Appendix D - Institution Contacting Materials

Appendix D NPSAS 2018-AC Student-Records-Collection.docx

2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC)

Appendix D - Institution Contacting Materials

OMB: 1850-0666

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2017–18 NATIONAL POSTSECONDARY STUDENT AID STUDY ADMINISTRATIVE COLLECTION (NPSAS:18-AC)

Appendix D

NPSAS:18-AC Institution Contacting Materials

OMB # 1850-0666 v.20

Submitted by

National Center for Education Statistics

U.S. Department of Education

July 2017

revised September 2017

This appendix includes the contacting materials that will be used for recruiting institutions to participate in the 2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC). The materials below are based on those developed and approved for the 2015–16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:16) [OMB #1850-0666] and the 2011–12 Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Study (BPS:12) student records and transcript collections [OMB #1850-0631].

Overlap with BPS:12 Transcript Collection: While NPSAS:18-AC and the BPS transcript collection are separate studies collecting different types of data, it is important to note that: they will share the same data collection website, the Postsecondary Data Portal (described below); their data collection periods will overlap; and there will be many institutions that are sampled for both studies. When NPSAS:18-AC begins data collection in 2018, BPS:12 transcript collection will already be underway (see timeline graphic below). The NPSAS:18-AC contacting materials for institutions that are sampled for both studies acknowledge the BPS:12 Postsecondary Education Transcript Study (PETS) collection. Two of the letters included in this appendix, one to the chief administrator and one to the coordinator, acknowledge that the BPS:12 transcript collection is also occurring in 2018.

The NPSAS:18-AC contact materials are divided by mailing, such that all materials for one mailing packet are included together. Each mailing is separated by a heading, and each section includes a description of the mailing and the materials that are included. These descriptions are located in the gray box, directly below the section heading. Institution contacting flowchart is provided in section B.3 of the Supporting Statement Part B of this submission. If revisions are made to any materials in this appendix based on the results of expert meetings and subcontractor recommendations, they will be submitted to OMB for approval as a change request by January 12, 2018.

Chief Administrator Mailing 2

Chief Administrator Letter and E-mail 3

NPSAS:18-AC brochure text 5

NPSAS:18-AC Study Overview and Timeline 8

Coordinator Welcome Mailing 9

Coordinator Welcome Letter (when coordinator is also the coordinator for BPS:12 transcript collection) 10

Coordinator Welcome Letter (when coordinator is not the BPS:12 transcript collection coordinator) 12

Coordinator List Request Mailing 14

Coordinator Enrollment List Request Letter (and E-mail) 15

Student Records Request Materials 17

Student Records Request Letter (and E-mail) 18

Quick Guide to Providing Student Records Data 20

E-mails – reminder, thank you, due date extension 23

Reminder E-mail 1 for Various Tasks 23

Reminder E-mail 2 for Student Records 24

Thank You for Completing the Institution Registration Page E-mail 25

E-mail to Touch Base Between Institution Registration Page Thank You and List Request 25

Thank You for List E-mail 26

Touch Base Between List and Student Records Email 26

E-mail Granting Due Date Extension 27

Thank You for Student Records Email 27

Nonrespondent Follow-Up Materials 28

Letter to Nonrespondent Institutions 29

Text of Flyer for Nonrespondents – Public Institutions 31

Text of Flyer for Nonrespondents – For-Profit Institutions 33

PDP Website Content – Pre-Login 34

Home page 34

About the PDP 35

Confidentiality and Security 37

FAQs - General 39

PDP Website Content – After Login 42

Task Menu 42

Designate a Coordinator page 42

Institution Registration Page (IRP) 43

Institution Registration Page- version for systems of institutions 44

Enrollment list page 46

FAQs – Specific to NPSAS 47

FAQs – Student Records (SR) Collection 52

NPSAS Reference Materials 52

Reference Materials 53

Confidentiality and Data Security Fact Sheet 53

Student Enrollment List Preparation Instructions 55

Disclosure Notice 60

Student Records Item Overview Handout 61

Postsecondary Data Portal Flyer 64

Chief Administrator Mailing

This mailing is sent to each institution’s chief administrator at the start of data collection. The mailing includes a letter requesting the institution’s participation in NPSAS:18-AC, a NPSAS:18-AC brochure, and an overview of the NPSAS:18-AC data collection timeline. The letter acknowledges that the BPS:12 transcript collection is also occurring in 2018. The materials for this mailing are included below.

Chief Administrator Letter and E-mail

NPSAS

Endorsed by

List of agencies is printed here along the left margin.

(Date)

(Salutation) (FirstName) (LastName) Your IPEDS UNITID: (UnitID)

(Title) Your password: (Password)

(Institution)

(Address)

(City), (State) (Zip)

Dear (Salutation) (LastName):

(Institution) has been selected to participate in the 2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC), which is conducted by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) under a congressional mandate to gather information from postsecondary institutions on how students and their families finance postsecondary education.

NPSAS is a very important source of information for Congress, policymakers, states, and institutions in informing the effectiveness of federal, state, and institution financial aid programs. The quality and affordability of postsecondary education are central concerns for students and their families. The data collected from student records provide much-needed information about today’s college students as they begin, leave, and reenter postsecondary education; transfer between institutions; and complete programs at all levels of institutions. Additionally, for the first time, NPSAS will collect data to generate state-level financial aid estimates for undergraduate students to inform states’ policies and planning. Your participation is vital in ensuring that the data collected accurately represent the undergraduate students in your state.

Recognizing that NCES data collection requests add to the workload of institution staff tasked with providing the data, NCES developed the secure Postsecondary Data Portal (PDP) website which provides a common data reporting platform for NCES’ postsecondary data collections, other than the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Currently, NCES is using the PDP to collect the transcripts of participants in the 2011–12 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:12), and hopes that having the website will make it easier for your staff to provide data to NCES given that they will not need to learn new reporting processes for each new study.

Please log in to the PDP website, https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal, and designate a coordinator for your institution. Your login information is included at the bottom of this letter. [If a coordinator has been named for the BPS:12 transcript collection, fill: Your institution’s coordinator for the BPS:12 transcript collection is (BPS Coordinator Name).] [If a coordinator was named in 2017 and is not the same person as the BPS coordinator, fill: Your institution’s coordinator for the 2017 NCES student records and transcript collections was (fill 2017 SR-PETS Coordinator Name).]

Once you name a coordinator, that individual will receive an information packet and a follow-up call from RTI International, a nonprofit research organization administering NPSAS:18-AC for NCES. The coordinator will be asked to provide a data file of students enrolled at your institution in 2017–18 from which RTI will select a sample of students. Your coordinator will then be asked to provide additional information about their enrollment status, demographic characteristics, and financial aid.

The enclosed brochure and timeline describe our data collection procedures and provide a summary description of the laws and procedures safeguarding the confidentiality of the collected data.

If you have any questions about the study, please contact Tiffany Mattox, RTI’s Institution Records Coordinator, at 1-855-500-1441 or via e-mail at [EMAIL ADDRESS]. If you have any comments or general feedback that you would like to provide to NCES about this or any other data collection, please contact Sean Simone, PhD, Project Officer, NPSAS:18-AC, at 202-245-7631 (e-mail address: [email protected]).

We look forward to your participation in this important study.

https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal

Your user name: (UnitID)

Your temporary password: (Password)

Sincerely,

(electronic signature)

NCES staffperson name

NCES staffperson title

Enclosures

NCES is authorized to conduct the 2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC) by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543) and the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA 2008, 20 U.S.C. §1015). The data are being collected for NCES by RTI International, a U.S.-based nonprofit research organization. All of the information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151).

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this voluntary information collection is 1850-0666. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average approximately 25 hours per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data sources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate, suggestions for improving this information collection, or any comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of these data, please write directly to: Postsecondary Data Portal studies, National Center for Education Statistics, PCP, 550 12th St., SW, 4th floor, Washington, DC 20202.

NPSAS:18-AC brochure text

2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC)

National Center for Education Statistics

Institute of Education Sciences

NCES <pub# xxxx-xxx>

About the Study

The affordability of postsecondary education is a vital concern for students, parents, and policymakers. That is why the information gathered for the 2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC) is so important. Like prior NPSAS collections, this study explores how students and parents finance postsecondary education and provides comprehensive data on the enrollment status, majors, and demographic characteristics of students continuing their education after high school. In addition, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) designed NPSAS:18-AC to provide representative samples for each of the U.S. states. This design will allow researchers and other data users to generate state-representative undergraduate financial aid estimates and compare financial aid programs at the state level.

About NCES

NCES is authorized by federal law to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of education in the United States and other nations. Through the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (20 U.S.C. §1015), Congress requires that NCES collect information from postsecondary institutions about how students and their families finance education beyond high school. NPSAS has collected information from postsecondary students and institutions since 1987.

About NPSAS

NPSAS compiles comprehensive data about the full range of student financial aid programs, together with demographic and enrollment data. The study provides vital information about the affordability of postsecondary education and the effectiveness of existing financial aid programs.

Importance of NPSAS Data

NPSAS is the primary source of data used by federal government agencies and higher education associations to analyze the effectiveness of current federal student financial aid programs. It is used by the U.S. Department of Education, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the American Council on Education (ACE), the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), and many others to prepare the reports that influence the direction of federal student aid policies.

NPSAS data appear in a wide array of publications and reports, and are cited in journal and newspaper articles and in foundation policy briefs. The published materials focus on a variety of topics, including describing the student population, financial aid use and debt accumulation, and educational outcomes.

Access to Study Data

There are a variety of tools available for people who want to access NPSAS data through NCES’s DataLab site (https://nces.ed.gov/datalab). PowerStats and QuickStats, for example, provide users with an interface for creating tables and conducting analyses with prior NPSAS datasets. The College and Career Tables Library offers access to thousands of tables produced for NCES publications.

Confidentiality of Data

NCES is required to follow strict procedures to protect personal information in the collection, reporting, and publication of data. All of the information provided by individuals or institutions may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151).

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA, 20 U.S.C. §1232g) allows for the release of institution record information to the Secretary of Education or her agent without prior consent of survey members (34 CFR §§ 99.31[a][3] and 99.35). RTI International, as the contractor for NCES, has been given the authority to collect information from institution records on behalf of NCES under the provisions of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA 2008, 20 U.S.C. §1015).

Protection of Electronic Files
All electronic files from institution records will be protected. Computer accounts used to access data will be password protected with multilevel access controls to ensure that only authorized individuals are allowed access to confidential data. For the web-based data collection, proven methods of protection for online sessions and data security over the Internet will be used. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol will be used to encrypt the data. All the data entry modules on the website will be password protected, which will require the user to log in to the site before accessing confidential data.

Preparation of Data for Public Release
It will not be possible to identify specific individuals in any data (e.g., statistical tables) released to the public.

