Welcome to the Inaugural Edition of
IR in the Know
(irintheknow@airweb.org)
A service of the Higher Education Data Policy Committee
(HEDPC), IR in the Know will keep you up to date on current and emerging
issues related to higher education data collection, analyses, and reporting.
Each month IR in the Know focuses on data and
policy issues relevant to institutional researchers such as accountability, assessment,
accreditation, NCES, federal legislation, and national databases. Each issue will
include a brief issue summary and links to more detailed information.
We welcome your feedback and suggestions! If you come
across some resource or article which you think might be useful to other IR professionals,
please send an email to irintheknow@airweb.org.
November Highlights
IPEDS Data Feedback Report
In mid-October the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) sent each institution’s
Data Feedback Report to IPEDS keyholders and coordinators. The Data Feedback report
provides institutional data based on the 2008-09 collection cycle for enrollment,
retention, graduation rates, degrees, tuition and fees, financial aid, staff, faculty
salaries, and core revenues and expenses with comparative data from the institution’s
custom comparison group or a group identified by IPEDS. Institutions can access
and print their reports from the IPEDS website through the Executive Peer Tool (ExPT)
(http://nces.ed.gov/ipedspas/ExPT/).
College Board Pricing and Aid Reports
- Trends in College Pricing 2009. The pricing reportprovides
detailed information on 2009-10 tuition and fees and room and board as well as pricing
trend data for public two-year, public four-year, and private four-year institutions.
The report focuses on both published prices and net prices that take into account
grant aid to better represent what students actually pay. Trend data on institutional
finances and family income also provide a measure of college affordability.
- Trends in Student Aid 2009. The student aid report covers
the types and sources, forms, and amounts of financial aid available to assist students
in paying for postsecondary education. The report looks at both undergraduate and
graduate debt. The report can be used as a resource to assess and improve the effectiveness
of student aid in increasing educational opportunities. Data in this report are
from the 2008-09 academic year.
Both College Board reports, including more detailed data
which can be downloaded, are available at www.collegeboard.com/trends.
NPEC Report on HEA Disclosure Requirements
Released in October, the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative (NPEC) report
is designed to help institutions successfully identify and meet their obligation
to disclose the information required under the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA),
as amended by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA). The report includes
suggestions to make the HEA-required disclosure information more accessible and
understandable to consumers and more comparable across institutions. A summary of
HEA institutional disclosure requirements and a list of HEA-required disclosures
by the required methods of dissemination are also included. The report is available
at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2010831.
NCES Net Price Calculator Template
NCES posted its Net Price Calculator Template on October 29. The net price calculator
template is provided as required under the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008.
The Act requires that all Title-IV participating institutions provide such a calculator,
on their institution website, no later than October 29, 2011. Based on information
entered by the prospective student, the template calculates an estimated net price
at an institution using the formula: Price of attendance minus grant aid. More information
and a link to the calculator template can be found at: http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/news_room/ana_netprice_1029.asp.