Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2019-20 through 2021-22

1

Admissions
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
2019-20 to 2021-22

Changes for 2020-21 are included in the attached survey materials.
Please note that the terminology 'COVID-19' will be replaced with the terminology
'coronavirus pandemic' before the materials are released.

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IPEDS Data Collection System

2020-21
Data Collection System

IPEDS HELP DESK
(877) 225-2568 | [email protected]
OMB NO. 1850-0582 v.24 : Approval Expires 8/31/2022

2020-21 Survey Materials      Package
Admissions
Overview
Admissions Overview
Welcome to the IPEDS Admissions (ADM) survey component. The primary purpose of ADM is to collect basic information about the undergraduate selection
process for entering first-time, degree/certificate-seeking students. This includes information about admissions considerations, admissions yields, and SAT and
ACT test scores (if test scores are required for admission). ADM will be collected only from institutions that do not have an open admissions policy for entering
first-time students.

Data Reporting Reminders:

Report data to accurately reflect the time period corresponding with the IPEDS survey component, even if such reporting is seemingly inconsistent with prioryear reporting. For example, if a summer term began later than usual due COVID-19 postponements, continue to report using the timeframes as defined in
the IPEDS instructions.NCES expects that some data reported during the 2020-21 data collection year will vary from established prior trends due to the

impacts of COVID-19. If an error edit is triggered even when submitting accurate data, please indicate in the corresponding context box or verbally to the Help
Desk that the seemingly inconsistent data are accurate and reflect the effects of COVID-19.

Institutions that have scores based on the old (2016) SAT score range should convert scores using the College Board concordance tables

Institutions operating on a traditional academic year calendar (semester, trimester, quarter, or 4-1-4) report admissions as of the institution's official fall
reporting date or October 15. Institutions operating on an "other academic calendar”, a calendar that differs by program, or that enrolls students on a
continuous basis (referred to as program reporters) report admissions as students who enroll any time during the period of August 1 through October 31.

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

Changes to reporting for 2020-21:
There are no changes to this survey component.

Resources:
To download the survey materials for this component: Survey Materials
To access your prior year data submission for this component: Reported Data

If you have questions about completing this survey, please contact the IPEDS Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568.

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

Required

Considered
but not
required

Recommended

Neither
Required nor
Recommended

Secondary school GPA

Secondary school rank

Secondary school record

Completion of college-preparatory program

Recommendations
Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment
instruments)
Admission test scores
SAT / ACT

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

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

You may use the box below to provide additional context for the data you have reported above. Context notes will be posted on the College Navigator website.
Therefore, you should write all context notes using proper grammar (e.g., complete sentences with punctuation) and common language that can be easily
understood by students and parents (e.g., spell out acronyms).

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Selection Process - A/A/E
2. Provide the number of first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students who applied, who were admitted, and who enrolled (either full- or parttime) at your institution for Fall 2020. Include early decision, early action, and students who began studies during the summer prior to Fall 2020.
Remember that this question applies only to first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates. Do not include any other students in these totals. Report admitted
students who enrolled in the summer ONLY IF they remained enrolled into the fall.
Only include levels that you indicated were offered in the IC Header. If you made an error in the IC Header, please remember to fix the error next year.

Men

Women

Total

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

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Selection Process - Test Scores
3. Provide data for Fall 2020. Include new students admitted the summer prior to Fall 2020.
SAT scores for 2020-21 must be reported using the new (2017) SAT score scale. Please see instructions for more information.

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

25th Percentile

75th Percentile

SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing
SAT Math

ACT Composite
ACT English
ACT Math

You may use the box below to provide additional context for the data you have reported above. Context notes will be posted on the College Navigator website.
Therefore, you should write all context notes using proper grammar (e.g., complete sentences with punctuation) and common language that can be easily
understood by students and parents (e.g., spell out acronyms).

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

This survey component was prepared by:

Keyholder

SFA Contact

HR Contact

Finance Contact

Academic Library Contact

Other

Name:

Email:

How many staff from your institution only were involved in the data collection and reporting process of this survey component?

Number of Staff (including yourself)

How many hours did you and others from your institution only spend on each of the steps below when responding to this survey component?
Exclude the hours spent collecting data for state and other reporting purposes.
Collecting Data Needed

Revising Data to Match
IPEDS Requirements

Staff member

Your office

hours

hours

Other offices

hours

hours

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Entering Data

Revising and Locking Data

hours

hours

hours

hours

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

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

Changes in reporting
The following changes were implemented for the 2020-21 data collection period:
The term 'contact hour' has been replaced with the term 'clock hour'
The term 'formal award' has been replaced with the term 'recognized postsecondary credential'
There is a new instruction to exclude students participating in Experimental Pell (See https://experimentalsites.ed.gov/exp/approved.html)

As a reminder, institutions that have scores based on the old (2015) SAT score range should convert scores using the College Board concordance
tables (more information about converting scores using concordance tables is available
at https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/educators/higher-ed/scoring-changes/concordance).