For assistance, please contact the Help Desk

or visit the website: https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal

Postsecondary Data Portal Help Desk

1-855-500-1441

[EMAIL ADDRESS]

If you have questions or concerns about NPSAS:18-AC,

you may contact:

RTI International

Tiffany Mattox

Institution Records Coordinator

[email protected]

Peter Siegel

Project Director, NPSAS:18-AC

[email protected]

1-855-500-1441

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

Sean Simone, PhD

NCES Project Officer, NPSAS:18-AC

[email protected]

(202) 245-7631

Conducted by

U.S. Department of Education

National Center for Education Statistics, Washington, DC

http://nces.ed.gov

NPSAS:18-AC Study Overview and Timeline

Shape2

Coordinator Welcome Mailing

This mailing is sent to each institution’s NPSAS:18-AC coordinator. It includes a letter welcoming the coordinator to NPSAS:18-AC, a NPSAS:18-AC brochure, and an overview of the NPSAS:18-AC data collection timeline. The letter for this mailing is included below; there are separate versions of the letter for coordinators who are the same individual as the BPS:12 transcript collection coordinator and for coordinators who are not. The same brochure and study timeline included in the chief administrator mailing are included.

Coordinator Welcome Letter (when coordinator is also the coordinator for BPS:12 transcript collection)

NPSAS

Endorsed by

List of agencies appears here along the left margin.

(Date)

(Salutation) (FirstName) (LastName)

(Title)

(Institution)

(Address)

(City), (State) (Zip)

Dear (Salutation) (LastName):

(Institution) has been selected to participate in the 2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC) conducted by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) under a congressional mandate to gather information from postsecondary institutions on how students and their families finance postsecondary education.

The chief administrative officer of your institution, <CA name>, has designated you as your institution’s coordinator for the NPSAS:18-AC institution data collection.

NPSAS is a very important source of information for Congress, policymakers, states, and institutions in informing the effectiveness of federal, state, and institution financial aid programs. The quality and affordability of postsecondary education are central concerns for students and their families. The data collected from student records provide much-needed information about today’s college students as they begin, leave, and reenter postsecondary education; transfer between institutions; and complete programs at all levels of institutions. Additionally, for the first time, in addition to federal financial aid estimates, NPSAS will collect data to generate state-level financial aid estimates for undergraduate students to inform states’ policies and planning. Your participation is vital in ensuring that the data collected accurately represent the undergraduate students in your state.

In addition to being named the NPSAS:18-AC coordinator, our records indicate that you are also the coordinator for another NCES sample studies data collection, the 2011–12 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:12) transcript collection. That collection is occurring within the secure Postsecondary Data Portal (PDP) website, a single location through which institutions can provide the student data required by any and all NCES postsecondary sample-based data collections. NPSAS:18-AC will use that same PDP.

As coordinator, you will be asked to:

Complete the brief Institution Registration Page on the NCES Postsecondary Data Portal (PDP) website or by telephone within the next few weeks. We will schedule data collection for your institution based on the information you provide.
Oversee the preparation of a list of students enrolled at your institution. The list will be used to draw a sample of students from your institution for NPSAS:18-AC.
Complete a web-based program (or prepare data files) providing institution records on such information as enrollment status, demographic characteristics, and financial assistance provided for the sampled students.

As coordinator, you may access the pages of the PDP that contain student-level information. If additional staff at your institution will be providing data, you will need to add them as users. After logging in, click on Manage My Users and follow the instructions to add additional users and send them their login information via e-mail through the PDP website.

The enclosed brochure and project timeline detail our data collection procedures and the laws and procedures safeguarding the confidentiality of the information collected. Another letter or e-mail will be sent to you, requesting a list of enrolled students, before the due date established for your institution. Enrollment lists will be collected April through August 2018. A specific due date will be determined based on your institution’s term structure. The NPSAS:18-AC and BPS:12 data collections are being administered for NCES by RTI International, a nonprofit research organization. A project representative will call you in the next few days to ensure that you have received this notification and to answer any questions you may have.

Additional information, including reports based on data from previous NPSAS studies, is available on the PDP website: https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal. If you have questions about the study or procedures, please contact RTI’s Institution Records Coordinator, Tiffany Mattox, at 1-855-500-1441 or via e-mail at [EMAIL ADDRESS]. If you have any comments or general feedback that you would like to provide to NCES about this or any other data collection, please contact Sean Simone, PhD, Project Officer, NPSAS:18-AC, at 202-245-7631 (e-mail address: [email protected]).

We look forward to your participation in this important study.

Shape3

https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal

Your user name: (UserID)

Your temporary password: (Password)

Sincerely,

(electronic signature)

Signature block for NCES staff

National Center for Education Statistics

Enclosures

Coordinator Welcome Letter (when coordinator is not the BPS:12 transcript collection coordinator)

NPSAS

Endorsed by

List of agencies appears here along the left margin.

(Date)

(Salutation) (FirstName) (LastName)

(Title)

(Institution)

(Address)

(City), (State) (Zip)

Dear (Salutation) (LastName):

The chief administrative officer of your institution, <CA name>, has designated you as your institution’s coordinator for the NPSAS:18-AC institution data collection.

NPSAS is a very important source of information for Congress, policymakers, states, and institutions in informing the effectiveness of federal, state, and institution financial aid programs. The quality and affordability of postsecondary education are central concerns for students and their families. The data collected from student records provide much-needed information about today’s college students as they begin, leave, and reenter postsecondary education; transfer between institutions; and complete programs at all levels of institutions. Additionally, for the first time, in addition to federal financial aid estimates, NPSAS will collect data to generate state-level financial aid estimates for undergraduate students to inform states’ policies and planning. Your participation is vital in ensuring that the data collected accurately represent the undergraduate students in your state.

Recognizing that NCES data collection requests add to the workload of institution staff tasked with providing the requested data, NCES developed the secure Postsecondary Data Portal (PDP) website, now a single location through which institutions can provide the student data required by any and all NCES postsecondary sample-based data collections. You may be aware, for example, that NCES is currently collecting the transcripts of participants in the 2011–12 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:12) through the PDP. Having the PDP available means institution staff only need to learn the layout and functionality of one system, instead of having to learn a different system for every study.

As coordinator, you will be asked to:

Complete the brief Institution Registration Page on the NCES Postsecondary Data Portal (PDP) website or by telephone within the next few weeks. We will schedule data collection for your institution based on the information you provide.
Oversee the preparation of a list of students enrolled at your institution. The list will be used to draw a sample of students from your institution for NPSAS:18-AC.
Complete a web-based program (or prepare data files) providing institution records on such information as enrollment status, demographic characteristics, and financial assistance provided for the sampled students.

As coordinator, you may access the pages of the PDP that contain student-level information. If additional staff at your institution will be providing data, you need to add them as users. After logging in, click on Manage My Users and follow the instructions to add additional users and send them their login information via e-mail through the PDP website.

We look forward to your participation in this important study.

Shape4

https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal

Your user name: (UserID)

Your temporary password: (Password)

Sincerely,

(electronic signature)

Signature block for NCES staff

National Center for Education Statistics

Enclosures

Coordinator List Request Mailing

This mailing is sent to each institution’s coordinator after the Institution Registration Page has been completed. It includes a letter that confirms the institution’s due date for providing its student enrollment list and a copy of the study timeline. The letter for this mailing is included below; the same study timeline that is included in the chief administrator mailing is also included here.

Coordinator Enrollment List Request Letter (and E-mail)

NPSAS

Endorsed by

List of agencies appears here along the left margin.

(Date)

(Salutation) (FirstName) (LastName)

(Title)

(Institution)

(Address)

(City), (State) (Zip)

Student Enrollment List Due: (Date)

Dear (Salutation) (LastName),

We are pleased that (Institution) has agreed to participate in the 2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC), which is conducted by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NCES is mandated by Congress to conduct this important study on how students and their families finance their postsecondary education. This NPSAS is different from previous ones, as it will provide both state and federal financial aid estimates. Data collection for this study is being administered for NCES by RTI International.

As you know from our previous letter, you have been designated as your institution’s coordinator for the NPSAS:18-AC. We look forward to working with you on this important research effort and are available to answer any questions you may have.

As the coordinator, we ask you to oversee completion of the following remaining tasks:

Oversee the preparation of a list of students enrolled at your institution during the 2017-18 academic year and submit the list by the deadline below. The list of students will be used to draw a sample of students from your institution for participation in the study.

Provide student records data for the sampled students —such as enrollment status, demographic characteristics, and financial aid—by uploading data files, keying data, or a combination of both through our secure web interface. After your list of enrolled students is submitted, we will contact you to confirm a due date for your student records data.

The initial due date for providing your student enrollment list is (Date). Complete specifications for compiling this list and uploading it to the secure website are provided online at the PDP (https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal). If you are unable to meet your institution’s deadline or have any questions about the information requested for the student list, please contact the Help Desk at 1-855-500-1441.

The PDP provides complete instructions for participation, including a description of the laws and procedures safeguarding the confidentiality of information collected. Additional information, including reports based on data from previous NPSAS studies, is also available there. Be assured that all of the information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151).

If you have questions about the study or procedures, please contact Tiffany Mattox, RTI’s Institution Records Coordinator, at 1-855-500-1441 or via e-mail at [EMAIL ADDRESS]. If you have any comments or general feedback that you would like to provide to NCES about this or any other data collection, please contact Sean Simone, PhD, Project Officer, NPSAS:18-AC, at 202-245-7631 (e-mail address: [email protected]).

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

(electronic signature) (electronic signature)

Peter Siegel Sean Simone, PhD.

Director, NPSAS:18-AC NCES Project Officer

Center for Education Surveys National Center for Education Statistics

RTI International U.S. Department of Education

https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal

Your user ID: (User ID)

If you do not recall your password, click Forgot Password on the PDP.

Student Records Request Materials

The student records request mailing is sent to each institution’s coordinator after the student sample has been selected. It includes a letter requesting that the institution submit student records data for its sampled students and instructions for completing the student records request (the Quick Guide to Providing Student Records Data). The letter and Quick Guide are included below.

Student Records Request Letter (and E-mail)

<date>

«salutation» «fname» «lname»

«Title»

«entity_name»

«phys_addr1»

«phys_addr2»

«phys_city», «phys_state» «phys_zip»

Student Records Data Due: «expected_Date_curr»

Dear «salutation» «lname»,

Thank you for your continued participation in the 2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC). We have finished processing the student enrollment file you provided and have selected a random sample of «samplesize» students from your institution to participate in NPSAS. We now ask that you provide student record data for your sampled students, using the secure Postsecondary Data Portal (PDP), on or before «duedate».

The PDP is available at https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal. There you will find the list of your sampled students and details on what data we need to obtain for each. We have enclosed a Quick Guide to Providing Student Records Data describing how to access and use the site.

The PDP provides three methods for providing student data:

Entering data directly into the web-based system;
Downloading and completing an Excel template, which you then upload to the PDP; and
Creating and uploading data files following the specifications on the PDP.

You may use just one mode, or a combination. Regardless of the method you choose, you will be able to review the provided data on a screen in the PDP.

Please be assured that the security of your students’ data is of the utmost importance to us. All data are secured through password-protected access and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption. In addition, access to the list of students (and to the forms used to enter their data) will require authentication using a user name and unique password. If you are the coordinator, your username is printed below for your convenience. If you are not the coordinator for this collection, please contact him or her (<fillPCname> at your institution) to receive login credentials.

