OMB Change Memo Request

MEMORANDUM OMB # 1850-0582 v.9

DATE: March 1, 2010

TO: Rochelle W. Martinez

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget

FROM: Elise Miller

IPEDS Program Director, National Center for Education Statistics

Tom Weko

Associate Commissioner, National Center for Education Statistics

THROUGH: Kashka Kubzdela

National Center for Education Statistics

SUBJECT: Change request to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2009-11 current active record (OMB# 1850-0582 v.8)

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) would like to make a limited number of changes to the 2010-11 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) web-based data collection. Our current authorization for IPEDS expires January 31, 2012 (OMB No. 1850-0582) and covers activities through the 2010-11 data collection. We will submit a formal request for a three-year renewal in late 2010; however, there are some minor modifications to our data collection before the 2011-12 data collection. We are therefore requesting your approval to make these modifications for the 2010-11 collection cycle.

IPEDS collects basic data from approximately 6,600 postsecondary institutions in the United States and the other jurisdictions that are eligible to participate in Title IV Federal financial aid programs. All 6,600 Title IV institutions are required to respond to IPEDS (Section 490 of the Higher Education Amendments of 1992 (P.L. 102-325)).

Web form for collection of directory information from non-Title IV schools that want to be part of IPEDS

Institutions that do not have Program Participation Agreements with the Department of Education to offer Title IV federal student financial aid are not required to submit IPEDS data, but may do so on a voluntary basis. There are approximately 200 of these non-Title IV institutions active in the IPEDS database. During each data collection cycle, NCES and the IPEDS Help Desk at RTI receive about 25 inquiries from non-Title IV institutions that would like to become part of IPEDS so that they will be included on College Navigator. Typically, these inquiries are in the form of emails. Our response to these institutions is to send them a short list of contact information items that we need in order to add them to the IPEDS database: name and physical address of institution, mailing address, general telephone number, name, title, and email of CEO, name and email address of person who will be responsible for submitting IPEDS, and OPEid (if applicable, just in case the institution is a branch of a Title IV institution already in IPEDS). When the institution responds, the email is stored in a folder until the following data collection cycle when the institution can be added to the database, and then the information is keyed into the data collection system by hand.

We are requesting permission to automate this process, through the utilization of a web form that would collect the contact information items. This information could then be electronically added to the data collection system.

This web form would not represent any change in total respondent numbers, total burden time, or total cost to the federal government, or any additional burden to institutions. The items on the web form would include the same contact information which is currently required from the institutions via email in order to add them to the IPEDS database.

No change in burden.

IPEDS Data Collection Calendar

The IPEDS Data Collection Calendar for 2010-11 will remain essentially the same as it was for the 2009-10 data collection. However, institutions will be given an additional month to update their Institutional Identification information, and to respond to several screening questions from Institutional Characteristics (IC Header questions), by virtue of the fact that those two elements will be available to institutions starting with the Registration period in August, rather than at the opening of the Fall data collection in September. Institutional Identification information includes directory information for the institution, and must be verified yearly. Responses to the IC Header questions determine specific versions of survey component forms each institution receives. The questions are: A1 Educational Offerings; B1 Institutional Control; B2 Award Levels Offered; B3 Calendar System; B4 Enrollment Levels Offered (excluding Estimated Fall Enrollment); and B5 Graduation Rate Cohort question. The entire calendar is shown below:

Registration

Open 8/4

Includes: Registration, Institution Identification, IC Header

Fall Collection

Open 9/8

Keyholder close 10/20

Coordinator close 11/3

Includes: Institutional Characteristics, Completions, 12-month Enrollment

Winter Collection

Open 12/8

Keyholder close 1/26

Coordinator close 2/9

Includes: Human Resources

Spring Collection

Open 12/8

Keyholder close 4/13

Coordinator close 4/27

Includes: Fall Enrollment, Finance, Graduation Rates, 200% Graduation Rates, Student Financial Aid

No change in burden.

Fall Enrollment: Part A for Sectors 4 and 7, Non-Degree Granting Institutions

Beginning in the 2009-10 Data Collection, changes to IPEDS survey forms were made to reduce the reporting burden on non-degree granting institutions. The changes were based on suggestions from an IPEDS Technical Review Panel (TRP) and comments from members of the higher education community, and were intended to decrease institutional reporting burden while improving data quality. Part A (student enrollment by level, race/ethnicity, and gender) of the Fall Enrollment Survey was reduced by eliminating two reporting columns: columns 2 (transfers-in) and 5 (non-degree/certificate-seeking students).

