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

Admissions 
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2018‐19 

This IPEDS Admissions data collection instrument was used during the 
2017‐18 data collection. Changes to the IPEDS Admissions component 
starting with the 2018‐19 data collection are reflected on the next 2 
pages. 

Changes to IPEDS Admissions component, 2018-19

Changed instruction/FAQ/screen (where applicable; additions in red, deletions 
with strikethrough, rewording in blue) 

Change type 
(e.g., addition/ 
deletion/ 
rewording) 

Reworded instruction. ADM covers data for the most recent Fall period.  
Institutions operating on a traditional academic year calendar (semester, 
trimester, quarter, or 4‐1‐4) report admissions data: 


For applicants and admitted students: Include all students who applied for 
enrollment or were admitted if they would have been considered first‐time 
degree/certificate‐seeking undergraduate students as of the institution's 
official fall reporting date, or October 15.  
 For admitted students who enrolled: Include all students who were 
considered first‐time, full‐time degree/certificate‐seeking undergraduate 
students as of the institution's official fall reporting date, or October 15. 
Institutions operating on a calendar that differs by program or that enrolls 
students on a continuous basis (referred to as program reporters) report 
admissions data: 




For applicants and admitted students: Include all students who applied for 
enrollment or were admitted if they would have been considered first‐time 
degree/certificate‐seeking undergraduate students any time during the 
period of August 1 through October 31. 
For admitted students who enrolled: Include all students who were 
considered first‐time, full‐time degree/certificate‐seeking undergraduate 
students any time during the period of August 1 through October 31. 

2

Rewording. For 
clarification.  

Reworded instruction. ADM is only applicable to first‐time degree/certificate‐
seeking undergraduate students; do not include other students in the number of 
applicants, number of admits, and number (of admitted) that enrolled. 

For the number (of admitted) that enrolled, include all students enrolled for 
credit after the official drop date. Exclude students who are not enrolled for 
credit. 
For example, exclude: 
•  Students enrolled exclusively in courses that cannot be applied towards 
a formal award 
•  Students enrolled only in ESL programs (programs comprised exclusively 
of ESL courses) 
•  Students enrolled exclusively in Continuing Education Units (CEUs) 
•  Students exclusively auditing classes 
•  Any student studying abroad (e.g., at a foreign university) if their 
enrollment at the 'home' institution serves as an administrative record 
•  Students enrolled in any branch campus located in a foreign country 
Only include levels (full‐time, part‐time) that you indicated were offered in the IC 
Header. If you made an error in the IC Header, please call the IPEDS Help Desk 
and correct your error. 

3

Rewording. For 
clarification. 

IPEDS Help Desk
(877) 225-2568 or ipedshelp@rti.org
NCES National Center for Education Statistics

date: 9/1/2017

2017-18 Survey Materials > Form

Admissions

Overview
Admissions Overview
Welcome to the IPEDS Admissions (ADM) survey component. The primary purpose of ADM is to collect basic information about the undergraduate selection process for
entering first-time, degree/certificate-seeking students. This includes information about admissions considerations, admissions yields, and SAT and ACT test scores (if
test scores are required for admission). ADM will be collected only from institutions that do not have an open admissions policy for entering first-time students.

Recent changes
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and math scores should be reported based on the new (2016) SAT score range 200-800.
Due to changes in the SAT, institutions will need to convert scores from the old SAT to the new (2016) SAT using College Board Concordance tables.

Data Reporting Reminders
ADM covers data for the most recent Fall period.
ADM is only applicable to first-time entering students; do not include other students in the number of applicants, number of admits, and number (of admitted) that
enrolled. Only include levels (full-time, part-time) that you indicated were offered in the IC Header. If you made an error in the IC Header, please call the IPEDS Help
Desk.

Resources:
To download the survey materials for this component: Survey Materials
To access your prior year data submission for this component: Reported Data
If you have questions about completing this survey, please contact the IPEDS Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568.

