OMB83C Change Memo

Memorandum United States Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

National Center for Education Statistics

DATE: August 17, 2017

TO: Robert Sivinski, OMB

THROUGH: Kashka Kubzdela, NCES

FROM: Richard Reeves, NCES

SUBJECT: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2017-18 through 2019-20 Burden Questions Change Request (OMB# 1850-0582 v.22)

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) is a web-based data collection system designed to collect basic data from all postsecondary institutions in the United States and the other jurisdictions. IPEDS enables the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to report on key dimensions of postsecondary education such as student enrollment, degrees and other awards earned, tuition and fees, average net price, student financial aid, graduation rates, revenues and expenditures, faculty salaries, staff employed, and information on academic libraries. The IPEDS web-based data collection system was implemented in 2000-01 and collects basic data from approximately 7,300 postsecondary institutions in the United States and the other jurisdictions that are eligible to participate in Title IV Federal financial aid programs. All Title IV institutions are required to respond to IPEDS (Section 490 of the Higher Education Amendments of 1992 (HEA, P.L. 102-325)). IPEDS allows other (non-title IV) institutions to participate on a voluntary basis. Approximately 200 institutions elect to respond. IPEDS data are available to the public through the IPEDS website. IPEDS 2017-18 through 2019-20 annual data collection was approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in February 2017 with a change request approved in August 2017 (OMB# 1850-0582 v.20-21).

This request is to replace the previous, voluntary question about the time it takes data providers to complete the IPEDS data collection, which has been used since the 2012-13 IPEDS data collection, with a set of voluntary questions revised based on cognitive interviews conducted in early 2017 (OMB# 1850-0803 v.177 & v.192). The goal of this revision is to allow NCES to more reliably estimate IPEDS response burden to participating institutions.

NCES conducted two rounds of cognitive interviews to develop the burden questions shown below. A copy of the report summarizing the cognitive work is included.

This request does not introduce changes to respondent burden or the cost to the federal government.

Table 1. Detailed changes to IPEDS Survey Components and IPEDS Keyholder Handbook

Survey component	Changed Item	Change type
Burden question, all survey components all versions	Old question, removed. How many staff from your institution only were involved in the data collection and reporting process of this survey component? _______ Number of Staff (including yourself)	Removed, replaced with new questions.
Burden question, all survey components all versions	Replacement questions. How many hours did you and others from your institution only spend on each of the steps below when responding to this survey component? Exclude the hours spent collecting data for state and other reporting purposes Staff member Collecting Data Needed Revising Data to Match IPEDS Requirements Entering Data Revising and Locking Data Your office ______ hours ______ hours ______ hours ______ hours Other offices ______ hours ______ hours ______ hours ______ hours	Replacement questions.

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