Part B IPEDS 2017-18 through 2019-20

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2017-18 through 2019-20

Supporting Statement Part B

OMB Paperwork Reduction Act Submission

OMB No. 1850-0582 v.20

Submitted by:

National Center for Education Statistics

Institute of Education Sciences

U.S. Department of Education

November 2016

SECTION B. Description of Statistical Methodology

B.1. Respondent Universe

The primary universe of interest for IPEDS consists of approximately 7,300 institutions that are eligible to participate in Title IV student financial aid programs (according to IPEDS’ most recent count). By law, these schools are required to respond to IPEDS (section 490 of the Higher Education Amendments of 1992 (P.L. 102-325). IPEDS allows other (non-title IV) institutions to participate on a voluntary basis. About 200 non-title IV institutions elect to respond, for a total of approximately 7,500 institutions submitting data to IPEDS. Title IV schools are shown by highest level of offering (4-year award or above, 2-year award, less than 2-year award) and by control (public, private not-for-profit, private for-profit):

Table 47. Title IV Institutions in the IPEDS Universe

Estimated Counts for 2017-18 Collection

Private, Private,

Total Public not-for-profit for-profit

Total 7,500 2,050 2,000 3,450

4-year 3,200 750 1,700 750

2-year 2,200 1,050 200 950

Less than 2-yr 2,100 250 100 1,750

B.2. Statistical Methodology

There is no sampling done for any of the IPEDS survey components.

Because of the institutional compliance requirements outlined in sections A.1 and A.2, in Part A of this submission, sampling is not an option. This has been discussed at length at meetings of our Technical Review Panel, with other areas of the Department of Education, including the Office for Civil Rights, the Office of Postsecondary Education, the office of Federal Student Aid, and the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, and with other Federal Agencies such as Census, BEA and EEOC.

B.3. Methods to Maximize Response Rates

IPEDS response rates for institutions receiving federal financial aid are consistently 99.8% and higher. IPEDS targets the Title IV institutions (others may respond, but no follow-up is done) and the web-based survey system incorporates an automated e-mail module that automatically generates follow-up e-mail to “keyholders” (individuals appointed by the CEOs as responsible for IPEDS data submission). As shown in section A.16, Table 40, frequent communications occur with the institution over the course of the data collection to ensure compliance with this statutorily mandated collection. Follow-up e-mails are generated if the institution does not attempt to enter data or if, at two weeks and one week before closeout, the components are not locked. The CEOs of non-responding institutions are also contacted by standard mail and with follow up phone calls if, two weeks prior to closeout, the school has not entered any data. New institutions and institutions with new keyholders receive additional telephone and email prompts. This has proven to be very successful in past years. In addition, the names of institutions that do not respond to the IPEDS surveys, and a history of all regular contact with these institutions, is provided to the Federal Student Aid office for appropriate action.

B.4. Tests of Procedures and Methods

The data collection procedures and data items described in this submission have been tested in a number of ways. Most of the data elements requested have already been collected in previous IPEDS surveys and prior to that, similar data elements had been collected for over 20 years in HEGIS.

However, data quality is an overriding concern that NCES must continue to assess and evaluate. One approach is to assess relevant data from different IPEDS components and from different survey years to evaluate the consistency and reliability of reported data. These interrelationships among surveys and relationships over time were used to develop the automated tests used to edit each IPEDS data submission. Edit checks currently help to identify potential problems and provide opportunities to correct them early in the data collection. As the number of institutions that automate their responses to IPEDS increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to fully validate their responses. However, by implementing a web-based data collection effort that requires error resolution and correction prior to data submission, NCES has been gathering cleaner data in a more timely fashion. The web-based system still accommodates intermediate reporting units such as community college boards, state university systems offices, and corporate offices.

The web-based data collection method was tested in a successful pilot collection of Institutional Price and Student Financial Aid information in August 1999, and has been in full-scale implementation since the Fall of 2000. Throughout the implementation of the web-based system, as a result of discussions with data providers and associations that use the data, NCES has revised the data collection items, definitions, and instructions based on the recommendations of our constituents, and following appropriate public comment periods.

B.5. Reviewing Individuals

Listed below are individuals who have reviewed, in whole or in part, the IPEDS surveys, and/or participated in Technical Review Panel meetings charged with revising and refining the surveys and data items collected.

Representatives from the National Center for Education Statistics

Samuel Barbett, Mathematical Statistician

Allison Bell, Associate Research Scientist¹

Tiffane Cochran, Program Support Assistant

Christopher Cody, IPEDS Survey Director

Sarah Crissey, Research Scientist

Archie Cubarrubia, IPEDS Survey Director, Student Financial Aid

Cristobal de Brey, Annual Reports and Information

Moussa Ezzeddine, Education Research Scientist

Tracy Hunt-White, Statistician

Gigi Jones, Education Research Scientist¹

Kashka Kubzdela, OMB Liaison

Tara Lawley, Statistician

Bao Le, Associate Education Research Scientist

Andrew Mary, Statistician

Stefanie McDonald, IPEDS Survey Director

Elise Miller, Program Director, IPEDS

Jan Plotczyk, Education Statistician

Richard Reeves, Program Director, IPEDS

Ross Santy, Associate Commissioner

Jessica Shedd, Acting Program Director, IPEDS

Sean Simone, Statistician

Thomas Snyder, Program Director, Annual Reports and Information

Imani Stutely, Association Research Scientist

Jie Sun, Statistical Support Associate

Thomas Weko, Associate Commissioner, Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

Representatives from Associations, Postsecondary Institutions/Systems, and Other Federal Offices

Cliffard Adelman, Institute for Higher Education Policy

Brenda Albright, National Postsecondary Education Cooperative (NPEC)