Soon, staff from RTI International will call you to confirm receipt of this material and the completion date for providing student records data. RTI’s Help Desk staff will be available from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, to answer any questions you may have about the collection or about using the PDP. You may contact the Help Desk at 1-855-500-1441 toll free, or via e-mail at [EMAIL ADDRESS].

Again, thank you for your continued participation in this important study.

Shape6

https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal

Your user name: <fill>

If you do not recall your password, click Forgot Password on the PDP.

Sincerely,

Sean Simone, PhD

Project Officer, NPSAS:18-AC

National Center for Education Statistics

Enclosures

Quick Guide to Providing Student Records Data

There are three steps for providing student records for the 2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC). To complete them, log in to the secure National Center for Education Statistics’ Postsecondary Data Portal (PDP) website at https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal.
At the prompt, enter the user name and password printed on the letter or e-mail you received from RTI.

NOTE: To ensure the security of your student data, you must log off when you are going to be away from your computer and when you are finished with a data entry session.

1. Provide Institution Information for Student Records

Before you begin entering student data, you will need to enter information about your institution.

From the Task Menu, click Provide Institution Information for Student Records.
Enter the requested school term information (institutions with continuous enrollment and no terms/periods with defined start and end dates should leave the Terms section blank).
Select the number of credits awarded for a standard academic course.
Click the Submit & Return to Task Menu or the Submit & Go to Next Section button at the bottom of the page.

After you submit, the information can be viewed but not changed. The link on the Task Menu changes to View Institution Information for Student Records and the Save and Submit buttons on the Institution Information page disappear.

2. Review Sampled Student List

Review your list of sampled students and indicate if any are ineligible.

From the Task Menu, click Review Sampled Student List.
Review the list, indicate if any students are ineligible for NPSAS, and click the Submit & Return to Task Menu or the Submit & Go to Next Section button.

After you submit, the information can be viewed but not changed. The link on the Task Menu changes to View Sampled Student List, and the Submit buttons on the Sampled Student List page disappear. If you discover that a student is ineligible after submitting, please call the Help Desk.

3. Provide Student Record Information

The student-level data we are requesting include contact information as well as budget, enrollment, and financial aid awarded during the study year (July 1, 2017–June 30, 2018).¹

From the Task Menu, click Provide Student Record Information.
On the Mode Selection page, select which mode you will use to provide data.

There are three options available to provide the information: entering data online, entering data offline and then uploading, or uploading data files. Each is described below.

Option 1: Entering Data Online (Web Mode)

Click Web Mode.
Select a student and section from the Web Mode Grid and begin keying.
Save or finalize the section you completed using the buttons at the bottom of the section. Save allows you to leave and return to complete the section. Finalize saves and performs error checks and will highlight missing data and data values that are out of the expected range.
After you have entered data for a section, you can either continue to another section for that student or select another student. To select another student, click the link Back to Web Mode Grid and click on a new student and section.
Once you have completed entering all data for a student, click Finalize (Student Name) at the bottom of his or her web page.
When you are done entering data for all students, or if you want to check on your progress, return to the Web Mode Grid page. The grid contains icons indicating the status of each section: not started, in progress, errors present, or complete.
After you have entered all available data for all students, click Finalize All Student Record Information at the bottom of the Web Mode Grid page. You will no longer be able to edit or enter data.

Option 2: Entering Data Offline and then Uploading (Excel Mode)

You may download an Excel template to key or cut and paste in the requested data and then upload the file.

Click Excel Mode.
Check the “I agree” box in Step 1, and click Download Excel Template. Save the file. For institutions with more than 100 sampled students, the template will generate overnight and be available to download the next day.
For Step 2, complete the worksheets in the template corresponding to the student information, enrollment, budget, and financial aid data for your students.

When keying is complete, click Select File in Step 3 and select your saved file to upload. The grid in Step 3 displays a list of each file you have uploaded. When a file is uploaded, it is checked for errors (such as values outside of expected ranges). If errors are detected, a Show Errors button will appear. Please view and correct any errors before attempting to upload the file again.
Click Review Your Data in Step 4 to review your uploaded data in a grid.
After you have successfully uploaded your file and are ready to submit final data, click Finalize All Student Record Information in Step 5. You will no longer be able to edit data.

Option 3: Uploading Data Files (CSV Mode)

You or other staff at your institution can create and upload each of the four required comma-separated values (CSV) data files following our specifications.

Click CSV Mode.
Click Download CSV Specs to view or save the specifications in Step 1.
Click Download List to view or save the list of sampled students in Step 2.

When a file is ready for upload, click on the tab for the type of file, such as Enrollment, in Step 3. Click Browse, select your saved file to upload, and click Upload File. The grid in Step 3 displays a list of each file you have uploaded. When a file is uploaded, it is checked for errors (such as values outside of expected ranges). If errors are detected, a Show Errors button will appear. Please view and correct any errors before attempting to upload the file again.
Click Review Your Data in Step 4 to review your uploaded data in a grid.
After you have successfully uploaded your 4 files and are ready to submit final data, click Finalize All Student Record Information in Step 5. You will no longer be able to edit data.

Regardless of the mode you select, clicking the Finalize All Student Record Information button alerts us that we may begin processing your data and will generate an e-mail to you confirming submission of the data.

Additional information, including answers to frequently asked questions, is available on the PDP website, https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal. If you need assistance, please contact the Help Desk toll free at 1-855-500-1441 or via e-mail at [EMAIL ADDRESS].

E-mails – reminder, thank you, due date extension

E-mails will be sent as needed to remind institution staff to provide data, typically two weeks prior to a deadline. E-mails are also sent to acknowledge receipt of data and to thank the institution staff for providing the data. Also included is an e-mail granting a due date extension.

Reminder E-mail 1 for Various Tasks

Dear «salutation» «lname»:

I am writing to remind you about the 2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC), being carried out by RTI International on behalf of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). We ask that you please log on to the secure NCES Postsecondary Data Portal (PDP) and [fill:

name a coordinator for data collection, complete the institution registration page, provide a list of enrolled students, provide institution record data for sampled students]. The PDP website is located at https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal. The data your institution provides are very important to the success of the NCES postsecondary sample studies.

If sending to the coordinator, fill:

A user ID and password were provided in earlier materials. Please contact the Help Desk if you need assistance logging in.

If sending to other staff, fill:

If you need a user name and password, please contact the coordinator at your institution, <name>.

If you have any questions about the studies or procedures involved, please contact the Help Desk at 1-855-500-1441, or via e-mail at [EMAIL ADDRESS].

Thank you again for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Peter Siegel

Director, NPSAS:18-AC

OMB Control Number: 1850-0666

Learn more about our confidentiality procedures at: https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal.

Reminder E-mail 2 for Student Records

Dear «salutation» «lname»:

I am writing to remind you about the 2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC). By providing institution record data for the sampled students, you make an important contribution to research that will help legislators and researchers understand how students and their families meet the cost of education beyond high school and the relationship between these costs and persistence and attainment in education.

If you are currently preparing the data, thank you. We need representation of all types of institutions and students to compile the most valuable, accurate data. If you have not begun, please do so at your earliest convenience.

The secure National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Postsecondary Data Portal (PDP) website is located at https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal.

If sending to the coordinator, fill:

A user ID and password were provided in earlier materials. Please contact the Help Desk if you need assistance logging in.

If sending to other staff, fill:

If you need a user name and password, please contact the coordinator at your institution, <name>.

NPSAS:18-AC is being conducted by NCES, part of the U.S. Department of Education, with data being collected by RTI International, a nonprofit research organization.

If you have any questions about the study or procedures involved, please contact the Help Desk at 1-855-500-1441 or via e-mail at [EMAIL ADDRESS].

Thank you again for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Peter Siegel

Director, NPSAS:18-AC

OMB Control Number: 1850-0666

Learn more about our confidentiality procedures at https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal.

Thank You for Completing the Institution Registration Page E-mail

Dear «salutation» «lname»:

Thank you for completing the Institution Registration Page for the 2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC). We have set the due date for receiving a list of enrolled students from your institution as <date>. Prior to that date, we will send a request for the list to you. Please be on the lookout for that request in <month based on due date above>.

If you have any questions about the studies or procedures involved, please contact the Help Desk at 1-855-500-1441, or via e-mail at [EMAIL ADDRESS].

Thank you so much for your continued support of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) sample studies.

Sincerely,

(Help Desk signature block)

OMB Control Number: 1850-0666

Learn more about our confidentiality procedures at https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal.

E-mail to Touch Base Between Institution Registration Page Thank You and List Request

Dear «salutation» «lname»:

I wanted to touch base with you about the 2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC), which is conducted by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). We appreciate the steps you have taken thus far on this important study.

As mentioned in a previous email, we have set the initial due date for receiving a list of enrolled students from your institution as <date>. Prior to that date, we will send you a request for the list. There may be a considerable gap in time between your receiving this e-mail and receiving that request, but please be assured that we have not forgotten you or the need for your institution’s data.

Sincerely,

(Help Desk signature block)

OMB Control Number: 1850-0666

Learn more about our confidentiality procedures at https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal.

Thank You for List E-mail

Dear «salutation» «lname»:

Thank you for providing your institution’s list of enrolled students to the 2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC). We recognize and appreciate the extra effort required of you and your colleagues to provide these valuable data. A representative from RTI International will contact you if there are any questions regarding your submission.

The next step in the process will be statistical sampling of a group of students from your enrollment list. We will then reach out to you to request student records data for the sampled students. Note that it may be many weeks before you receive that request.

If you have any questions about the studies or procedures involved, please contact the Help Desk at 1-855-500-1441, or via e-mail at [EMAIL ADDRESS].

Thank you so much for your continued support of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) sample studies.

Sincerely,

(Help Desk signature block)

OMB Control Number: 1850-0666

Learn more about our confidentiality procedures at https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal.

Touch Base Between List and Student Records Email

Dear «salutation» «lname»:

I wanted to touch base with you on the 2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC), which is conducted by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). We appreciate the steps you have taken thus far on this important study.

As mentioned in a previous e-mail, the next step in the process will be statistical sampling of a group of students from your enrollment list. We will then reach out to you to request student records data for the sampled students. Please be on the lookout for that request in <month based on list receipt date>.

If you have any questions about the studies or procedures involved, please contact the Help Desk at 1-855-500-1441, or via e-mail at [EMAIL ADDRESS].

Thank you so much for your continued support of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) sample studies.

Sincerely,

(Help Desk signature block)

OMB Control Number: 1850-0666

Learn more about our confidentiality procedures at https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal.

E-mail Granting Due Date Extension

Dear «salutation» «lname»:

Thank you for contacting us about an extension. We will gladly extend the due date for <SCHOOL NAME> to submit the 2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC)

data until <date>.

We hope this extension will help you to do everything possible to submit the data. The data from your institution are very important to NCES, and the amount of time and hard work it takes on the part of you and your staff to collect and submit this information is very much appreciated.

If you have any questions about the studies or procedures involved, please contact the Help Desk at 1-855-500-1441, or via e-mail at [EMAIL ADDRESS]. We will do everything we can to assist you.

We look forward to receiving your institution’s data. Thank you again for your contribution to this important

research effort.

