more information, see the NCES announcement at http://nces.ed.gov/IPEDS/news_room/ana_3_19_2009.asp.

2. Simplified IPEDS reporting for non-degree-granting institutions. (For complete information, see the NCES announcement at http://nces.ed.gov/IPEDS/news_room/ana_3_19_2009.asp.)

3. Institutional Characteristics (IC)
(a) The item on students registered with the institution’s office of disability services that was included in the 2009 IPEDS Spring Supplement will be moved to the Fall 2009 IC survey.

(b) Institutions will report four years (2006-07 through 2009-10) of price of attendance data (including tuition, required fees, books and supplies, room and board, and other expenses) rather than three years.

(c) Tuition and fees will be reported separately.

(d) Institutions will indicate whether the tuition and fee amounts reported for 2009-10 are guaranteed under a tuition guarantee plan.

4. Student Financial Aid (SFA)
Institutions currently report SFA data for all full-time, first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates. Starting in 2009-10, NCES proposes, in addition, to collect data for two subsets of these students.
(a) Institutions will report the following for three cohorts (2006-07, 2007-08, and 2008-09) of full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates who received grant aid from federal, state, and institutional sources:

(i) total federal, state, and institutional grant aid received (i.e., awarded and accepted) during the academic year (note that grant aid from private/outside sources is excluded)
(ii) unduplicated count of recipients of such grant aid
(iii) counts of recipients of such grant aid disaggregated by those who live on-campus, off-campus with family, and off-campus not with family.

(b) Institutions will report the following for the 2008-09 cohort of full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates who received any type of aid from Title IV, Higher Education Act (HEA) programs, disaggregated by income categories:

(i) total grant aid from federal, state, and institutional sources that was awarded and accepted
(ii) unduplicated count of recipients of such aid

The income data are to be determined from the Adjusted Gross Income reported by the student on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA):

$0-30,000
$30,001-48,000
$48,001-75,000
$75,001-110,000
$110,001 or more

Institutions will also report the counts of the students who received any type of Title IV, HEA aid disaggregated by those who live on-campus, off-campus with family, and off-campus not with family. These data will not be reported by income level.

Net Price Calculation
Starting July 1, 2010, NCES must post on College Navigator net price data for two subsets of full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates:

1. those who received grant aid from federal, state, and institutional sources
2. Title IV HEA aid recipients who received any type of grant aid, disaggregated by income levels

The HEOA defines net price as the difference between the institution's price of attendance for a full-time, first-time, undergraduate student and the average amount of grant aid received by such students.

The IC survey collects price of attendance data separately for students living on-campus, off-campus with family, and off-campus not with family. The TRP suggested that the NCES calculate the net price of attendance using an average price of attendance weighted by percent of students in each living arrangement from 4(a)(iii) above. The TRP also recommended that average grant aid for grant recipients be calculated from the SFA data in 4(a)(i) and 4(a)(ii) above. (For public institutions, the calculation will be made using the reported in-state or in-district price of attendance, where applicable, and using financial aid data for students paying the in-state or in-district tuition rate.) The net price calculated for each institution will be posted on College Navigator and also will be used for three of the college affordability lists that will be posted in 2011.

Net price for Title IV, HEA aid recipients would be calculated in a similar fashion, disaggregated by income level. The net price data for Title IV, HEA aid recipients will also be posted on College Navigator.

College Affordability and Transparency Lists
Starting July 1, 2011, the NCES must post on the College Navigator website six “College Affordability and Transparency Lists.” The lists are to be disaggregated by nine institutional sectors defined by control (public, private not-for-profit, and private for-profit) and by length of program (four-year and above, two-year, and less than two-year):

1. Highest tuition and fees (top 5%) for the most recent academic year for which data are available
2. Lowest tuition and fees (bottom 10%) for the most recent year
3. Highest percentage increases in tuition and fees (top 5%) over the most recent three academic years for which data are available
4. Highest average net price (top 5%) for the most recent academic year
5. Lowest average net price (bottom 10%) for the most recent academic year
6. Highest percentage increases in average net price (top 5%) over the most recent three academic years

The 2011 tuition and fee lists (1-3) will be derived using IC data for 2008-09 through 2010-11; the 2011 net price lists (4-6) will be derived using IC and SFA data for 2007-08 through 2009-10.

Institutions that are included on list #3 or #6 will be required to submit a report to the Department of Education. The report will describe major areas in the institution's budget that had the greatest cost increases, reasons for the increases, and steps the institution will take to reduce costs in those areas. In addition, if the institution is included on the same list for two or more consecutive years, the institution must describe the progress made on the steps to reduce costs.