4

Admissions Considerations
1. Please select the option that best describes how your institution uses any of the following data in its undergraduate selection process.

Admission Considerations

Required

Considered
Neither
but not
Recommended Required nor
required
Recommended

Secondary school GPA
Secondary school rank
Secondary school record
Completion of college-preparatory program
Recommendations
Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)
Admission test scores
SAT / ACT

Other Test (ABT, Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)
Note: If this is the only requirement other than a diploma or equivalent, and few students are not
admitted due to this test, your institution is open enrollment. Please contact the Help Desk to correct
your response to this question.

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
You may use the space below to provide context for the data you've reported above. These context notes will be posted on the College Navigator website, and should
be written to be understood by students and parents.

5

Selection Process - A/A/E
2. Provide the number of first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students who applied, who were admitted, and who enrolled (either full- or part-time) at
your institution for Fall 2017. Include early decision, early action, and students who began studies during the summer prior to Fall 2017.
Remember that this question is only applicable to first-time students, do not include other students in these totals.
Only include levels that you indicated were offered in the IC Header. If you made an error in the IC Header, please remember to fix the error the next year.

Men
Number of applicants
Number of admissions
Number (of admitted) that enrolled full-time
Number (of admitted) that enrolled part-time
Total enrolled full-time and part-time
Percent of admissions enrolled full-time and part-time

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Women

Total

Selection Process - Test Scores
3. Provide data for Fall 2017. Include new students admitted the summer prior to Fall 2017.
SAT scores for 2017-18 must be reported using the new (2016) SAT score scale. Please see instructions for more information.

Number of enrolled students that submitted SAT scores
Percent of enrolled students that submitted SAT scores
Number of enrolled students that submitted ACT scores
Percent of enrolled students that submitted ACT scores

25th Percentile

75th Percentile

SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing
SAT Math

ACT Composite
ACT English
ACT Math

You may use the space below to provide context for the data you've reported above. These context notes will be posted on the College Navigator website, and should
be written to be understood by students and parents.

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Prepared by
The name of the preparer is being collected so that we can follow up with the appropriate person in the event that there are questions concerning the data. The Keyholder will
be copied on all email correspondence to other preparers.
The time it took to prepare this component is being collected so that we can continue to improve our estimate of the reporting burden associated with IPEDS. Please include in
your estimate the time it took for you to review instructions, query and search data sources, complete and review the component, and submit the data through the Data
Collection System.
Thank you for your assistance.

This survey component was prepared by:
Keyholder

SFA Contact

HR Contact

Finance Contact

Academic Library Contact

Other

Name:
Email:

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)

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

U.S. Department of Education

Software Provider Resources

Use of Cookies

Section 508 Compliance

Browsers Supported

Troubleshooting

NCES Privacy Policy

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IPEDS Help Desk
(877) 225-2568 or ipedshelp@rti.org
NCES National Center for Education Statistics

date: 9/1/2017

2017-18 Survey Materials > Instructions

Admissions full instructions

Purpose of Admissions Survey
Changes in Reporting
General Instructions
Reporting Period for Admissions
Context Boxes

Coverage
Where to Get Help
Where the Data Will Appear
Reporting Directions
Purpose of Survey
The primary purpose of the IPEDS Admissions (ADM) component is to collect basic information about the undergraduate selection process for
entering first-time, degree/certificate-seeking students. This includes information about admissions considerations, admissions yields, and SAT
and ACT test scores (if test scores are required for admission). The ADM component will be collected only from institutions that do not have an
open admissions policy for all or most entering first-time students.

Changes in Reporting
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and math scores should be reported based on the new (2016) SAT score range 200-800.
Institutions that have scores based on the old (2015) SAT score range should convert scores using the College Board concordance (more
information about converting scores using concordance tables is available at https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/educators/highered/scoring-changes/concordance).

General Instructions
Reporting period covered
ADM covers data for the most recent Fall period.