General Instructions
Reporting period covered

Ins tu ons opera ng on a tradi onal academic year calendar (semester, trimester, quarter, or 4-1-4) report admissions data:
For applicants and admitted students: Include all students who applied for enrollment or were admitted if they would have been considered first-time
degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students as of the institution's official fall reporting date, or October 15.
For admitted students who enrolled: Include all students who were considered first-time, full-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students as of
the institution's official fall reporting date, or October 15.

Ins tu ons opera ng on a calendar that differs by program or that enrolls students on a con nuous basis (referred to as program reporters) report admissions data:
For applicants and admitted students: Include all students who applied for enrollment or were admitted if they would have been considered first-time
degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students any time during the period of August 1 through October 31.
For admitted students who enrolled: Include all students who were considered first-time, full-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students any
time during the period of August 1 through October 31.

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

Coverage
ADM is only applicable to first- me degree/cer ficate-seeking undergraduate students; do not include other students in the number of applicants, number of admits,
and number (of admi ed) that enrolled.
For the number (of admi ed) that enrolled, include all students enrolled for credit a er the official drop date. Exclude students who are not enrolled for credit.
For example, exclude:
Students enrolled exclusively in courses that cannot be applied towards a recognized postsecondary credential

Students enrolled only in ESL programs (programs comprised exclusively of ESL courses)
Students enrolled exclusively in Con nuing Educa on Units (CEUs)
Students exclusively audi ng classes
Any student studying abroad (e.g., at a foreign university) if their enrollment at the 'home' institution serves as an administrative record

Students enrolled in any branch campus located in a foreign country.
Students in Experimental Pell Programs.

Only include levels (full- me, part- me) that you indicated were offered in the IC Header. If you made an error in the IC Header, please call the IPEDS Help Desk and
correct your error.

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Where to Get Help with Reporting
IPEDS Help Desk
Phone: (877) 225-2568
E-mail: [email protected]

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

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

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

Reporting Directions
Admission considerations
Select the option that best describes how your institution uses the following considerations as part of the selection process for entering first-time,
degree/certificate-seeking students. For each consideration, indicate whether it is required, considered but not required, recommended, or neither required nor
recommended:
Secondary school GPA
Secondary school rank
Secondary school record
Completion of college-preparatory program
Recommendations
Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)
Admission test scores
SAT/ACT
Other test (ABT, Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)
TOEFL
Note: if ABT, Wonderlic, WISC-III (or similar) test is the only requirement other than a diploma or equivalent, and few students are not admitted due to this
test, please call the IPEDS Help Desk so that your response to the screening question for this component can be corrected.

Selection Process
Applicants/admitted/enrolled students
Provide the number of men, women, and total first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students who applied, who were admitted, and who
enrolled (either full- or part-time) at your institution for Fall 2020. Include information for all first-time students for whom admissions criteria (other than a
school diploma) were required.
Since the total may include students who did not provide gender data, the detail need not sum to the total.
You should not report admissions data for any level that you did not report as an offering on the Enrollment levels question in IC-Header. For example, if
you indicated that you do not enroll part-time, first-time students leave those boxes blank.

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

Number of admissions
Include all students who were offered admission to your institution. This would include:
early decision students who were notified of an admissions decision prior to the regular notification date and who agreed to accept;
early action students who were notified of an admission decision prior to the regular notification date with no commitment to accept; and
admitted students who began studies during the summer prior to Fall 2020.

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

Selection process
Test scores
If test scores are required for admission for first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students, provide the number and percentage of enrolled
students submitting SAT and/or ACT scores, as well as the 25th and 75th percentile scores for each test.
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Number and percent of enrolled students that submitted test scores
Provide data for Fall 2020. Include information for ALL enrolled, degree/certificate-seeking, first-time (freshman) students for whom test scores were
required. Include new students admitted the summer prior to Fall 2020.