Institutions will be exempt from inclusion on list #3 or #6, and from providing these reports, if the dollar amount of the increase is less than $600 for the three-year period. (For more information about these reporting requirements see page 32 of the HEOA summary provided by the Department of Education at http://ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN0812FP0810.html.)

Multiyear Tuition Calculator
The HEOA requires the NCES to display a multiyear tuition calculator on the College Navigator website by August 14, 2009. The calculator requires collecting tuition and fee data separately, and collecting information about tuition guarantee plans. (For more information about the multiyear tuition calculator see http://www.airweb.org/page.asp?page=1900).

Implications for Institutions

Prior Year Data. Institutions need to ensure that in spring 2010, when the new SFA data must be submitted, they still will be able to access financial aid and housing data for aid years 2006-07, 2007-08, and 2008-09, even though some of these databases may be “archived” by that time (or, alternatively, they need to calculate the required IPEDS data before those databases are archived).

Net Price Calculation. The average net price of attendance will not reflect the variation across an institution’s programs. Institutions should consider using the IPEDS survey context boxes to explain why the value produced by the net price calculator may differ from the amount their students will actually pay.

Financial Aid Cohorts. Individuals reporting IPEDS SFA data need to be aware that starting in spring 2010, they will be reporting financial aid data for three different groups of students: 1) all first-time full-time students; 2) the subset of this first group who receive federal, state, or institutional grant aid; and 3) the subset of the second group who receive any type of Title IV, HEA student aid.

Affordability Lists. Individuals involved in making decisions about increases in tuition, fees, room, board, and estimates of other costs should be made aware of the affordability lists and the additional reporting requirements associated with appearing on two of those lists. When reporting data, institutions should consider using the appropriate boxes on the IPEDS surveys to provide contextual information for the data that will appear on College Navigator (e.g., large increases are because of guaranteed tuition plans or in response to declining state support).

Timeline
August 14, 2008 – H.R. 4137, The Higher Education Opportunity Act, signed into law (P.L. 110-315).

April 27, 2009 - Deadline for submitting comments to OMB regarding proposed changes to 2009-10 IPEDS

August 14, 2009 – Deadline for NCES to post multi-year tuition calculator on College Navigator

July 1, 2010 – Deadline for NCES to post on College Navigator three years of average net price data, and one year of net price data for Title IV, HEA aid recipients, disaggregated by income.

July 1, 2011-Deadline for NCES to post College Affordability and Transparency Lists on College Navigator.

July 1, 2013 – Deadline for NCES to display three years of net price data for Title IV, HEA aid recipients, disaggregated by income.

Additional Resources

Proposed Changes to 2009-10 IPEDS
For more information on the proposed changes see_
(a) “Report and Suggestions from IPEDS Technical Review Panel #25” at https://edsurveys.rti.org/IPEDS_TRP/documents/TRP_25_20081028.pdf

(b) the NCES announcement at http://nces.ed.gov/IPEDS/news_room/ana_3_19_2009.asp

(c) pages 13-18 of the Supporting Statement at http://edicsweb.ed.gov/edics_files_web/03947/Att_IPEDS%202009-2012%20Amendment%203%20Supporting%20Statement%2009-02-05.doc. Information on the estimates of burden is on pages 35-44 of the Supporting Statement.

Multiyear Tuition Calculator
Information about the proposed multiyear tuition calculator is available at http://www.airweb.org/page.asp?page=1900

IPEDS
Complete information on IPEDS, including the College Navigator Website, is available at http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds.

Information about the Spring 2009 IPEDS Supplement is available at
http://nces.ed.gov/IPEDS/news_room/twk_2_9_2009.asp.

Information about the IPEDS TRP is available at https://edsurveys.rti.org/IPEDS_TRP/index.aspx.

Legislation
A summary of the HEOA is available at http://ifap.ed.gov/dpcletters/GEN0812FP0810.html.

For statutory language for the topics covered in this Alert see pp. 22-30 of the HEOA at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ315.110.pdf

A list of Title IV, HEA student financial aid programs is available at: http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=c83bdcdf42f1b35e07bb469fc429153d&rgn=div8&view=text&node=34:3.1.3.1.34.1.40.1&idno=34

Previous Related AIR Alert/FYI
AIR Alert # 36. New Disclosure and IPEDS Reporting Requirements in the Higher Education Opportunity Act, August 2008 ( http://www.airweb.org/page.asp?page=1601). (This Alert described changes to the 2008-09 IPEDS collection required for compliance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act.)

AIR FYI 2009-01: Proposed Net Price Calculator Template and Multiyear Tuition Calculator, March 2009 (http://www.airweb.org/page.asp?page=1900)

Coordinated by the Higher Education Data Policy Committee. All opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Association for Institutional Research