Context Boxes
Context boxes are provided to allow institutions to provide more information regarding survey component items. Note that some context
boxes are posted on the College Navigator Website, which is the college search tool offered by NCES. NCES will review entries in these
context boxes for applicability and appropriateness before posting them on the College Navigator Website; institutions should check
grammar and spelling of their entries.

Coverage
ADM is only applicable to first-time entering students; do not include other students in the number of applicants, number of admits, and
number (of admitted) that enrolled.
Only include levels (full-time, part-time) that you indicated were offered in the IC Header. If you made an error in the IC Header, please call
the IPEDS Help Desk and correct your error.

Where to Get Help with Reporting
IPEDS Help Desk
Phone: 1-877-225-2568
Email: ipedshelp@rti.org

Web Tutorials
You can also consult the IPEDS Website Trainings & Outreach page which contains several tutorials on IPEDS data collection, a self-paced
overview of IPEDS tools, and other valuable resources.

9

IPEDS Resource Page
The IPEDS Website Reporting Tools page contains frequently asked questions, a link to data tip sheets, tutorials, taxonomies, information
centers (e.g., academic libraries, average net price, human resources, race/ethnicity, etc.), and other valuable information.

Where the Reported Data Will Appear
Data collected through IPEDS will be accessible at the institution- and aggregate-levels.
At the institution-level, data will appear in the:
College Navigator Website
IPEDS Data Center
IPEDS Data Feedback Reports
College Affordability and Transparency Center Website

At the aggregate-level, data will appear in:
IPEDS First Looks
IPEDS Table Library
IPEDS Data Feedback Reports
The Digest of Education Statistics
The Condition of Education

Reporting Directions
Admission considerations
Select the option that best describes how your institution uses the following considerations as part of the selection process for entering
first-time, degree/certificate-seeking students. For each consideration, indicate whether it is required, considered but not required,
recommended, or neither required nor recommended:
Secondary school GPA
Secondary school rank
Secondary school record
Completion of college-preparatory program
Recommendations
Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)
Admission test scores
SAT/ACT
Other test (ABT, Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)
TOEFL

Note: if ABT, Wonderlic, WISC-III (or similar) test is the only requirement other than a diploma or equivalent, and few students are not
admitted due to this test, please call the IPEDS Help Desk so that your response to the screening question for this component can be
corrected.

Selection process
Applicants/admitted/enrolled students
Provide the number of men, women, and total first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students who applied, who were
admitted, and who enrolled (either full- or part-time) at your institution for Fall 2017. Include information for all first-time students for
whom admissions criteria (other than a school diploma) were required.
Since the total may include students who did not provide gender data, the detail need not sum to the total.
You should not report admissions data for any level that you did not report as an offering on the Enrollment levels question in ICHeader. For example, if you indicated that you do not enroll part-time, first-time students leave those boxes blank.

Number of applicants
Applicants should include only those students who fulfilled all requirements for consideration for admission and who have been
notified of one of the following actions: admission, non-admission, placement on a wait list, or application withdrawn (by applicant or
institution). Admitted applicants (admissions) should include wait-listed students who were subsequently offered admission.

Number of admissions
Include all students who were offered admission to your institution. This would include:
early decision students who were notified of an admissions decision prior to the regular notification date and who agreed to
accept;
early action students who were notified of an admission decision prior to the regular notification date with no commitment to
accept; and
admitted students who began studies during the summer prior to Fall 2017.

Number (of admitted) that enrolled
Remember that this question is only applicable to first-time students; do not include other students in these totals. Include students
enrolled in the fall term who attended college for the first time in the prior summer term. Also include students who entered with
advanced standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school).

Selection process

10

Test scores
If test scores are required for admission for first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students, provide the number and
percentage of enrolled students submitting SAT and/or ACT scores, as well as the 25th and 75th percentile scores for each test.