Test Scores
Provide data for Fall 2020. Report the scores used in the admission decision.
If students submitted both SAT and ACT scores, but only SAT scores were considered for admission, only report the SAT scores (and vice versa).
If students submitted both SAT and ACT scores, and both SAT and ACT scores were considered for admission, report both scores.
If a student submitted two sets of scores for a single test, report this information according to how you use the data. For example:
If you consider the highest scores from either submission, use the highest combination of scores (e.g., verbal from one submission, math
from the other).
If you average the scores, use the average to report the scores.
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and math scores should be reported based on the new (2016) SAT score range 200-800. Institutions that have
scores based on the old (2015) SAT score range should convert scores using the College Board concordance tables (more information about converting
scores using concordance tables is available at https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/educators/higher-ed/scoring-changes/concordance).
Do not convert test scores (e.g., do NOT convert an ACT score into a SAT score); scores must be reported separately.
Do not include partial test scores (e.g., mathematics scores but not verbal scores for a category of students) or combine other standardized test results
(such as TOEFL) in this item.
Do not report scores if you cannot convert from old score to new score using the concordance tables.

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Glossary
date: 06/24/2020
Term

Definition

ACT

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

Admissions test scores

Scores on standardized admissions tests or special admissions tests.

First-time student
(undergraduate)

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

Full-time student

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

Integrated Postsecondary
Education Data System
(IPEDS)

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

Part-time student

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

SAT

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

Test of English as a Foreign
Language (TOEFL)

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

Applicant

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

Admitted students

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

Title IV institution

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

Admissions

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

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Admissions
Click one of the following questions to view the answer.
General
1)When reporting admitted students, do I include early admits?
2)Why can’t I report Admissions data for transfer students?
3)What do I do about students that were considered for admission, even though they did not submit all application materials?
4)Some students send us both ACT and SAT scores. How should we report the data for these students?
5)My institution does not use ACT scores for admission, so if a student submits an ACT score we convert it to an SAT score. Can I report that converted score to
IPEDS so that it doesn’t look like we accept ACT scores?
6)How do I report to IPEDS when my institution uses the highest of multiple test scores to evaluate students for admission?
7)How do I report to IPEDS when my institution averages multiple test scores to evaluate students for admission?
8)How do I report TOEFL or other standardized test scores (other than ACT and SAT)?
9)Should my institution, which is participating as an experimental site, report high school students or incarcerated students who have received a Pell Grant while
taking college coursework?
10)How do I treat students who enrolled in the summer prior to fall enrollment?

Answer:
General
1)
When reporting admitted students, do I include early admits?
Yes, include all students who were offered admission to your institution. This would include early decision students who were notified of an admission decision prior
to the regular notification date and who agreed to accept; early action students who were notified of an admission decision prior to the regular notification date with
no commitment to accept; and the admitted students who began studies during the summer prior to the fall reporting period.
2)
Why can’t I report Admissions data for transfer students?
Admissions requirements for transfer students are often different from the requirements for first-time students. In order to make the data useful to students, it is
important that you not report data for transfer students. 
3)
What do I do about students that were considered for admission, even though they did not submit all application materials?
If a student provided enough information that a decision could be made (admitted, not admitted, waitlisted), they should be included in the counts. However,
institutions should only report this way if it is part of their institution’s formal application review process. 
4)
Some students send us both ACT and SAT scores. How should we report the data for these students?
Report both scores to IPEDS. This may mean that the total number of students reported in test scores is greater than the total number of admitted students.
5)
My institution does not use ACT scores for admission, so if a student submits an ACT score we convert it to an SAT score. Can I report that converted score to
IPEDS so that it doesn’t look like we accept ACT scores?
No. There is no approved methodology for converting test scores, so any conversion would render the data unusable.
6)
How do I report to IPEDS when my institution uses the highest of multiple test scores to evaluate students for admission?
Report to IPEDS the test score that is used to make the admissions decision. This may include a mix of scores from tests taken at different times. 
7)
How do I report to IPEDS when my institution averages multiple test scores to evaluate students for admission?
Report to IPEDS the averaged test score used that is used to make the admissions decision.
8)
How do I report TOEFL or other standardized test scores (other than ACT and SAT)?
For IPEDS purposes, TOEFL scores and other standardized test scores (other than ACT and SAT) are not reported. 
9)
Should my institution, which is participating as an experimental site, report high school students or incarcerated students who have received a Pell Grant while
taking college coursework?
If your institution is participating in the Dual Enrollment experimental site or the Second Chance Pell experimental site program, exclude these students from
reporting.
10)
How do I treat students who enrolled in the summer prior to fall enrollment?
It depends on whether summer is a full and regular term. For academic reporters, if fall-enrolled students were first enrolled full-time during the prior summer term
that began before June 30 AND the summer term IS considered a full and regular term, do NOT report these students in the ADM survey. If the summer is NOT a full
and regular term, the students SHOULD be reported in ADM.

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U.S. Department of Education
National Center for
Education Statistics

IPEDS Data Collection System

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