Reports and Tools

Completing College: State-Level Trends

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center has released updated data on completing college to include a report on state-level trends. The report highlights gains in closing the achievement gap for both low-performing states and high-performing states. Completion Rates are up across the board, including in community colleges and for Hispanic and African American students.

2017 Persistence & Retention Data

Those who have a premium subscription to the National Student Clearinghouse StudentTracker can now access 2017 Persistence and Retention Data. Sample data and charts are included in the report.

Emerging Trends

The Campus Closure Divide

Colleges nationwide are split on how to respond to the growing crisis of COVID-19. Why are some colleges, even within the same states and state systems, responding differently? How will this affect institutions, staff, and their students?

Policy Watch

Protecting GI Bill Recipients in Crisis

As colleges close their doors or move their in-person programs fully online, Congress has introduced a bill to protect GI Bill Recipients and their funds. The bill would ensure the VA has more leeway to assess students through the end of the year as Institutions take protective measures in considering COVID-19.

Guidance for Interruptions of Study Related to COVID-19
The Department of Education has released a statement guiding Postsecondary Institutions on complying with federal rules and regulations in light of COVID-19. This statement supports flexibility in Title IV eligibility as campuses close or move fully online. Guidance and support surrounding federal work-study and distance education regulations are included.

NCES Updates

Spring Collection Deadline Extended

As the effects of COVID-19 are increasingly felt each day, NCES continues to monitor the situation to assess the impact on the IPEDS spring data collection. At present, there are still many unknowns, and the situation could change rapidly (for example, if the IPEDS Help Desk is forced to close or reduce operations). NCES is extending the spring collection deadline by two weeks for all institutions. The Keyholder deadline is now April 22, 2020 and the Coordinator deadline is May 6, 2020. Institutions concerned about meeting the new deadline due to major hurdles at their institutions can contact the IPEDS Help Desk to determine what additional assistance may be available.

HBCU Fast Facts

NCES has released a "fast facts" report on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The data indicate a decrease in the number of students attending HBCUs from 2010-2018 (11%), slightly above the total decrease of students in all degree-granting institutions (7%). Read the full report.

Outcome Measures Reminder

As a reminder, complete and accurate reporting of IPEDS Outcome Measures (OM) data requires the reporting of students who “enrolled at another institution after leaving your institution” (e.g., transfer-out students). Unlike Graduation Rates reporting, all institutions in IPEDS are required to report these data in OM. For more information concerning this requirement, please refer to the OM FAQs or contact the IPEDS Help Desk.

Apply to Become an IPEDS Educator

The Association for Institutional Research (AIR) is accepting applications for IPEDS Educators through April 3. IPEDS Educators are experts in the field and serve in important roles assisting AIR in developing and delivering IPEDS training, including face-to-face national workshops, online courses and tutorials, and other training materials for IPEDS survey components and data tools. Training is made possible through a contract with RTI and funded by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

College Navigator Updates

College Navigator has recently been updated with data collected during Fall 2019. Updates include general institution information, 2019-20 cost of attendance, and 2018-19 completions data.

Veterans’ Education Benefits Revised Report

NCES revised the Statistics in Brief report, Veterans’ Education Benefits: A Profile of Military Students Who Received Federal Veterans’ Education Benefits in 2015–16 on 2/5/2020, which examines the 6% of undergraduate students and 7% of graduate students in 2015–16 who were veterans, on active duty, in the reserves, or in the National Guard. The original report included errors in the reported number of military undergraduate and graduate students, as well as the average amount of veterans’ education benefits for military graduate students. Review the revised report.