Sincerely,

(Help Desk signature block)

OMB Control Number: 1850-0666

Learn more about our confidentiality procedures at https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal.

Thank You for Student Records Email

Dear «salutation» «lname»:

Thank you for providing record data for students sampled for the 2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC). We recognize and appreciate the substantial extra effort required of you and your colleagues to provide these valuable data. A representative from RTI International will contact you if there are any questions regarding your submission.

Thank you so much for your continued support of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) sample studies.

Sincerely,

Peter Siegel

Director, NPSAS:18-AC

OMB Control Number: 1850-0666

Learn more about our confidentiality procedures at https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal.

Nonrespondent Follow-Up Materials

Nonrespondents will be sent letters and informational flyers with information specific to institution type as needed during data collection. Letters and flyer content are included below.

Letter to Nonrespondent Institutions

«cname»

«title»

«instname»

«Addr1» «Addr2»

«City», «st» «zip»

Dear «salutation» «lname»:

You are receiving this letter because we want to encourage your institution’s participation in the 2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC). NPSAS:18-AC is conducted by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) under a congressional mandate to gather information from postsecondary institutions on how students and their families finance postsecondary education. Your participation is important to making this study a success.

NPSAS data play a key role in evaluating the effectiveness of federal financial aid programs in meeting the needs of students. The data are also useful to postsecondary institutions and researchers concerned with the needs of postsecondary students. NPSAS data appear in a wide array of publications and reports and are cited in journal and newspaper articles and in foundation policy briefs. The reports focus on a variety of topics, from describing the student population, financial aid use and debt accumulation, and education outcomes. We want to make sure these data accurately represent, and are available to, institutions like yours.

There are a variety of tools available for people who want to access NPSAS data through NCES’s DataLab site (https://nces.ed.gov/datalab). PowerStats and QuickStats, for example, provide users with an interface for creating tables and conducting analyses with the prior NPSAS datasets. The College and Career Tables Library offers access to thousands of tables produced for NCES publications.

If you have any questions about accessing prior NPSAS data or your participation in NPSAS:18-AC, please contact the NPSAS Project Director, Peter Siegel, at [TOLL FREE NUMBER] or via e-mail at [EMAIL ADDRESS]. If you have any comments or general feedback that you would like to provide to NCES about this or any other data collection, please contact Sean Simone, PhD, Project Officer, NPSAS:18-AC, at 202-245-7631 (e-mail address: [email protected]).

Thank you again for your cooperation and interest. Let us know how we can assist you.

Shape7

Please log on and provide data at:

https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal

Your user name: «UnitID»

If you do not recall your password, click Forgot Password.

Sincerely,

(NCES staff person signature block)

National Center for Education Statistics

U.S. Department of Education

Enclosure

Text of Flyer for Nonrespondents – Public Institutions

(Page 1)

2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC)

About 70 percent of all undergraduates received some form of financial aid in 2011–12: some 57 percent received federal aid, 15 percent received state aid, and 21 percent received institutional aid.

NPSAS is a nationally representative study of how students and their families pay for postsecondary education. It has been conducted since 1987 by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and is congressionally mandated through the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (20 U.S.C. §1015). NPSAS is used by policymakers and researchers to better understand the financial needs of postsecondary students in the United States.

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) designed NPSAS:18-AC to provide representative samples for each of the U.S. states, making it different from previous NPSAS studies. This design will allow researchers and other data users to generate state-representative undergraduate financial aid estimates and compare financial aid programs at the state level. Another unique aspect of the study is that NPSAS:18-AC does not administer a student survey.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974

The data request for NPSAS conforms fully to the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. §1232g(b)(1)(D). Under FERPA’s general consent rule, NCES is authorized to obtain student-level data from institutions for any NPSAS-eligible student, without prior consent, if the disclosure is to an organization conducting studies for, or on behalf of, the Secretary of Education. Student data are subject to strict confidentiality protections that are adhered to by NCES and its contractor organizations.

Why Should Public Institutions Participate?

We need your participation in NPSAS:18-AC to ensure that we have data on students’ financial aid needs and how well they are being met, especially in terms of federal student aid. In NPSAS:12 we saw that:

the out-of-pocket expenses for the lowest income-independent students were not significantly lower than those of their lower-middle income peers, but they were lower than those of students in the upper-middle and highest income quartiles;
students in private nonprofit 4-year colleges paid the highest out-of-pocket net price; and
despite an increase in grant and loan aid between 1999–2000 and 2011–12, out-of-pocket expenses also increased during this period, for full-time, full-year students in all but for-profit institutions.

(Page 2)

Text of Flyer for Nonrespondents – For-Profit Institutions

(Page 1)

2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC)

Seventy-seven percent of students at for-profit institutions are first-generation college students (neither parent earned a bachelor’s degree or higher), compared with 48 percent of students at private nonprofit institutions and 62 percent of students at public institutions.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974

Why Should For-Profit Institutions Participate?

For-profit institutions serve a more diverse and disadvantaged student population than other institutions.

Twenty-six percent of students at for-profit institutions are black, compared with 14 percent at private nonprofit institutions and 15 percent at public institutions. Likewise, 19 percent of students at for-profit institutions are Hispanic, compared with 10 percent at private nonprofit institutions and 17 percent at public institutions.
Among dependent students at for-profit institutions, 32 percent of students’ parents earn less than $20,000 per year, compared with 11 percent of dependent students at private nonprofit institutions and 16 percent of dependents at public institutions.
The median age of students at for-profit institutions is 28 years old, compared with 21 years old at private nonprofit institutions and 22 years old at public institutions.

We need your participation in NPSAS:18-AC to ensure that we have data on these students’ financial aid needs and how well they are being met, especially in terms of federal student aid.

(Page 2 is the same as public institution flyer.)

PDP Website Content – Pre-Login

(not study specific)

The Postsecondary Data Portal (PDP) is the web-based data collection system for all NCES sample studies that collect data from postsecondary institutions. The sections of the website that are accessible prior to login include generic information about NCES postsecondary studies and the PDP itself, including answers to frequently asked questions. The content of these pages is included below. Study-specific information that is available after login is included in the next section.

Home page

The study-specific information below, including the list of studies and their OMB numbers and time estimates, the links to the NCES websites for each study, and the list of contact persons will be added or removed as studies that use the Postsecondary Data Portal website begin and end. Before a study is added, planned revisions and additions to the portal’s content will be submitted to OMB for review as part of the study’s clearance request, then the website will be changed after that request is approved.

IES logo

Welcome to the Postsecondary Data Portal

The central hub for institutions providing data for sample studies conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education.

NCES is authorized to conduct these studies by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543) and the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA 2008, 20 U.S.C. §1015). The data are being collected for NCES by RTI International, a U.S.-based nonprofit research organization. All of the information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151).

If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate, suggestions for improving the collections, or any comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of these data, please write directly to: Postsecondary Data Portal studies, National Center for Education Statistics, PCP, 550 12th St., SW, 4th floor, Washington, DC 20202.

HSLS:09 OMB Clearance No: 1850-0852 Expiration Date 12/31/2018

HSLS:09 Transcript Collection (PETS): 30 minutes, HSLS:09 Student Records: 3.3 hours

BPS:12 Student Records OMB Clearance No: 1850-0631 Expiration Date 01/31/2020

BPS:12 Pilot Postsecondary Education Transcript Study (PETS): 10 minutes

BPS:12 Postsecondary Education Transcript Study (PETS): 1 hour

BPS:12 Student Records: 11.6 hours

NPSAS:18-AC OMB Clearance No: 1850-0666 Expiration Date: xx/xx/xxxx

NPSAS:18-AC List Collection: 2.8 hours, NPSAS:18-AC Student Records Collection: 22 hours

Click below to visit the NCES website and learn more about the studies that use this portal.

(Text below is on footer of every page)

About the PDP

About this website

We developed the Postsecondary Data Portal (PDP) website (https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal) to improve your user experience. The PDP reduces the time it takes to respond to NCES data requests and makes the data submission process as simple and straightforward as possible.

Benefits of the new PDP include the following:

Centralization. It is a central hub for uploading postsecondary institution data for all NCES sample studies.
Personalization and Functionality. You can choose from three user-friendly modes for providing data, all of which offer intuitive functionality.
Continuity. Future data requests will remain as static as possible, and reports or programs you create to provide the data can be updated minimally to complete future requests.
Security. Data are secured through password-protected access and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption.
Tools at Your Fingertips. You can access DataLab, our powerful, easy-to-use suite of online data analysis tools that includes more than 30 federal education datasets.

Each of the studies collect data that are used by NCES for reporting and analysis. Any data released to the public will be in aggregate form (e.g., statistical tables, graphs). Review the FAQs or log in to learn more. Background information on each study can be accessed from the Home page.

The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543) and the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA 2008, 20 U.S.C. §1015) authorize NCES to collect and disseminate information about education in the United States. NCES is the primary federal statistical entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. NCES is located within the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education. NCES fulfills a Congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report complete statistics on the condition of American education; conduct and publish reports; and review and report on education activities internationally.

NCES has contracted with RTI International to administer the studies included on this website. RTI is an independent, nonprofit contract research organization located in Research Triangle Park, NC, that was established by a joint action of three major universities in North Carolina: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and Duke University. RTI began operations in 1958 and has provided contract support to NCES on postsecondary research dating back to 1971.

Annually, NCES also conducts a system of interrelated surveys entitled the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) through a different website. IPEDS gathers information from every college, university, and technical and vocational institution that participates in the federal student financial aid programs. These data are made available to students and parents through the College Navigator college search website and to researchers and others through the IPEDS Data Center.

Confidentiality and Security

Confidentiality and Security

All of the information provided as part of NCES sample studies may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). Any student data released to the general public (for example, in statistical tables) are designed so that it is not possible to identify specific individuals.

Specific measures have been taken to protect all responses:

• Data are collected over a secure server and connection, protected by Secure Sockets Layer technology (SSL; 128-bit encryption). All hard-copy records are maintained in locked storage cabinets. A unique study identification variable (not the Social Security number or student ID) are created and maintained for each sampled student to protect against inadvertent disclosure of confidential data.

• All electronic data are secured in protected data files, and personally identifiable information (PII) is stored in files separate from the descriptive information. The data are stored securely on an Enhanced Security Network, which is certified and accredited as a NIST moderate security level network. NCES and RTI employ strict procedures for the transfer of PII; maintenance, storage, and use of direct identifiers; replacement of direct identifiers with internal codes; security of master survey files; and reporting of data security breaches in accord with the U.S. Department of Education Incident Handling Procedures. For more information on NIST security level, please see FIPS Publication 199 at http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/FIPS/NIST.FIPS.199.pdf.

• All NCES staff and contractors are subject to severe fines and imprisonment for disclosing individual responses.

• All RTI project staff members have signed Confidentiality Agreements and Affidavits of Nondisclosure and are prohibited by law from using the obtained information for any purposes other than this research study.

• Data security procedures are reviewed and approved by NCES data security staff.