Patrick Alles, Independent Colleges of Indiana and University of Indianapolis²

Gary Andeen, Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities

Tom Anderson, AFT Higher Education

Eric Atchnson, Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning

Craig Bach, Kaplan University

Brenda Bailey, Minnosota State Colleges & Universities

Thomas Bailey, Teachers College, Columbia University

Frank Balz, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU)

David Bean, Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB)

Allison Bell, HCM Strategists¹ 

David Bergeron, Center for American Progress and Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE)²

Rajika Bhandari, Institute of International Education

Victor Borden, Indiana University

Ronald Bossio, Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)

Sandi Bramblett, Georgia Institute of Technology

Joe Braun, Purdue University

Eileen Brennan, Oakland Community College

Chris Brewer, Post Secondary Consultants

Jennifer Brown, University of Massachusetts Boston

Susan Canon, St. Olaf College

Leanne Casale, Skidmore College

Kevin Carey, Education Sector

Julia Carpenter-Hubin, Ohio State University

Barbara Carroll, North Carolina State University

Melodie Christal, Washburn University of Topeka

Margaret Cohen, George Washington University

Valerie Conley, Ohio University

Christopher Coogan, Association for Institutional Research

Bryan Cook, American Council on Education (ACE)

Mary Ann Coughlin, Springfield College

Alisa Cunningham, Institute for Higher Education Policy and Consultant²

Robert Cuttino, Brenau University

Jennifer Daly, Delgado Community College

Brandon Daniels, American Council on Education (ACE)

Jill DeAtley, Career Education Corporation

Paul Duby, Northern Michigan University

Trevor Edelblute, Education Management Corporation

Christy England-Siegerdt, Washington Student Achievement Council

Jennifer Engle, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Thomas Erickson, Veterans Benefits Administration

James Fergerson, Carleton College

Gayle Fink, Bowie State University

Carol Fuller, Consultant

Robin Geiger, Kentucky State University

Brandon Gilliland, Wake Forest University

Carlos Gonzalez, Education Management Corporation (EDMC)

Tammy Halligan, Career Colleges Association and Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU)²

Kimberly Harvey, Louisiana Board of Regents

Stephen Haworth, DeVry Education Group

Billy Helton, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Cherron Hoppes, Golden Gate University

Ozan Jaquette, University of Arizona

Brian Johnson, Tuskegee University

Martha Johnson, University of Minnesota

Gigi Jones, National Association of Independent Colleges & Universities (NAICU)¹

Christine Keller, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU)

Jonathan Keller, Massachusetts Department of Higher Education

Heather Kelly, University of Delaware

Patrick Kelly, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS)

Marsha Kelman, University of Texas System

Amanda Kelso, Duke University Global Education Office for Undergraduates

James Keift, University of Notre Dame

Gregory Kienzl, University of Illinois

Sandra Kinney, Technical College System of Georgia and Louisiana Community and Technical College System²

Tammy Kolbe, University of Vermont

Albertha Lawson, Baton Rouge Community College

Erez Lenchner, CUNY LaGuardia Community College

Fred Lillibridge, Doña Ana Community College

Mark LoGrasso, Bryant & Stratton College

Hans L’Orange, State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO)

Mary Goodhue Lynch, Massasoit Community College

Jack Mahoney, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Marina Markot, Cornell Abroad, Cornell University

Joseph Marks, Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)

Shelly Martinez, Office of Statistical and Science Policy, OMB

Tod Massa, State Council of Higher Education for Virginia

Carolyn Mata, Georgia Independent College Association

Michael Matier, Baylor University

Lesley McBain, American Association of State Colleges and Universities

Mari McCarty, WI Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU)

Joshua McKeown, International Education and Programs, SUNY Oswego

Deborah McNeal, Coahoma Community College

Susan Menditto, National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO)

Soon Merz, Austin Community College

Christopher Nellum, American Council on Education (ACE)

Gary Nigh, NJ Office of the Secretary of Higher Education

Tom North, Oregon University System

Jon O’Bergh, Office of the Under Secretary

Anthony Ogden, University of Kentucky

Drew Paluf, University of Notre Dame

Emily Parker, American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)

Ginger Pauley, University of Phoenix

Kimbery Pearce, Capella University

Patrick Perry, California Community Colleges Chancellors Office

Kent Phillippe, American Association of Community Colleges

John Porter, State University of New York-SUNY System Administration

Brian Prescott, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

Jason Ramirez, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU)

Kenneth Redd, National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO)

Matt Reed, The Institute for College Access & Success

George Rezendes, Three Rivers Community College

Gary Rice, University of Alaska Anchorage

Stephanie Rikard, Utah College of Applied Technology

Mary Sapp, University of Miami

Rajat Shah, Lincoln Tech

Donna Silber, Maricopa Community College District

Ray Sizemore, College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA)

Matthew Soldner, American Institutes for Research (AIR)

Robert Springer, Elon University

Randy Swing, Association for Institutional Research

Andrea Sykes, Laurium Evaluation Group

Dawit Teklu, Strayer University

Charles Tegen, Clemson University

Dawn Terkla, Tufts University

Judith Thompson, Accountability, Measurement, and Research; Florida Department of Education

Jonathan Turk, American Council on Education (ACE)

Laura Uerling, Stonehill College

Anika Van Eaton, HCM Strategists

Wendy Weiler, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU)

Brian Whalen, Forum on Education Abroad

Judith Wheaton, Austin College

Christina Whitfield, Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS)

Meihua Zhai, National Association of Student Financial Aid Associations

Rachel Zinn, Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Christine Zimmerman, St. Lawrence University

1 Individual attended multiple Technical Review Panels at different times and in differing capacities, as a NCES representative and as a representative for another organization.

2 Individual attended multiple Technical Review Panels at different times and in differing capacities, as a representative from more than one organization.