IPEDS Guide
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. and other nations. Located within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences, NCES fulfills a Congressional mandate contained in the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, 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.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) is a system of interrelated surveys conducted annually by NCES. IPEDS gathers information from every college, university, and technical and vocational institution that participates in the federal student financial aid programs. The Higher Education Act of 1965, as ameded, requires that institutions that participate in federal student aid programs report data on enrollments, program completions, graduation rates, faculty and staff, finances, institutional prices, and student financial aid. These data are made available to researchers and others through the IPEDS Data Center.
As a service to NAICU members, especially institutional research staff, we have developed this webpage to keep you apprised of issues affecting institutional data reporting and collection for the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).
If you have questions or comments about the IPEDS Information content, please contact NAICU Director of Research and Policy Analysis Jason Ramirez.
This Week in IPEDS
Stay informed on developments in the IPEDS program with This Week in IPEDS.
Academic Year Data Collection
NCES provides information (background material and details by survey component) on changes that will affect the current IPEDS data collection cycle.
Required Federal Disclosures
Reporting and disclosure requirements as required under law by the U.S. Department of Education can be found in the Federal Students Aid Handbook.
- Information Required to Be Disclosed Under the Higher Education Act of 1965: A Supplemental Report (November 2011)
- Campus Safety and Security Reporting Handbook (February 2011)
- Information Required to Be Disclosed Under the Higher Education Act of 1965: Suggestions for Dissemination (November 2009)
IPEDS Technical Review Panels
NCES periodically convenes Technical Review Panels (TRP) to obtain peer review and public input regarding policies, processes, projects and plans for IPEDS. Complete summary reports are available at the IPEDS Technical Review Panel website.