Confidentiality and data security protection procedures have been put in place for the studies accessible through this website to ensure that the contractor and its subcontractors comply with all privacy requirements, including:

The statement of work of each contract;
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 (20 U.S.C. §1232(g));
Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. §552a);
Privacy Act Regulations (34 CFR Part 5b);
Computer Security Act of 1987;
U.S.A. Patriot Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-56);
Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9573);
Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002;
E-Government Act of 2002, Title V, Subtitle A;
Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015 (6 U.S.C. §151);
The U.S. Department of Education General Handbook for Information Technology Security General Support Systems and Major Applications Inventory Procedures (March 2005);
The U.S. Department of Education Incident Handling Procedures (February 2009);
The U.S. Department of Education, ACS Directive OM: 5-101, Contractor Employee Personnel Security Screenings;
NCES Statistical Standards; and
All new legislation that impacts the data collected through the contract for this study.

The data collection contractor complies with the U.S. Department of Education’s IT security policy requirements as set forth in the Handbook for Information Assurance Security Policy and related procedures and guidance, as well as IT security requirements in the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) publications, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards and guidance. All data products and publications will also adhere to the NCES Statistical Standards, as described at the website: http://nces.ed.gov/statprog/2012/.

Contact Us

FAQs - General

These apply across projects and are available before the user logs in.

Who is collecting these data?

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), in the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, is conducting the studies that use this website, and has contracted with RTI International to collect data for these studies. The studies are listed on the Home page. NCES is the primary federal statistical entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. RTI International is an independent, nonprofit research organization, established as a joint action of the three major universities in North Carolina: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and Duke University.

By what authority does NCES collect this information?

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), within the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, has been authorized by Congress to conduct these studies in the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543) and the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA 2008, 20 U.S.C. §1015). Each study has been approved by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

How was my institution selected?

The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) scientifically samples institutions from all Title IV institutions included in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). For longitudinal studies such as the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS), sample members have identified which institutions they attended when completing the student survey; this information may also come from other administrative data sources. Transcripts and student records are collected from the postsecondary institutions attended by sample members.

Why is participation important?

The quality and affordability of postsecondary education are vital concerns for students and their families. The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) is designed to describe how students meet the cost of education beyond high school and provides comprehensive data on the enrollment status, education goals, employment, and demographic characteristics of postsecondary students across the nation.

The NCES longitudinal sample studies collect data from transcripts, student records, and/or student surveys to provide much-needed information on the course of study of today’s college students as they begin, leave, and re-enter postsecondary study, transfer between institutions, and complete programs at all levels of institutions. The combination of transcripts and other data collected through surveys, file matching, and record abstraction, allows for analyses of the undergraduate and graduate paths taken by sample members and for analyses of the important link between academic performance and outcomes over time.

The data collected through the studies on this website appear in a wide array of publications and reports, and are cited in journal and newspaper articles and in foundation policy briefs. They are also widely used for decision making. For example, NPSAS is the primary source of data used by federal government agencies and higher education associations to analyze the effectiveness of current federal student financial aid programs, and by the U.S. Department of Education, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the American Council on Education (ACE), the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), and many others to prepare the reports that influence the direction of federal student aid policies.

The data collected through the studies on this website are used by researchers, policymakers, and administrators to analyze and nationally benchmark information about current postsecondary students; to analyze local and national trends over time; and to inform decisions at the institutional, state, and national levels. Participation of each sampled institution assures that the data thus used accurately represent students attending all different types of postsecondary institutions in the United States.

Do we need to have the student's permission before providing this information?

No. Student or parental consent is not required for release of student record information for the purposes of these studies. The data request conforms fully to the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) (34 CFR Part 99). Under FERPA’s general consent rule, NCES is authorized to obtain student level data from institutions for any study-eligible student, without prior consent, if the disclosure is to authorized representatives of the Secretary of Education [34 CFR §§ 99.31(a)(3) and 99.35]. Student data are subject to strict protections that are adhered to by NCES and its contractor organizations. You can review this regulation on the U.S. Department of Education's website at http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/reg/ferpa.

FERPA regulations also stipulate that all disclosures be reported in the student record, with an indication of who received the information and their legitimate interests in the information. For schools without electronic student record systems, a Disclosure Notice may be printed after log in from the Reference Materials page. These notices fulfill the requirements of 34 CFR 99.32(a) pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. §1232g). Electronic student record systems will require the insertion of a similar statement.

Are the collected data kept secure and confidential?

Both NCES and RTI International follow strict procedures to protect study participants’ information. For more information on confidentiality and data security see https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/Portal/Home/Confidentiality.

How do we provide the data?

The data are submitted by upload or keying as well as other methods. After logging in, you will see a list of what is needed on the Postsecondary Data Portal Task Menu. You can click on any active menu option.

What assistance is available from RTI staff?

The Help Desk at RTI International is available to answer your questions about the studies and using this website. Please call 1-855-500-1441 or e-mail [EMAIL ADDRESS] with your concerns. Help Desk staff are available from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern time, Monday - Friday.

PDP Website Content – After Login

This section includes content of the Postsecondary Data Portal (PDP) that is available to users after logging in to the website. The post-login webpages are customized based on the study or studies for which the institution has been sampled.

- The Task Menu and Designate a Coordinator pages are used for all studies that collect data through the PDP.

- The remaining pages in this section are specific to the NPSAS:18-AC enrollment list and student records collection.

The content of these pages is included below, and was based on the materials developed and approved for NPSAS:16 (OMB #1850-0666).

Task Menu

The Task Menu displays a checklist of items that the institution completes to provide data. The specific items that appear on the Task Menu are customized for each study. The Task Menu below shows an example for an institution that has been selected for both NPSAS:18-AC and the BPS:12 postsecondary transcripts collection. For an institution selected for NPSAS:18-AC only, the transcript collection items will not appear on the Task Menu.

POSTSECONDARY DATA PORTAL TASK MENU

Welcome, it’s time to complete the tasks below.

Your participation in studies developed by the National Center for Education Statistics is very important.

The data collected from your institution will provide much-needed information on the academic experiences of today's postsecondary students as they begin, leave, and reenter postsecondary education, transfer between institutions, and complete programs at all types of institutions.

Please complete the tasks indicated by a green arrow.

Designate a Coordinator
Complete the Institution Registration Page
Review Sampled Student List

Student Records

Provide Institution Information for Student Records
Provide Student Record Information

Transcripts

Provide Transcript Legend Information
Provide Transcript Data
Upload Course Catalogs

Designate a Coordinator page

Please fill in or verify the information below. The coordinator is your institution's primary contact for NCES sample studies institution data collections. He or she will receive all further communication about study procedures and deadlines.

Please note that we need a 'FedEx-friendly' address - no PO Box addresses, please!

Coordinator

Salutation
Name
Title
Institution
Address
Telephone
Fax
Email

Institution Registration Page (IRP)

Our records indicate that the name of your institution is <name>. Is that correct?

Yes/No. If no, Please enter the correct name of your institution:

Will your Student Enrollment List include students enrolled at more than one campus or location for your institution? Yes/No
Does your institution offer continuous enrollment for your students, rather than terms with explicit start and end dates? Yes/No.

If no, please specify the start and end dates for the term, enrollment, or payment period that includes the date of April 30, 2018. If your institution has multiple terms (including short sessions of over a month) that include the date of April 30, 2018, please enter the period with the latest starting date.

Start Date:

End Date:

When will you be able to provide a list of all students enrolled at any time between July 1, 2017, and April 30, 2018?

Response option 1. (If 3 = yes:) Within 2 weeks of the start of the term that includes the date April 30, 2018. (If 3 = no:) Within 2 weeks of <Item3StartDate>.

Response option 2. We have continuous enrollment and will send the list by May 14, 2018. Note: Because you have continuous enrollment, we would like you to include all students enrolled at the time instead of stopping at April 30th.

Response option 3. Please have a project staff member call us to establish a date.

Below item 4, there is a call-out text box with a list of important student enrollment list data elements to give the institution staff an overview of what will be requested on the list.

The Student Enrollment List will include the following information pertaining to each student:

Name and date of birth

Address, phone number, and email address

Degree level

Academic class

Major or CIP code

High school graduation date and date of first enrollment

ID and Social Security Number

Veteran status

Total number of credits accumulated

Race/ethnicity and Sex

What student records software system does your institution use (e.g., Banner, Peoplesoft)?

Will there be a software transition this academic year (e.g., to another type of software or beginning to use a software system for the first time)?

Yes/No. If yes, <text field>.

Are there major obstacles to participation this academic year (e.g., accreditation, merging with another institution, closing/teaching out, etc.)?

Yes/No. If yes, what are they? <text field>

Are there specific months that are better times for your institution to provide data to NCES?

Yes/No. If yes, what are the months and why? <text field>

Are there specific months that are worse times for your institution to provide data to NCES?

Yes/No. If yes, what are the months and why? <text field>

Institution Registration Page- version for systems of institutions

Some institutions may prefer to provide data via a central contact person for several campuses/schools in the NPSAS study. These institutions require a tailored version of the items, shown below.

Do your institutions selected for this study all have the same term structure, with the same start and end dates and/or are all institutions on the same schedule?

Some institutions have different schedules/All institutions are on the same schedule.

Do (any of) your institutions offer continuous enrollment for their students, rather than terms with explicit start and end dates?

All/Some/None

Please specify the start and end dates for the last term, enrollment, or payment period at your institutions/any of your institutions that includes the date of April 30, 2018. If there are multiple terms (including short sessions of over a month) that include the date of April 30, 2018, please enter the period with the latest starting date.

Start Date:

End Date:

When will you be able to provide a list of all students enrolled at any time between July 1, 2017, and April 30, 2018?

Response option 1.

(If 2 = missing:) Within 2 weeks of the start of the term that includes the date April 30, 2018.

(If 2 = none:) Within 2 weeks of <Item3StartDate>.

(If 2 = all or some:) We have continuous enrollment and will send the list by May 14, 2018. Note: Because you have continuous enrollment, we would like you to include all students enrolled at the time instead of stopping at April 30th.

Response option 2. Please have a project staff member call us to establish a date.

Below item 4, there is a call-out text box with a list of important student enrollment list data elements to give the institution staff an overview of what will be requested on the list.

The Student Enrollment List will include the following information pertaining to each student:

Name and date of birth

Address, phone number, and email address

Degree level

Academic class

Major or CIP code

High school graduation date and date of first enrollment

ID and Social Security Number

Veteran status

Total number of credits accumulated

Race/ethnicity and Sex

What student records software systems do your sampled institutions use (e.g., Banner, Peoplesoft)?

Will there be a software transition this academic year (e.g., to another type of software or beginning to use a software system for the first time)?

Yes/No. If yes, <text field>.

Are there major obstacles to participation this academic year (e.g., accreditation, merging with other institutions, closing/teaching out, etc.)?

Yes/No. If yes, what are they? <text field>

Are there specific months that are better times for you to provide institutional data to NCES?

Yes/No. If yes, what are the months and why? <text field>

Are there specific months that are worse times for you to provide institutional data to NCES?

Yes/No. If yes, what are the months and why? <text field>

(Once you click Submit)

THANK YOU

Thank you. The requested information for your institution has been submitted.

What happens next?

