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 of Education Statistics (NCES) to report on key
dimensions of postsecondary education such as enrollments, degrees
and other awards earned, tuition and fees, average net price,
student financial aid, graduation rates, revenues and expenditures,
faculty salaries, and staff employed. The IPEDS web-based data
collection system was implemented in 2000-01, and it collects basic
data from approximately 7,500 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; P.L. 102-325). IPEDS
allows other (non-title IV) institutions to participate on a
voluntary basis. About 200 institutions elect to respond. IPEDS
data are available to the public through the College Navigator and
IPEDS websites.
ED is requesting
emergency processing due to an unanticipated event. The Government
Accounting Standards Board (GASB) changed the reporting standards
for pensions such that unfunded pension liabilities are now
included in the financial statements (GASB Standard 68). In the
initial reporting year (2015), institutions will report the total
amount of accrued pension liabilities. This will result in a
dramatic increase in reported expenses for the 2015 year. In
subsequent years, reporting will show only the incremental increase
in unfunded pension liabilities. The approximately 2,000 public
institutions using GASB accounting standards that have ever
participated in pension systems will be particularly affected by
this change in reporting standards when the IPEDS collection opens
on December 9, 2015. To accommodate this change, NCES proposes to
add to the IPEDS Finance survey a new screening question and three
new fields related to the unfunded pension liabilities to allow the
affected institutions to provide information that will allow NCES
to correctly calculate cost per Full-Time Enrolled Student for
these institutions. This addition is expected to increase IPEDS
reporting burden for approximately 2,000 Public GASB institutions
by an average of 30 minutes. ED requests approval of this emergency
request by November 20, 2015.
US Code:
20
USC 9543 Name of Law: Education Sciences Reform Act
PL:
Pub.L. 102 - 325 490 Name of Law: Higher Education Amendments
of 1992
The significant increase in
estimated annual burden to respondents presented in this package is
due to the fact that the last burden was an annual average over 3
years, during which the largest burden was planned for the
2015-2016 year covered in this submission. Only 1,000 hours of the
increase is for the estimated amount of time it will take GASB
Finance Filers to complete the additional questions.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
IPEDS 2015-16 Response to Emergency Clearance Public Comments.docx
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2013-2016