Number and percent of enrolled students that submitted test scores
Provide data for Fall 2017. Include information for ALL enrolled, degree/certificate-seeking, first-time (freshman) students for whom
test scores were required. Include new students admitted the summer prior to Fall 2017.

Test Scores
Provide data for Fall 2017. Report the scores used in the admission decision.
If students submitted both SAT and ACT scores, but only SAT scores were considered for admission, only report the SAT scores
(and vice versa).
If students submitted both SAT and ACT scores, and both SAT and ACT scores were considered for admission, report both
scores.
If a student submitted two sets of scores for a single test, report this information according to how you use the data. For
example:
If you consider the highest scores from either submission, use the highest combination of scores (e.g., verbal from one
submission, math from the other).
If you average the scores, use the average to report the scores.
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and math scores should be reported based on the new (2016) SAT score range 200-800.
Institutions that have scores based on the old (2015) SAT score range should convert scores using the College Board concordance
(more information about converting scores using concordance tables is available at
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/educators/higher-ed/scoring-changes/concordance).
Do not convert test scores (e.g., do NOT convert an ACT score into a SAT score); scores must be reported separately.
Do not include partial test scores (e.g., mathematics scores but not verbal scores for a category of students) or combine other
standardized test results (such as TOEFL) in this item.
Do not report scores if you cannot convert from old score to new score using the concordance tables.

11

Glossary

date: 9/1/2017

Term

Definition

ACT

ACT, previously known as the American College Testing program, measures educational development and readiness to pursue collegelevel coursework in English, mathematics, natural science, and social studies. Student performance does not reflect innate ability and is
influenced by a student's educational preparedness.

Admissions

This annual component is required of all currently operating Title IV postsecondary institutions in the United States and other areas
that are do not have an open admissions policy. Eligibility for Admissions is determined using a screening question in the Institutional
Characteristics – Header component and open admissions institutions will not see the component. Admissions data are collected for
the current fall reporting period. Data are collected on admissions requirements, the number of applicants, admitted students, the
number of admitted students that subsequently enrolled, and percentiles for ACT and SAT test scores. The number of applicants,
admitted, and enrolled students is disaggregated by gender; enrolled students are further disaggregated by part-time and full-time
status. Prior to the 2014-15 data collection cycle, Admissions was part of the Institutional Characteristics components. In 2014-15, it
became part of the Winter data collection.

Admissions test scores

Scores on standardized admissions tests or special admissions tests.

Admitted students

Applicants that have been granted an official offer to enroll in a postsecondary institution.

Applicant

An individual who has fulfilled the institution's requirements to be considered for admission (including payment or waiving of the
application fee, if any) and who has been notified of one of the following actions: admission, nonadmission, placement on waiting list,
or application withdrawn by applicant or institution.

First-time student
(undergraduate)

A student who has no prior postsecondary experience (except as noted below) attending any institution for the first time at the
undergraduate level. This includes students enrolled in academic or occupational programs. It also includes students enrolled in the
fall term who attended college for the first time in the prior summer term, and students who entered with advanced standing (college
credits or postsecondary formal award earned before graduation from high school).

Full-time student

Undergraduate: A student enrolled for 12 or more semester credits, or 12 or more quarter credits, or 24 or more contact hours a week
each term. Graduate: A student enrolled for 9 or more semester credits, or 9 or more quarter credits, or a student involved in thesis or
dissertation preparation that is considered full-time by the institution. Doctor's degree - Professional practice - as defined by the
institution.

Integrated Postsecondary
Education Data System (IPEDS)

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), conducted by the NCES, began in 1986 and involves annual institutionlevel data collections. All postsecondary institutions that have a Program Participation Agreement with the Office of Postsecondary
Education (OPE), U.S. Department of Education (throughout IPEDS referred to as "Title IV") are required to report data using a webbased data collection system. IPEDS currently consists of the following components: Institutional Characteristics (IC); 12-month
Enrollment (E12);Completions (C); Admissions (ADM); Student Financial Aid (SFA); Human Resources (HR) composed of Employees by
Assigned Position, Fall Staff, and Salaries; Fall Enrollment (EF); Graduation Rates (GR); Outcome Measures (OM); Finance (F); and
Academic Libraries (AL).