RTI will contact you with a deadline by which to provide the list of enrolled students. After RTI receives your student list, a random sample of students from the list will be selected for participation in NPSAS:18-AC. You will then be asked to provide specific enrollment and financial aid data from those sampled students’ records. A web-based application has been developed to assist you in completing the student record collection and securely providing the data to RTI. The online application will be available on the study website once your sample has been selected.

NCES is required to follow strict procedures to protect the confidentiality of persons in the collection, reporting, and publication of data. All of the information you provide may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151).

Enrollment list page

Provide Your Student Enrollment List

1. Follow these instructions to prepare your student enrollment list.

2. Check your list for errors

Please take the time to review your list for errors, including the following common errors:

Is the contact information provided associated with the correct name (i.e., make sure that the rows did not shift)?
Is degree program provided for all students?
Did you include students from all campuses/schools (e.g., law school, medical school) reported under your IPEDS UNITID?
Did you exclude students concurrently enrolled in high school or a high school completion program?

3. Provide information about your list

Date your list of students was prepared:

Contact information for staff who prepared the list:

Name

Department

E-mail Address

Telephone number

In the space below, provide any details that will clarify the layout of the enrollment list you are submitting, as well as any information necessary to correctly interpret the data provided. Define any special codes or abbreviations (e.g., major codes, class levels).

Comments:

Exclusion counts

In each of the categories shown below, approximately how many students have been excluded from your institution's enrollment list?

Count of Students Reason

_____ Did not meet the NPSAS eligibility requirements

_____ Student requested that their information not be provided to external parties

_____ Excluded for any other reason

_____ Total

4. Upload Student Enrollment List

Press the Upload File button to locate the file that contains your student list.

*(Files must be of type: .txt, .csv, .xls, .xlsx, .doc or .zip. Please zip your file if it is larger than 3MB.)

(Upload File)

FAQs – Specific to NPSAS

NPSAS FAQs

This section contains answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). Because institutions have multiple tasks to complete in response to this data collection, the following sets of questions provide both general and specific guidelines for an institution’s staff to review.

You can access general FAQs about this website here.

Background and Purpose of NPSAS

Why are institutions contacted before NPSAS data are needed?

Providing institutions with the basic information needed to start planning ahead of the earliest deadline for student enrollment lists provides additional time to develop an action plan to address each of the data collection steps.

What is this study all about?

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, is authorized by federal law to collect, analyze, and publish statistics and other data related to education in the United States and other nations (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543 and HEOA 2008, 20 U.S.C. §1015). NPSAS is designed to describe how students meet the cost of education beyond high school. Data are obtained from student records. NPSAS will collect information on students' demographics, enrollment, employment, education and living expenses, and (if any) the type of financial assistance received by students (grants, scholarships, loans, awards, and stipends). NPSAS includes students from all types of postsecondary schools—private-for-profit institutions, public and private nonprofit 2- and 4-year colleges and universities, and less-than-2-year institutions in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

How was my institution selected?

Your institution was scientifically sampled from all Title IV institutions. To be eligible for inclusion in the institution sample, an institution must have satisfied the following conditions: (1) offered an education program designed for persons who have completed secondary education; (2) offered an academic, occupational, or vocational program of study lasting at least 3 months or 300 clock hours; (3) offered access to the general public, except for U.S. service academies; and (4) been located in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico.

What is the purpose of this study?

The quality and affordability of postsecondary education are vital concerns for students and their families. That is why the information gathered by NPSAS is so important. The study explores how students pay for education after high school, and provides comprehensive data on the enrollment status, education goals, employment, and demographic characteristics of postsecondary students. The current NPSAS is different from previous ones. For the first time, in addition to federal financial aid estimates, NPSAS:18-AC will be collecting data to generate state-level financial aid estimates to inform states’ policy and planning. Also, there is no student survey.

What is the role of the coordinator?

The coordinator's role is to serve as a liaison between the institution and the NCES data collection contractor, RTI International, for this study, assisting with all data collection efforts for NPSAS. The coordinator may need to collaborate with staff in other units within the institution to obtain the requested information.

What are the steps involved with data collection?

NPSAS data collection comprises the following steps:

The institution’s chief administrator names a coordinator.
The coordinator completes the Institution Registration Page on the website.
The coordinator provides a list of enrolled students.
A sample of students is selected from the provided list.
The coordinator provides student records data for the sampled students.

How much time will NPSAS take to complete?

The total time required to complete all the tasks for this study is estimated to average about 25 hours per institution. This estimate includes the time expected to complete the Institution Registration Page (5 minutes), prepare the student enrollment list (2.8 hours), and provide the student record data (22 hours). If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate, suggestions for improving the collections, or any comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of these data, please write to: Postsecondary Data Portal studies, National Center for Education Statistics, PCP, 550 12th St., SW, 4th floor, Washington, DC 20202

Creating the Student Enrollment List

How will the sample at my institution be selected?

The list that you provide to the NCES data collection contractor, RTI International, will be used to select an independent random sample of undergraduates and master's, doctoral, and other graduate students, where appropriate.

How long will it take to create the student enrollment list?

The time required to create the list of enrolled students is estimated to average 2.8 hours. This includes time for reviewing list preparation instructions and preparing the student enrollment list.

What do I need to do?

First, complete the Institution Registration Page, which requests specific information about the term/enrollment periods at your institution for the 2017-18 academic year.

Next, create and upload a data file listing all students enrolled at your institution at any time between July 1, 2017, and April 30, 2018. Please review the Student Enrollment List Preparation Instructions for more information.

Refer to the Student Enrollment List Preparation Instructions for more information on the transmittal options and to determine what additional information is needed when uploading or e-mailing your list of enrolled students.

Why do you need students' home addresses and telephone numbers?

The contact information is not currently needed for this round of NPSAS, but may be needed in the future if the U.S. Department of Education later decides to do a follow up study with some or all of the sampled students.

This information is protected by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA). All of the information provided by individuals or institutions may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151).

If release of this information requires a special review process at your institution, please contact the Help Desk at 1-855-500-1441 or send e-mail to [EMAIL ADDRESS]. We will supply information about the study and the laws protecting the confidentiality of the data collected to all those involved in the process, and we will work with you to expedite the return of the other data items requested on the list of enrolled students.

When do you need the list of enrolled students?

Enrollment lists will be collected beginning in April 2018. We will send a packet to the assigned coordinator at each institution that will include a due date for the enrollment list along with information on how to access instructions for preparing and transmitting the list. The specific due date for each institution is based on its term structure and is determined after the Institution Registration Page is completed.

Please contact RTI at 1-855-500-1441 or contact us via e-mail at [EMAIL ADDRESS] if you have any questions or concerns about submitting your student enrollment list.

My institution uses different student degree program classifications than you request, so how should I provide degree program?

If possible, please categorize the students using the student degree program categories that we request. However, if this is not possible, then please classify the students as your institution's records indicate and provide us with the definitions of these classifications in an e-mail to [EMAIL ADDRESS].

What should I do if I cannot provide students’ first names, middle initials, last names, and name suffixes as four separate fields?

When uploading your file on the website, simply let us know how your file is constructed by providing comments in the text box located on the upload page or send an e-mail to [EMAIL ADDRESS].

Why do I need to provide Social Security numbers (SSNs) in addition to student ID numbers?

We will use the SSNs of the sample students to match against the U.S. Department of Education's Central Processing System (CPS) database, which contains information from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For those sample students who applied for federal financial aid, we will use data available from the CPS to reduce the amount of data that institutions will need to provide during student records collection.

The release of this information to NCES without explicit consent is permissible under the Family Educational Rights Privacy Act (FERPA). FERPA explicitly states that an educational institution may disclose personally identifiable information from an education record of a student without prior consent if the disclosure is to authorized representatives of the Secretary of Education (20 U.S.C. §1232g[b][3]), which RTI International is as contractor for NCES. A definition of personally identifiable information can be found in 34 CFR 99.3. Personal identifiers, such as Social Security numbers and student numbers, are included in the definition. You can review this legislation on the U.S. Department of Education’s website at http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/reg/ferpa. For more information on confidentiality and data security see https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/Portal/Home/Confidentiality.

What if my institution does not have student ID numbers separate from SSNs?

If your institution does not have separate student ID numbers, then either leave the student ID field blank or put SSN in the student ID field.

What will happen to the student list file after you select the sample?

The U. S. Department of Education has strict requirements to protect personally identifiable information (PII). This data will be stored securely on an Enhanced Security Network, which is certified and accredited as a NIST moderate security level network. The Department of Education and RTI International employ strict procedures for protecting the confidentiality of PII and other sensitive information in all phases of the project. Particular emphasis is placed on guidelines for the transfer of PII; maintenance, storage, and use of direct identifiers; replacement of direct identifiers with internal codes; security of master survey files; and reporting of data security breaches in accord with the U.S. Department of Education Incident Handling Procedures. For more information on NIST security level, please see FIPS Publication 199 at http://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/FIPS/NIST.FIPS.199.pdf. For more information on confidentiality and data security see https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/Portal/Home/Confidentiality.

Student Enrollment List: which students to include

Whom should I include on my student list? Which students at my institution are eligible for NPSAS?

Your enrollment list should include students from all campuses/schools (e.g., law school, medical school) reported under your IPEDS UNITID. Include students enrolled between July 1, 2017, and April 30, 2018 if they meet all of the following eligibility requirements (this text links to the Student Enrollment List Preparation Instructions).

Whom should I exclude from my student list? Which students at my institution are ineligible for NPSAS?

Please exclude all students who were not enrolled at your institution between July 1, 2017, and April 30, 2018, or who meet at least one of the following criteria:

The student was not eligible for Title IV financial aid.
The student was enrolled concurrently in high school and your institution during this entire period.
The student was enrolled in your institution during this entire period solely for the purpose of earning a general educational development (GED®) credential or finishing another high school completion program.
The student was enrolled in your institution during this period but not receiving credit.
The student dropped out of your institution early enough to receive a full tuition refund.
The student paid tuition solely to a different institution during this period.

Should I include students at branch or extension campuses on the list?

The answer to this question depends on how the branch or extension campus is listed in the U.S. Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). If the branch or extension campus reports to IPEDS through the same IPEDS UNITID as the institution to which we have sent the NPSAS packet (our sampled institution), then include students from the branch or extension campus on the student enrollment list. If the branch or extension campus reports to IPEDS through a different IPEDS UNITID, then do not include the students from the branch or extension campus on the student list.

If you have questions about whether the students enrolled at a particular site should be listed, please call the Help Desk at 1-855-500-1441 or send e-mail to [EMAIL ADDRESS].

Should I include students enrolled through another registrar's office (e.g., law, dental, medical, or veterinary school) on the list of enrolled students?

If the other registrar's office reports to the U.S. Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) through the same IPEDS UNITID as the institution to which we have sent the NPSAS packet (our sampled institution), then students registered by this office should be included. If the other registrar's office reports using a separate IPEDS UNITID, then students registered by this office should not be included.

If you have questions about whether the students enrolled at a particular school should be listed, please call the Help Desk at 1-855-500-1441 or send e-mail to [EMAIL ADDRESS].

Because this is a financial aid study, should I include on the list of enrolled students those who did not apply for or did not receive financial aid?