Based on comments we received during the 2009-10 data collection from several public, non-degree granting institution systems, we are requesting permission for the 2010-11 data collection to add back in the non-degree/certificate-seeking column for public, non-degree granting institutions (Sector 4 (2-year) and Sector 7 (less-than-2-year) non-degree granting institutions). Reporting non-degree/certificate seeking students in a separate column is an important distinction for many public, non-degree granting institutions that enroll a substantial number of high school students (often referred to as dual enrollment), as these dual enrolled students are reported in the non-degree/certificate seeking student column. As dual enrollment of high school students is expected to continue to increase in the future, this distinction between students will take on even greater importance for these institutions. Because, private non-degree granting institutions do not enroll a substantial number of dual enrolled students, these institutions would continue to report with the reduced form used in the 2009-10 data collection year.

Minimal change in burden — This survey will request more information than it currently does from non-degree-granting institutions in Sector 4 and Sector 7. However, these data were reported by the institutions in previous years and only removed in 2009-10. We expect burden to increase by 0.1 hour for these approximately 500 institutions, as highlighted in yellow in Table 1 on the following page.

Overall Impact on Response Burden

Table 1 on the following page displays the estimated burden for 2010-11 that was included in the original clearance request and the new estimated burden should the requested modifications be approved. Overall, burden would increase from 181,785 hours to 181,835 hours.

Table 1. Estimated Response Burden for IPEDS 2010-11 (Approved and Revised)

		2010-11 (Currently Approved)		2010-11 (Revised)
Component	# of Institutions Responding (Estimated)1 2009	Estd Burden	Total Burden Hours	Estd Burden	Total Burden Hours
Fall Collection
IC – Total			10,895		10,895
4-yr academic form with price	2,400	1.4	3,360	1.4	3,360
4-yr academic form without price	200	1.1	220	1.1	220
4-yr program form without price	100	0.6	60	0.6	60
2-yr academic form with price	1,600	1.9	3,040	1.9	3,040
2-yr program form with price	600	1.8	1,080	1.8	1,080
< 2-yr academic form with price	200	1.8	360	1.8	360
<2-yr program form with price	1,500	1.8	2,700	1.8	2,700
<2-yr program form without price	150	0.5	75	0.5	75
Completions - Total			16,450		16,450
For 4-yr and 2-yr	4,900	3.0	14,700	3.0	14,700
For < 2-yr	1,750	1.0	1,750	1.0	1,750
12-Month Enrollment - Total			6,090		6,090
4-yr form	2,600	1.1	2,860	1.1	2,860
<4-yr form
for 2-yr	2,300	1.1	2,530	1.1	2,530
for < 2-yr	1,750	0.4	700	0.4	700
Winter Collection
Human Resources - Total			32,160		32,160
Degree-granting – 15 or more	4,150	6.2	25,730	6.2	25,730
Degree-granting - <15	50	6.2	310	6.2	310
Non-degree granting form	2,550	2.4	6,120	2.4	6,120
Spring Collection
Fall Enrollment - Total			17,575		17,575
4-yr form (AY)	2,500	3.4	8,500	3.4	8,500
4-yr form (PY)	100	3.4	340	3.4	340
< 4-yr form (AY degree)	1,800	3.4	6,120	3.4	6,120
<4-yr form (AY nondegree)	500	2.7	1,350	2.8	1,400
<4-yr form (PY degree)	200	0.9	180	0.9	180
<4-yr form (PY nondegree)	1,550	0.7	1,085	0.7	1,085
Finance - Total			45,220		45,220
GASB form (degree)	1,600	10.0	16,000	10.0	16,000
GASB form (nondegree)	400	7.3	2,920	7.3	2,920
FASB NFP form (degree)	1,600	8.0	12,800	8.0	12,800
FASB NFP (nondegree)	200	7.0	1,400	7.0	1,400
FASB FP (degree)	800	5.0	4,000	5.0	4,000
FASB FP (nondegree)	1,800	4.5	8,100	4 Table continues on following page .5	8,100

		2010-11 (Currently Approved)		2010-11 (Revised)
Component	# of Institutions Responding (Estimated)1 2009	Estd Burden	Total Burden Hours	Estd Burden	Total Burden Hours
Grad Rates 3 - Total			26,020		26,020
4-year	2,200	5.0	11,000	5.0	11,000
2-year	2,150	5.0	4,250	5.0	4,250
<2yr	1,700	2.5	1,700	2.5	1,700
4 yr supp	30	0.5	15	0.5	15
2 year supp	10	0.5	5	0.5	5
Grad Rates 200 – Total			9,075		9,075
4-year institutions	2,200	1.5	3,300	1.5	3,300
<4 yr institutions	3,850	1.5	5,775	1.5	5,775
Stud Financial Aid3 - Total			18,300		18,300
Public academic yr form	1,800	3.0	5,400	3.0	5,400
Private academic yr form	2,350	3.0	7,050	3.0	7,050
Program yr form	1,950	3.0	5,850	3.0	5,850
TOTAL			181,785		181,835

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