Part-time student

Undergraduate: A student enrolled for either less than 12 semester or quarter credits, or less than 24 contact hours a week each term.
Graduate: A student enrolled for less than 9 semester or quarter credits.

SAT

Previously known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, this is an examination administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and
used to predict the facility with which an individual will progress in learning college-level academic subjects.

Test of English as a Foreign
Language (TOEFL)

The standardized test designed to determine an applicant's ability to benefit from instruction in English.

Title IV institution

An institution that has a written agreement with the Secretary of Education that allows the institution to participate in any of the Title IV
federal student financial assistance programs (other than the State Student Incentive Grant (SSIG) and the National Early Intervention
Scholarship and Partnership (NEISP) programs).

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IPEDS Help Desk
(877) 225-2568 or ipedshelp@rti.org
NCES National Center for Education Statistics

date: 9/1/2017

2017-18 Survey Materials > FAQ

Admissions
Click one of the following questions to view the answer.
General
1)

When reporting admitted students, do I include early admits?

2)

Why can’t I report Admissions data for transfer students?

3)

What do I do about students that were considered for admission, even though they did not submit all application
materials?

4)

Some students send us both ACT and SAT scores. How should we report the data for these students?

5)

My institution does not use ACT scores for admission, so if a student submits an ACT score we convert it to an SAT
score. Can I report that converted score to IPEDS so that it doesn’t look like we accept ACT scores?

6)

How do I report to IPEDS when my institution uses the highest of multiple test scores to evaluate students for
admission?

7)

How do I report to IPEDS when my institution averages multiple test scores to evaluate students for admission?

8)

How do I report TOEFL or other standardized test scores (other than ACT and SAT)?

Answers:
General
1)

When reporting admitted students, do I include early admits?
Yes, include all students who were offered admission to your institution. This would include early decision
students who were notified of an admission decision prior to the regular notification date and who agreed to
accept; early action students who were notified of an admission decision prior to the regular notification date
with no commitment to accept; and the admitted students who began studies during the summer prior to the fall
reporting period.
Back to top

2)

Why can’t I report Admissions data for transfer students?
Admissions requirements for transfer students are often different from the requirements for first-time students.
In order to make the data useful to students, it is important that you not report data for transfer students.
Back to top

3)

What do I do about students that were considered for admission, even though they did not submit
all application materials?
If a student provided enough information that a decision could be made (admitted, not admitted, waitlisted),
they should be included in the counts. However, institutions should only report this way if it is part of their
institution’s formal application review process.
Back to top

4)

Some students send us both ACT and SAT scores. How should we report the data for these
students?
Report both scores to IPEDS. This may mean that the total number of students reported in test scores is
greater than the total number of admitted students.
Back to top

5)

My institution does not use ACT scores for admission, so if a student submits an ACT score we
convert it to an SAT score. Can I report that converted score to IPEDS so that it doesn’t look like
we accept ACT scores?
No. There is no approved methodology for converting test scores, so any conversion would render the data
unusable.
Back to top

6)

How do I report to IPEDS when my institution uses the highest of multiple test scores to evaluate
students for admission?
Report to IPEDS the test score that is used to make the admissions decision. This may include a mix of scores
from tests taken at different times.
Back to top

7)

How do I report to IPEDS when my institution averages multiple test scores to evaluate students
for admission?
Report to IPEDS the averaged test score used that is used to make the admissions decision.
Back to top

8)

How do I report TOEFL or other standardized test scores (other than ACT and SAT)?
For IPEDS purposes, TOEFL scores and other standardized test scores (other than ACT and SAT) are not
reported.
Back to top

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