Yes, NPSAS includes aided as well as non-aided students.

If all students enrolled between July 1, 2017, and April 30, 2018 are eligible, does it matter when the terms began or ended?

No. If a student was enrolled in a term that began prior to July 1, 2017, then the student is eligible as long as he or she was still enrolled on July 1, 2017. Similarly, a student who was enrolled on April 30, 2018, is eligible even if the term continues past that date.

Should I include students who enrolled but later withdrew without completing any courses?

Include all eligible students who enrolled and paid their tuition and fees unless they withdrew early enough to receive a full refund of their tuition and fees. Please refer to the eligibility criteria (this text links to the Student Enrollment List Preparation Instructions).

Should I include students taking courses on this campus when this is not the students' home institution?

No, do not include students on your enrollment list who pay their tuition solely to another institution. We consider students to be enrolled at the institution to which they pay their tuition.

Should I include on the enrollment list nonmatriculated students, students in nondegree programs, part-time students, postbaccalaureate students, students taking correspondence courses, distance education students, foreign exchange students, continuing education students, extension division students, etc.?

Yes, include these students on the list if they otherwise satisfy the student eligibility requirements. Note that even students not enrolled in a formal degree program are eligible for the study. For example, someone who is taking a credit-bearing computer programming course to enhance his or her job skills would be considered eligible and should be included on the enrollment list.

Should I include graduate students on the list of enrolled students if they were enrolled in a graduate program but were only auditing courses (e.g., because they did not need any more credits for graduation)?

Yes, students enrolled in academic programs are eligible for this study, even if they are not currently enrolled for credit.

Should I include international students on the student enrollment list?

Yes. International students should be included on the student enrollment list as long as they meet the other eligibility criteria (this text links to the Student Enrollment List Preparation Instructions).

FAQs – Student Records (SR) Collection

Where do I go for the information requested?

The information needed for each of the sampled students is typically collected from three distinct sources at your institution: the Admissions or Registrar’s Office, the Bursar’s or Business Office, and the Financial Aid Office. If you require assistance after reviewing the Quick Guide to Providing Student Records Data, please contact the Help Desk with your questions at 1-855-500-1441 toll free, or via e-mail at [EMAIL ADDRESS].

How long does it take to collect student records data for NPSAS:18-AC?

Our estimates indicate that providing the requested student records data will take about 22 hours on average. If you have any concerns about the amount of time it is taking you to provide the requested data, please call the Help Desk at 1-855-500-1441, toll-free. RTI will work with you to successfully complete this data collection effort.

How do we provide the data?

There are three methods available for providing the student records data through the PDP website: keying data into the system, filling in and then uploading an Excel template, or uploading data files created by you or an institution programmer.

What assistance is available from the NCES contractor, RTI International, staff?

NPSAS Reference Materials

NPSAS:18-AC Brochure
Endorsements (provided in Appendix B of this submission)
Confidentiality and Data Security Fact Sheet
Chief Administrator letter
Coordinator welcome letter
Overview of NPSAS activities (included under “NPSAS:18-AC Study Overview and Timeline” on page D-9 above)
Coordinator enrollment list request letter
Student Enrollment List Preparation Instructions
Disclosure Notice
Student records item overview handout
Student records Excel template codebook (provided in Appendix E of this submission on pages E-44 to E-52)

Reference Materials

This section includes content that appears in the “Reference Materials” section of the Postsecondary Data Portal (PDP).

Confidentiality and Data Security Fact Sheet

FACT SHEET: CONFIDENTIALITY LAWS

and

THE 2017-18 NATIONAL POSTSECONDARY STUDENT AID STUDY, ADMINSTRATIVE COLLECTION

Your institution has been selected to participate in the 2017-18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC). NPSAS is designed to provide information on how students and their families meet the cost of education beyond high school. Lists of students provided by institutions will be used to select a sample of students who will be asked to complete a questionnaire online.

Data Collected for NPSAS

The information collected about students includes demographic information used for sampling (such as degree program); contact information; and personal identifiers (such as Social Security numbers and student IDs), which are used to unduplicate lists of students and to match students against federal financial aid records. The security of this information is, of course, of paramount importance to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and its contractors, as well as to participating institutions and respondents. It is important for each institution sampled to be fully aware of the federal laws that both authorize the release of student information, and protect the confidentiality of record data and survey responses.

Data Collected for NPSAS is Authorized by Congress

The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543) and the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA 2008, 20 U.S.C. §1015) authorize NCES to collect, acquire, compile, and disseminate full and complete statistics on the condition and progress of education, including postsecondary education. The provisions of ESRA can be found at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/policy/rschstat/leg/edpicks.jhtml?src=ln.

Federal Law Protects the Confidentiality of Data Collected for NPSAS

Both NCES and its contractor for NPSAS:18-AC, RTI International, follow strict procedures to protect the privacy and confidentiality of study participants. All RTI project staff members have signed confidentiality agreements and affidavits of nondisclosure. Any data are released to the public in aggregate form (e.g., statistical tables, graphs). All of the information provided by individuals and institutions may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151). For more information on confidentiality and data security see https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/Portal/Home/Confidentiality.

Federal Law Authorizes Release of Personally Identifiable Information to NCES and Its Agents

NPSAS:18-AC seeks both directory and personally identifiable information on students from institutions. The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9543) and the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA 2008, 20 U.S.C. §1015) authorize NCES and its current contractors (RTI International for NPSAS:18-AC) to gather information from students on pivotal areas of national concern.

The data request for NPSAS fully conforms to the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) [20 U.S.C. §1232g; 34 CFR Part 99]. FERPA is designed to protect the privacy rights of students and their families by providing consistent standards for the release of personally identifiable student and family information. NCES and its data collection agent for NPSAS:18-AC, RTI International, are explicitly authorized under an exception to FERPA’s general consent rule (in which the right to consent is held by the student, regardless of age) to obtain student-level data from institutions. This exception provides for the collection of data on any eligible student, without prior consent, if the disclosure is to authorized representatives of the Secretary of Education [34 CFR §§ 99.31(a)(3) and 99.35]. Student data are subject to strict protections that are adhered to by NCES and its contractor organizations. You can review this regulation on the U.S. Department of Education's website at http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/reg/ferpa. For questions regarding the applicability of FERPA to this study, school officials may contact the Family Policy Compliance Office (FPCO) at this e-mail address: [email protected].

Data Collected Are Stored Securely

Both NCES and RTI International follow strict procedures to protect study participants’ information. These procedures include obtaining signed confidentiality agreements from all personnel who will have access to individual identifiers, personnel training regarding the meaning of confidentiality, and controlled access to computer files.

All electronic data from institution records and students are carefully protected. Computer accounts used to access electronic data are password protected. Only project staff members with clearance from the study database manager are able to log on to these accounts. Personally identifying variables (e.g., name, address, and phone numbers) are kept separate from data variables such as educational experience or financial aid.

All hard-copy records are maintained in locked storage cabinets. A unique study identification variable (not the Social Security number or student ID) are created and maintained for each sampled student to protect against inadvertent disclosure of confidential data. Any data released to the general public (for example, statistical tables) are tailored so that it is not possible to identify specific individuals or institutions.

These confidentiality and data security protection procedures have been put in place to ensure that RTI International and its subcontractors comply with all privacy requirements, including:

1. The statement of work of each contract;

2. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 (20 U.S.C. §1232(g));

3. Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. §552a);

4. Privacy Act Regulations (34 CFR Part 5b);

5. Computer Security Act of 1987;

6. U.S.A. Patriot Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-56);

7. Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA 2002, 20 U.S.C. §9573);

8. Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002;

9. E-Government Act of 2002, Title V, Subtitle A;

10. Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015 (6 U.S.C. §151);

11. The U.S. Department of Education General Handbook for Information Technology Security General Support Systems and Major Applications Inventory Procedures (March 2005);

12. The U.S. Department of Education Incident Handling Procedures (February 2009);

13. The U.S. Department of Education, ACS Directive OM: 5-101, Contractor Employee Personnel Security Screenings;

14. NCES Statistical Standards; and

15. All new legislation that impacts the data collected through the contract for this study.

The data collection contractor, RTI International, complies with the U.S. Department of Education’s IT security policy requirements as set forth in the Handbook for Information Assurance Security Policy and related procedures and guidance, as well as IT security requirements in the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) publications, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards and guidance. All data products and publications will also adhere to the NCES Statistical Standards, as described at the website: http://nces.ed.gov/statprog/2012/.

Student Enrollment List Preparation Instructions

2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection

Student Enrollment List Preparation Instructions

We realize that postsecondary institutions vary widely in their organizational structures and that some of the criteria presented below may not apply to your institution. Should you have any questions about these instructions, or whether students should be included on the list, we urge you to contact the NPSAS Help Desk:

Phone: 1-855-500-1441
E-mail: [EMAIL ADDRESS]

Step 1: Determine Which Students to Include

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Include all students enrolled at your institution at any time between

July 1, 2017 and April 30, 2018

Your enrollment list should include students from all campuses, colleges, and schools, including graduate schools, reported under your IPEDS UNITID. Include students enrolled at any time between July 1, 2017, and April 30, 2018.

NPSAS Study Eligibility Requirements

Only include students on the list if they meet all the eligibility requirements listed below.

The student must have been enrolled in at least one term or course of instruction that is one of the following:

an academic program; or
a course for credit that could be applied toward fulfilling the requirements for an academic degree; or
an occupational or vocational program that requires at least 3 months or 300 clock hours of instruction to receive a degree, certificate, or other formal award; or
noncredit remedial coursework within a Title IV eligible program (up to 30 semester or trimester hours, 45 quarter hours, or 900 clock hours). Students who are enrolled solely in a remedial program are not eligible.

The student was not enrolled concurrently in high school and your institution for the entire time he or she was enrolled at your institution. If the student completes high school and continues to be enrolled in a postsecondary course at your institution any time during the period specified in Step 1, the student is eligible.
The student was not enrolled in your institution during this entire period solely for the purpose of earning a general educational development (GED) credential or finishing another high school completion program. If the student completes such a program at your institution and then enrolls in another course of instruction there at any time during the above dates, the student is eligible.
The student did not drop out of your institution early enough to receive a full refund of their tuition.
The student did not pay tuition during these dates solely to a different institution.

Step 2: Prepare Student Enrollment List

Accepted File Types

You may choose to submit your Student Enrollment List as a comma-separated values (CSV) file or as an Excel spreadsheet. If you use another file type or layout, or codes other than those in table 1, please provide us with a layout of your list and a detailed description of the codes.

Please provide the information listed in the file layout, shown in table 1 below, for each eligible student. You may enter a blank space for missing values.

Table 1. File Layout for NPSAS Student Enrollment List

Student data element	Code	Max field length
IPEDS UNITID		6
First name		100
Middle initial		50
Last name		100
Name suffix (e.g., Jr., Sr., III, etc.)		50
Student ID		25
Social Security Number (SSN)		9
Date of birth month (MM)		2
Date of birth day (DD)		2
Date of birth year (YYYY)		4
Degree program	1=Enrolled in undergraduate courses, not in a degree program 2=Undergraduate certificate or diploma (occupational or technical program) 3=Associate's degree 4=Bachelor's degree 5=Enrolled in graduate courses, not in a degree program 6=Post-baccalaureate certificate program 7=Dual bachelor's/master's degree 8=Master's degree program 9=Post-master's certificate 10=Doctoral degree - research/scholarship 11=Doctoral degree - professional practice 12=Doctoral degree – other -1=Unknown	2

Student data element	Code	Max field length
Class level	1=1st Year/Freshman 2=Sophomore 3=Junior 4=Senior 5=5th Year or higher undergraduate 6=Undergraduate (unclassified) 7=Student with bachelor's or advanced degree taking undergraduate courses 8=1st year graduate 9=Beyond 1st year graduate 10=Graduate (unclassified) -1=Unknown	2
High school completion date month (MM)		2
High school completion date day (DD)		2
High school completion date year (YYYY)		4
Student was enrolled in high school (or a high school completion program) during 2017-18	1 = Student is or was enrolled in high school between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018 0 = Student was not enrolled in high school between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018 -1 = Unknown	2
Date of first enrollment month (MM)		2
Date of first enrollment day (DD)		2
Date of first enrollment year (YYYY)		4
Student’s first major¹		30
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code for student’s first major²	Format = NNNNNN (no decimal)	6
Student’s second major		30
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code for student’s second major	Format = NNNNNN	7
Local address 1		100
Local address 2		100
Local city		100
Local state		2
Local ZIP code		9
Local phone number – area code		3
Local phone number – without area code		7
Cell phone number – area code		3
Cell phone number – without area code		7

Student data element	Code	Max field length
Campus e-mail		100
Permanent address 1		100
Permanent address 2		100
Permanent city		100
Permanent state		2
Permanent country (if not U.S.)		50
Permanent ZIP code		25
Permanent phone number – country code (if not U.S.)		4
Permanent phone number – area code		5
Permanent phone number – without area code		25
Permanent e-mail		100
Veteran status	1 = U.S. military veteran 0 = Not a U.S. military veteran -1 = Unknown	2
Ethnicity	0 = Not Hispanic or Latino 1 = Hispanic or Latino -1 = Unknown	2
Race: White	1 = Yes 0 = No	1
Race: Black or African American	1 = Yes 0 = No	1
Race: Asian	1 = Yes 0 = No	1
Race: American Indian or Alaska Native	1 = Yes 0 = No	1
Race: Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander	1 = Yes 0 = No	1
Sex	0 = Male 1 = Female	1

¹Please provide an explanation of any abbreviations or codes used for major.

²The Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) provides a taxonomic scheme that supports the accurate tracking and reporting of fields of study and program completions. For more information about the Classification of Instructional Programs, see http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/.

Step 3: Check for Errors

Please take the time to review your list for errors, including the following common errors:

Contact information is not associated with the correct name because rows shifted during sorting or keying.
Degree program (Field 11) is not provided for all students.
Eligible students are omitted from the list because they attend campus/school other than the main campus (e.g., law school, medical school). These students should be included if they are reported under your IPEDS UNITID.
All students are omitted from the list who are concurrently enrolled in high school or a high school completion program. Students should be included if they complete high school or a high school completion program and continue to be enrolled in a postsecondary course at your institution any time during the period between July 1, 2017, and April 30, 2018.

Step 4: Provide Preparer’s Contact Information

When you submit your Student Enrollment List on the secure Postsecondary Data Portal (https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal), we ask that you provide the following information. (It will expedite the process if you have this information on hand when you log in to submit your list).

1. Date the list was prepared: Please record the date your student list was prepared, even if it is not the same as the date you submit the list.

2. Contact information: Please provide the name, department, e-mail address, and phone number for all individuals responsible for preparing your Student Enrollment List. We will contact them only if we have questions.

3. Comments: Provide any details that will clarify the layout of the enrollment list you are submitting, as well as any information necessary to correctly interpret the data provided. Define any special codes or abbreviations (e.g., major codes, class levels).

4. Exclusion counts: Provide counts of the students that were excluded from your Student Enrollment List by these categories: student did not meet the NPSAS eligibility requirements, student requested that their information not be provided to external parties, or student was excluded for any other reason.

Step 5: Submit Enrollment List

Upload to the NCES Postsecondary Data Portal Website

Please upload your completed list to the secure NCES Postsecondary Data Portal website (https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal). Uploading is the most secure and most efficient method for submitting your list.

After logging in, click “Provide Your Student Enrollment List,” and follow the on-screen instructions. You will be asked to provide your Student Enrollment List as well as the information you gathered in Step 4.

If you are unable to upload your list, please contact us to make other arrangements.

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For assistance, please contact the NPSAS Help Desk at

1-855-500-1441 or [EMAIL ADDRESS].

Disclosure Notice

Information from student records for this individual has been provided to RTI International, a data collection agent for the 2017-18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC), conducted by the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education. This disclosure statement fulfills the requirement of 34 CFR 99.32(a) pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. 1232g).

Strict protection of all information obtained for NPSAS:18-AC is assured by current federal laws and regulations. All of the information provided may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be disclosed, or used, in identifiable form for any other purpose except as required by law (20 U.S.C. §9573 and 6 U.S.C. §151).

March 2018

NPSAS:18-AC OMB # 1850-0666; Expiration Date: (insert date)

Student Records Item Overview Handout

Overview of Student Records Items
General Student Information
Single items (Collected once per student)
Personal Information		Local Contact Information
Institute ID (IPEDS ID)		Address Line 1
Study ID		Address Line 2
First Name		City
Middle Name		State
Last Name		ZIP
Suffix		Phone
Social Security Number (SSN)		Phone 1
Date of Birth		Phone 1 Type
Sex		Phone 2
Marital Status and Spouse Information		Phone 2 Type
Marital Status		Email
Maiden Name		Campus Email Address
Spouse First Name		Personal Email Address
Spouse Middle Name		Parent Contact Information
Spouse Last Name		Parent's Name
Citizenship Status		Parent's Address
Citizenship Status		Parent's Email Address
Veteran Status		Parent's Phone
Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces?		Parent's Cell Phone
High School Information		Parent's International Phone
High School Completion Type		Other Contact Information
High School Completion Year		Other Contact's Name
Ethnicity and Race (for race, choose one or more)		Relationship of other contact to student
Ethnicity		Other Contact's Address
Race: White		Other Contact's Email Address
Race: Black or African American		Other Contact's Phone
Race: Asian		Other Contact's Cell Phone
Race: American Indian or Alaska Native		Additional Contact Information
Race: Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander		Additional Contact's Name
Permanent Contact Information		Additional Contact's Phone
Permanent Address		Relationship of additional contact to student
Is the student a permanent resident of [the state in which your institution is located]?


Enrollment
Initial Enrollment		Test Scores
First Enrolled at Institution Date		ACT English Score
Last Enrolled at Institution Date		ACT Mathematics Score
First-time Beginning Student?		ACT Reading Score
Accepted Transfer Credit?		ACT Science Score
Remedial Courses Taken?		ACT Composite Score
Baccalaureate Degree		SAT Critical Reading Score
Ever Received Baccalaureate Degree?		SAT Mathematics Score
Baccalaureate Received Date		SAT Writing Score

Degree Program and Progress		Clock Hours
Program/Degree		Total Number of Clock Hours in Program
Graduate Degree Type		Cumulative Clock Hours Completed
Class Level		Credit Hours
Degree Completed Date		Total Number of Credit Hours in Program
Expected to Complete Degree Requirements by 6/30/17?		Cumulative Credit Hours Completed
Cumulative (Unweighted) GPA		Tuition Charged
Major		Total Tuition and Mandatory Fees CHARGED
First Major		Residency for Tuition Purposes
First Major CIP Code		Enrollment by Term
Second Major		Enrollment Status (for up to 12 terms)
Second Major CIP Code		Credit Units (for up to 12 terms)
Major Undeclared?

Budget
Budget Period		Transportation
Student Residence		Computer/Technology
Tuition/Fees		Health Insurance
Room and Board		All Other
Books/Supplies		Budgeted Total Cost of Attendance

Financial Aid
Satisfactory Academic Progress		Private Aid or Other Government Aid (up to 3 awards)
Placed on Financial Aid Warning		Student had private aid or other government aid for the financial aid year?
Placed on Financial Aid Probation		Private Aid or Other Government Aid Type
Financial Aid Ineligibility		Private Aid or Other Government Aid Amount
Federal Aid		Other Aid (up to 3 awards)
Student had federal aid for the financial aid year?		Student had other aid for the financial aid year?
Pell Grant		Other Aid Name
Subsidized Direct/Stafford Loan		Other Aid Type
Unsubsidized Direct/Stafford Loan		Other Aid Source
Parent PLUS Loan		Other Aid Amount
Graduate PLUS Loan
Federal TEACH Grant
Perkins Loan
Federal SEOG Grant
Federal Work Study AWARDED
Iraq & Afghanistan Service Grant
Veterans Benefit
State Aid (up to 3 awards)
Student had state aid for the financial aid year?
State Program Name
State Program Type
State Program Amount
Institution Aid (up to 3 awards)
Student had institution aid for the financial aid year?
Institution Program Name
Institution Program Type
Institution Program Amount

Postsecondary Data Portal Flyer

This informational flyer is handed out to any institution staff at conferences and similar venues. Its distribution is not limited to sample members of specific studies.

Postsecondary Data Portal (PDP)

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

Institutions can now provide data for National Center for Education Statistics Sample Studies* Easily – at one central location!

What is the Postsecondary Data Portal?

The Postsecondary Data Portal (PDP) is a website that was created with input from institutions like yours!

By taking advantage of the PDP, you can help NCES collect data on students in our sample studies (e.g., NPSAS, BPS, B&B, HSLS). These data provide much-needed information on vital concerns to students, families, policymakers, and the academic community.

Visit http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ for more information on these studies.

Key Benefits

Eliminates the need to visit a separate website for each NCES sample study in which you are asked to participate
Creates consistency across studies, as all data are collected using the same interface
Presents frequently asked questions, timelines, confidentiality information, and contact information for each study currently in progress
Gives valuable information on current studies’ objectives and research questions, as well as access to data and publications from previous studies
Provides easy access to the NCES DataLab, where you can create tables and graphs with data from NCES sample studies

How do I use the PDP?

We will contact you when your institution is in an active data collection and supply you with your PDP user name and password.

The PDP Task Menu will list the steps to follow to provide data.

Depending on your institution’s capabilities and specific request, you can choose the most convenient way to provide your data.

Visit the PDP website at: surveys.nces.ed.gov/portal.

For additional questions, you can contact our help desk at 1-855-500-1441 or [EMAIL ADDRESS]. Help Desk staff are available from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern time, Monday – Friday.

*Does not include Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

1 Further detail on the data requested may be found by logging in to the portal website, clicking Reference Materials, and then viewing the Student Records Collection Data Elements.

File Type	application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
File Title	Endorsements from Associations and Organizations
Author	Administrator
File Modified	0000-00-00
File Created	2021-01-22

Appendix D - Institution Contacting Materials

Appendix D NPSAS 2018-AC Student-Records-Collection.docx

2017–18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC)