IPEDS: 2009-2013

Pre-Collection Coordination and 

Communication Package

Updated for the 

2012-13 Data Collection Year

Contract No. ED-IES-09-C-0006

Deliverable Number 12, Subtask 5.1

RTI Project No. 0212130

Prepared for:

National Center for Education Statistics

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

1990 K Street, NW

Washington, DC 20006

Submitted to:

ATTN: Jessica Shedd, Acting IPEDS Program Director

Prepared by:

RTI International

P.O. Box 12194

Research Triangle Park, NC 27709

Submitted: 

July 20, 2012
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 1 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Table of Contents

Overview .............................................................................................................................3

Exhibit 1. Communications/Follow-Up Schedule...............................................................5

Exhibit 2. Coordination Tree Update Request Email..........................................................7

Exhibit 3. Registration Letter to CEOs of Institutions with no Previous Keyholder ..........8

Exhibit 4. Registration Letter to Keyholders ....................................................................10

Exhibit 5. Registration Certificate.....................................................................................12

Exhibit 6. Registration Email to Keyholders.....................................................................13

Exhibit 7. Registration Email to Multi-Keyholders ..........................................................15

Exhibit 8. Registration Email to Coordinators..................................................................17

Exhibit 9. New Keyholder Welcome Package/Email........................................................21

Exhibit 10. Registration +2 Weeks Keyholder Reminder Email ......................................23

Exhibit 11. Annual Update Email to CEOs of IPEDS Institutions .................................. 24

Exhibit 12. Registration +3 Weeks Reminder Letter to CEOs..........................................26

Exhibit 13. Annual Update Email to IPEDS Coordinators ...............................................28

Exhibit 14. Fall Opening Announcement Email ...............................................................29

Exhibit 15. One Last Chance Reminder Email to CEOs ..................................................31

Exhibit 16. Fall Registration Close -4 Weeks Reminder Letter to CEOs.........................32

Exhibit 17. Fall Close -4 Weeks Reminder Email to Keyholders.....................................34

Exhibit 18. Fall Close -4 Weeks Reminder Email to NEW Keyholders...........................35

Exhibit 19. Fall CEO Close -3 Weeks Early-Completer Thank-You Email.....................36

Exhibit 20. Fall CEO Call Script for No Registered Keyholder .......................................37

Exhibit 21. Fall Keyholder/CEO Call Script for No Data Entered ...................................39

Exhibit 22. Fall Close -2 Weeks Reminder Email to Keyholder for 

“No Data Entered” or “All Required Surveys Not Locked” .................................42

Exhibit 23. Fall Keyholder Call Script for Institutions with NEW Keyholder 

and All Required Surveys Not Yet Locked...........................................................43

Exhibit 24. Fall Close -1 Week Reminder Email to Keyholder for 

“No Data Entered” or “All Required Surveys are Not Locked” ...........................45

Exhibit 25. Winter/Spring Opening Announcement Email...............................................46

Exhibit 26. Winter Registration Close -4 Weeks Reminder Letter to CEOs ....................48

Exhibit 27. Winter Close -4 Weeks Reminder Email to Keyholders................................50

Exhibit 28. Winter Close -4 Weeks Reminder Email to NEW Keyholders......................51

Exhibit 29. Winter CEO Close -3 Weeks Early-Completer Thank-You Email................52

Exhibit 30. Winter CEO Call Script for No Registered Keyholder ..................................53

Exhibit 31. Winter Keyholder/CEO Call Script for No Data Entered ..............................55

Exhibit 32. Winter Close -2 Weeks Reminder Email to Keyholder 

for “No Data Entered” or “All Required Surveys Not Locked” ...........................58

Exhibit 33. Winter Keyholder Call Script for Institutions with NEW Keyholder 

and All Required Surveys Not Yet Locked...........................................................59

Exhibit 34. Winter Close -1 Week Reminder Email to Keyholder for 

“No Data Entered” or “All Required Surveys Not Locked” .................................61

Exhibit 35. Spring Reminder to Include in This Week in IPEDS.....................................62

Exhibit 36. Spring Close -4 Weeks Registration Reminder Letter to CEOs.....................63

Exhibit 37. Spring Close -4 Weeks Reminder Email to Keyholders for 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 2 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

“All Required Surveys Not Locked”.....................................................................65

Exhibit 38. Spring Close -4 Weeks Reminder Email to NEW Keyholders ......................66

Exhibit 39. Spring CEO Close -3 Weeks Early-Completer Thank-You Email ................67

Exhibit 40. Spring CEO Call Script for No Registered Keyholder...................................68

Exhibit 41. Spring Keyholder/CEO Call Script for No Data Entered...............................70

Exhibit 42. Spring Close -3 Weeks Reminder Email No Data Since Winter....................73

Exhibit 43. Spring Close -2 Weeks Reminder Email to Keyholder for

“No Data Entered” or “All Required Surveys Not Locked” ................................74

Exhibit 44. Spring Keyholder Call Script for Institutions with NEW Keyholder 

and All Required Surveys Not Yet Locked...........................................................75

Exhibit 45. Spring Close -1 Week Reminder Email to Keyholder for

“No Data Entered” or “All Required Surveys Not Locked” ................................77

Exhibit 46. Registration Confirmation Email....................................................................78

Exhibit 47. Locking Confirmation Email to Keyholders ..................................................78

Exhibit 48. Ready-to-Lock Email to Coordinators............................................................79

Exhibit 49. UserID and Password Confirmation Email ....................................................79
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 3 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Overview

RTI International is under contract to provide data collection support to the Integrated 

Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), primarily in the form of a Help Desk which 

is tasked with providing assistance to IPEDS users and engaging in communications with 

IPEDS respondents in ways that build rapport between the data providers, data collection 

contractor (RTI), RTI subcontractors, and the IPEDS program within the U.S Department of 

Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and to ensure that IPEDS data 

providers are informed of all reporting responsibilities and survey deadlines. Toward these 

ends, this Pre-Collection Coordination and Communication Package (Deliverable 12)

provides documentation of the activities and communications needed to fulfill that purpose. 

In conjunction with the Communication Plan (Deliverable 13) previously provided to NCES, 

the package outlines the strategies and messages to be used for interacting with, and 

communicating to, IPEDS Keyholders, Coordinators, and other stakeholders. These 

communications are essential in ensuring that data provided to IPEDS are timely, informed, 

useful, and as accurate as possible. 

The purpose of this Pre-Collection Coordination and Communication Package is to 

provide NCES with draft templates of all mailings, e-mailings, phone prompting, and 

automated email messages that RTI International will implement to inform data providers 

about all required reporting deadlines, for review and approval by the COR. Understanding 

that dates and/or specific communication needs may change during the collection year, RTI

will be prepared to readily modify any of the communications that are included in this 

package, or to address any deficiencies with the communications as proposed. Also,

throughout the data collection year, we anticipate that we will have ongoing communications 

with NCES to address any additional needs for communications as they arise. 

Exhibit 1, which was also included in the Communications Plan (Deliverable 13), 

serves as a guide to what communications are utilized, and when. Exhibits 2 through 45

include the draft text of letters, emails, and phone scripts to be used throughout the collection 

year. 

In addition to the scheduled communications and follow-up prompting activities, the 

data collection system also generates and sends automated emails. These are shown in 

Exhibits 46 through 49, and include automated emails for: a) registration confirmation for all 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 4 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

users who register, b) confirmation of locked surveys sent to the Keyholder when any 

individual survey component is locked, c) ready-to-lock notification sent to a Coordinator

when a survey has been locked by a keyholder and is ready for the coordinator to review and 

lock, and d) confirmation of a user’s ID and password which is sent by the collection system 

at the request of a Help Desk staffer. 

Two additional exhibits have been added since the prior revision of this deliverable in 

2011-12. Exhibit 2 includes text for the Coordination Tree Update email. Although such 

coordination tree update requests have been emailed at several times in the past, this has now 

been included as part of the regular annual update process. Exhibit 11 includes text for an 

Annual Update Email to CEOs. This email was added during the early portion of the 2011-12 

collection year, so it is now being included as part of the annual communications plan.
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 5 of 76 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 1. IPEDS 2012-13 Data Collection Communications and Follow-Up Schedule

IPEDS 2012-13 Data Collection

Communications / Follow-up Schedule

Collection Correspondence type When Communication/Prompting Criteria

Pre-Registration Coordination Tree Update Request Prior Spring All coordinators

Registration Registration Email w/UserID Registration opens (8/8) All keyholders (KHs) and coordinators

Period Letter to CEO w/KH letter & reg. cert Registration opens (8/8) No previous keyholder

New KH Welcome Package Automatically sent at the time 

New KH Registers

New keyholders

Email to KH: reminder to register Registration +2 wks (8/22) No registered keyholder

Letter to CEO Registration +3 wks (8/29) No registered keyholder

Annual Update Email to CEOs Registration +3 wks (8/29) All CEOs

Annual Update Email to Coords Registration +3 wks (8/29) All Coordinators

Fall 2012 Opening Email to KH Open (9/5) All Keyholders & Coordinators

One Last Chance Reminder Email Open +1 week (9/12) CEOs of schools having already used OLC; cc to KH

Letter to CEO Close – 4 wks (9/19) No registered keyholder

Email to keyholder (KH) Close – 4 wks (9/19) No data entered

Email to NEW KHs Only Close – 4 wks (9/19) All required surveys not locked

Thank You email to CEO Close – 3 wks (9/26) All surveys completed

Phone call to CEO Close – 3 wks (9/26) No registered keyholder

Phone call to CEO/KH Close – 2 wks (10/3) No data entered

Email to keyholder Close – 2 wks (10/3) No data entered

Email to keyholder Close – 2 wks (10/3) All required surveys not locked

Phone Call to NEW KHs Only Close – 2 wks (10/3) All required surveys not locked

Email to keyholder Close – 1 wk (10/10) No data entered

Email to keyholder Close – 1 wk (10/10) All required surveys not locked

Winter 2012-13 Opening Email to KH Open (12/5) All Keyholders & Coordinators

Letter to CEO Close – 4 wks (1/9) No registered keyholder

Email to keyholder Close – 4 wks (1/9) No SFA data entered

Email to NEW KHs Only Close – 4 wks (1/9) All required surveys not locked

Thank You email to CEO Close – 3 wks (1/16) All surveys completed

Phone call to CEO Close – 3 wks (1/16) No registered keyholder

Phone call to CEO/KH Close – 2 wks (1/23) No SFA data entered

Email to keyholder Close – 2 wks (1/23) No SFA data entered

Email to keyholder Close – 2 wks (1/23) SFA survey not locked

Phone Call to NEW KHs Only Close – 2 wks (1/23) All required surveys not locked

Email to keyholder Close – 1 wk (1/30) No SFA data entered

Email to keyholder Close – 1 wk (1/30) SFA survey not locked
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 6 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

IPEDS 2012-13 Data Collection

Communications / Follow-up Schedule 

Collection Correspondence type When Communication/Prompting Criteria

Spring 2013 Opening Email to KH Open (12/5) All Keyholders & Coordinators

Email to KH (included in TWII) ~Close – 8 wks (2/13) All required surveys not locked

Email to KH (included in TWII) ~Close – 6 wks (2/27) All required surveys not locked

Letter to CEO Close – 4 wks (3/13) No registered keyholder

Email to keyholder Close – 4 wks (3/13) No data entered

Email to NEW KHs Only Close – 4 wks (3/13) All required surveys not locked

Thank You email to CEO Close – 3 wks (3/20) All surveys completed

Phone call to CEO Close – 3 wks (3/20) No registered keyholder

Email to Keyholder Close – 3 wks (3/20) No data entered since Winter

Phone call to CEO/KH Close – 2 wks (3/27) No data entered

Phone call to CEO/KH Close – 2 wks (3/27) No data entered since Winter

Email to keyholder Close – 2 wks (3/27) No data entered

Email to keyholder Close – 2 wks (3/27) All required surveys not locked

Phone Call to NEW KHs Only Close – 2 wks (3/27) All required surveys not locked

Email to keyholder Close – 1 wk (4/3) No data entered

Email to keyholder Close – 1 wk (4/3) All required surveys not locked

Notes: 

 Items in red had been added during prior collection cycles and are now being added to this communication schedule to formally include 

them in the communications process.

 Beginning with the IPEDS 2009-10 Data Collection, the spring components have been available (i.e. open) to institutions concurrently 

with the winter components.

 Beginning with the IPEDS 2011-12 Data Collection, phone calls and emails to NEW keyholders were added to ensure that they received 

extra assistance, as needed, in reporting their data and remaining compliant. 

. 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 7 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 2. Coordination Tree Update Request Email

Dear IPEDS Coordinator:

Even though the dust hasn’t even settled on the IPEDS 2011-12 data collection, it’s time to 

get ready for 2012-13. Please review the list of institutions you have access to in the data 

collection system, by clicking on Institutions. 

Respond to this email to let the Help Desk know if:

* You would like to add to or subtract from your list. If you are a state coordinator, you have 

a report in your Reports menu called State List of Institutions Not Coordinated by Your 

Office; this list includes any institutions (Title IV or not) in your state that are in the IPEDS 

universe but not in your coordination plan. 

* You would like to change your access to any of your listed institutions. Your options are 

View, Update, and Lock. Please consult the 2012 Coordinator Manual (in the Help menu) for 

descriptions of these access levels, and contact the Help Desk if you have questions.

Please contact Tara Lawley (tara.lawley@ed.gov) if:

* You see any closed institutions on your list that are not reflected as such.

* You are a system coordinator and there are mergers happening that need to be reflected in 

IPEDS for 2012-13.

You can, of course, update your coordination plan during the year, but it helps us to be able to 

make these changes before the data collection starts for the year.

Thanks for your assistance.

Jan

Janice Plotczyk

IPEDS Coordinator Liaison

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 8 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 3. Registration Letter to CEOs of Institutions with no Previous Keyholder

<NCES Letterhead>

August 8, 2012

ceo_name

ceo_title

institution_name

addr1_txt

city_txt, state_cd zip_text

Dear Chief Executive Officer:

The National Center for Education Statistics is finalizing preparations for the 2012-13 Integrated 

Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data collection. Your institution currently does not have 

a designated keyholder for the upcoming 2012-13 collection cycle; please appoint one at this time, and 

forward the enclosed materials to that individual. The success of the IPEDS data collection and quality 

of the IPEDS data depend, in large part, on the efforts of your institution’s keyholder.

The keyholder is responsible for your institution’s data submission and should be someone who is 

familiar with the IPEDS data collection. This person is responsible for all three collections— Fall 2012, 

Winter 2012-13, and Spring 2013. The enclosed materials provide the information your appointed 

keyholder will need to register prior to entering data into the system. Once your keyholder 

registers, all future correspondence will go directly to him or her.

The importance of your institution’s compliance with this reporting responsibility cannot be overstated. 

Please be aware that responses to the IPEDS surveys are mandated for those institutions that participate 

or expect to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs under Section 487(a)(17) of the 

Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), 20 U.S.C. §1094(a)(17) and the Department of 

Education’s regulations at 34 C.F.R. §668.14(b)(19). As a condition of continued participation in the 

federal student aid programs, all institutions must complete, in a timely manner and to the satisfaction 

of the Secretary, all surveys conducted as a part of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data 

System. According to the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), an institution’s failure to complete and 

submit these surveys is a serious violation of its obligations under the HEA and the regulations, and 

appropriate action, including warnings, fines and possible loss of eligibility for Title IV federal student 

financial aid programs will be taken by that office.

Because of the importance of the IPEDS surveys, we will contact you again if your keyholder has not 

registered by August 29, 2012. Registration is currently open, and the data collection periods are 

scheduled as follows:

Fall 2012: September 5, 2012 – October 17, 2012

Winter 2012-13: December 5, 2012 – February 6, 2013

Spring 2013: December 5, 2012 – April 10, 2013

The results of the 2011-12 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) web-based data 

collections are currently available through the IPEDS Data Center, the Executive Peer Tool, and the 

College Navigator website. Links to all of these data tools are on the IPEDS web site at 

http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds. 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 9 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

There is no need for you to respond to this letter. However, if you need any additional information 

or have any questions, please contact the IPEDS Help Desk toll free at 1-877-225-2568 (or send an 

email to ipedshelp@rti.org). Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important project.

Sincerely,

Sharon A. Boivin

Acting Associate Commissioner

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career 

Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics 

Attachments

unitid
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 10 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 4. Registration Letter to Keyholders 

<NCES Letterhead>

August 8, 2012

IPEDS Keyholder

institution_name

Dear IPEDS Keyholder:

Welcome! Your Chief Administrator has designated you as the IPEDS Keyholder for the Integrated 

Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2012-13. The success of the IPEDS data collection and 

quality of the IPEDS data depend, in large part, on your efforts. Thank you in advance for your work 

this coming year.

As the IPEDS keyholder, you are responsible for assuring the accuracy of all of your institution’s data 

submitted to IPEDS, and for “locking” the surveys by the designated keyholder deadlines for the three 

2012-13 data collections (Fall 2012, Winter 2012-13, and Spring 2013). Enclosed is a registration 

certificate that provides you with the information you need to register by August 29 and subsequently 

participate in these important data collections. 

The Fall 2012, Winter 2012-13, and Spring 2013 data collections will be administered through a web 

system that can be accessed only by designated staff with assigned UserIDs and passwords. This Fall 

we will collect Institutional Characteristics, Completions, and 12-month Enrollment data. The Winter 

collection will include the Student Financial Aid component. The Spring collection opens December 5

and will be open continuously until April 10; this collection includes the Fall Enrollment, Graduation 

Rates, 200% Graduation Rates, Finance, and Human Resources components.

The data collection periods are scheduled as follows:

Fall 2012: September 5, 2012 – October 17, 2012

Winter 2012-13: December 5, 2012 – February 6, 2013

Spring 2013: December 5, 2012 – April 10, 2013

For your convenience in preparing for the upcoming collections, ALL survey forms, instructions, file 

import specifications, narrative edits, and FAQs for the 2012-13 surveys are available through the data 

collection system (select Help, then Survey Materials). A New Keyholder Handbook is also available in 

the Help menu; this resource includes a lot of useful information, including information on keyholder 

responsibilities, how to submit and lock your data, where to get help and training, and tips from veteran 

keyholders.

The importance of your institution’s compliance with the IPEDS reporting responsibility cannot be 

overstated. Please note that responses to the IPEDS surveys are mandated for those institutions that 

participate or expect to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs under Section 487(a)(17) 

of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, (HEA), 20 U.S.C. §1094(a)(17) and the Department 

of Education’s regulations at 34 C.F.R. §668.14(b)(19). As a condition of continued participation in 

the federal student aid programs, all institutions must complete, in a timely manner and to the 

satisfaction of the Secretary, all surveys conducted as a part of the Integrated Postsecondary Education 

Data System. According to the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), an institution’s failure to 

complete and submit these surveys is a serious violation of its obligations under the HEA and the 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 11 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

regulations, and appropriate action, including warnings, fines, and possible loss of eligibility for Title 

IV federal student financial aid programs, will be taken by that office.

As your institution’s keyholder, the first deadline you must meet is to register as the IPEDS 

keyholder using the information on the enclosed registration certificate prior to August 29. If you 

have not registered by that date, we will send a letter to your institution’s CEO indicating that your 

institution has no registered keyholder. The registration screen asks for specific contact information. 

This information must be complete, and the email address provided will be used for ALL further contact 

with your institution during these data collections. If your institution has more than one person who will 

need to provide data for the surveys, you may request up to six (6) additional UserIDs and passwords for 

these staff members. However, please remember that all communication will flow through you as the 

IPEDS keyholder, and you will be the only person allowed to lock your data.

Please refer to the collection schedule on your registration certificate and allow sufficient time to enter 

and lock your data for Fall, Winter, and Spring. Once your institution’s data have been locked, they will 

be reviewed by NCES. You may receive a request for clarification based on this review. Your 

institution’s data will be made available to other responding institutions through the IPEDS Data Center, 

and they will be posted to the College Navigator website, where information can be accessed by students 

and parents (http://collegesearch.ed.gov).

Thank you for your assistance. If you need additional information, please call the IPEDS Help Desk at 

the toll free number 1-877-225-2568 (or send an email to ipedshelp@rti.org).

Sincerely,

Sharon A. Boivin

Acting Associate Commissioner

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career 

Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics 

Attachments

unitid
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 12 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 5. Registration Certificate

Registration Certificate

IPEDS 2012-13 Collection Year

unitid

institution_name

User ID: user_id

Password: password_txt

Note: The above password is temporary and you will be

required to establish a new password upon your first login.

IPEDS HELP Desk:

ipedshelp@rti.org

1-877-225-2568 (toll free)

On-line Registration

http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds

Opens August 8, 2012

Use the Help menu for copies of survey forms 

and other important information for respondents

2012-13 Data Collection Periods*

http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds

Fall 2012: September 5, 2012 – October 17, 2012

Winter 2012-13: December 5, 2012 – February 6, 2013

Spring 2013: December 5, 2012 – April 10, 2013

*Closeout dates are firm and no extensions will be granted
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 13 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 6. Registration Email to Keyholders

Subject: IPEDS 2012-13 Registration Information - <UnitID>

August 8, 2012

Dear IPEDS Keyholder:

Welcome back! The National Center for Education Statistics is finalizing preparations for the 2012-13

IPEDS data collection. At the end of the Spring 2012 collection period, you were registered as the 

keyholder for your institution. If you will continue to serve as the keyholder for the upcoming 2012-

13 collection cycle, please be sure to register as directed below. If you will NOT be serving as the 

keyholder for this collection year, please forward this email to your Chief Executive Officer so that 

another keyholder can be assigned.

The success of the IPEDS data collection and quality of the IPEDS data depend, in large part, on your 

efforts. Thank you in advance for your work this coming year.

The importance of your institution's compliance with the IPEDS reporting responsibility cannot be 

overstated. As you know, responses to the IPEDS surveys are mandated for those institutions that 

participate or expect to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs under Section 487(a)(17) 

of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, (HEA), 20 U.S.C. §1094(a)(17) and the Department 

of Education's (Department) regulations at 34 C.F.R. §668.14(b)(19). As a condition of continued 

participation in the federal student aid programs, all institutions must complete, in a timely manner 

and to the satisfaction of the Secretary, all surveys conducted as a part of the Integrated Postsecondary 

Education Data System. According to the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), an institution's failure 

to complete and submit these surveys is a serious violation of its obligations under the HEA and the 

regulations, and appropriate action, including warnings, fines, and possible loss of eligibility for Title 

IV federal student financial aid programs, will be taken by that office.

 

Keyholder Registration:

The keyholder's UserID and Password to access the IPEDS web-based data collection system for the 

2012-13 collection cycle is listed below. This is a TEMPORARY password and you will need to 

create your own password when logging in.

******************************************

Institution: <Institution_Name>

UserID: <UserID>

Temporary Password: <PW>

******************************************

The registration site opens August 8, 2012. Keyholders must register online at: 

http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/IPEDS by August 29, 2012. In order to ensure that each institution is 

registered, we will send reminder letters to CEOs of Title IV institutions if the keyholder is not 

registered by the August 29 date. 

When registering in the system, please be sure that your registration information is correct. Verify 

your phone number and make sure that your email address is correct, since these will be used for ALL 

further contact during the data collection. You may also designate a different keyholder at this time 

and you may request additional IDs and passwords for other users if your institution has more than one 

person who will need access to the system. You may request up to six (6) additional UserIDs and 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 14 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

passwords when you register. All additional users will be required to register, but only the keyholder 

must register by August 29.

2012-13 Data Collection

Schedule for the 2012-13 Data Collection: 

https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/ViewContent.aspx?contentId=21

Changes to the 2012-13 Survey Components: 

https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/ViewContent.aspx?contentId=22

For more information, use the Help menu in the data collection system.

A quick overview of the 2012-13 IPEDS data collection is provided below:

Registration Period 2012-13 (Registration, Institution Mapping, Institution Identification, IC Header)

During the registration period (August 8, 2012-September 4, 2012), institutions are encouraged to 

complete the Institution Identification page, the Institution Mapping (if applicable), and the IC Header 

questions. These three items must be completed before the Fall survey components can be started. The 

IC Header is available until the end of the Fall collection. Institution Identification is available 

through Spring.

Fall 2012 (Institutional Characteristics, Completions, and 12-month Enrollment): 

Opens September 5, 2012

Closes October 17, 2012 for Keyholders

Winter 2012-13 (Student Financial Aid):

Opens December 5, 2012

Closes February 6, 2013 for Keyholders

Spring 2013 (Human Resources, Fall Enrollment, Finance, Graduation Rates, and 200% Graduation 

Rates): 

***Opens December 5, 2012***

Closes April 10, 2013 for Keyholders

For your convenience in preparing for the upcoming collections, ALL survey forms, instructions, file 

import specifications, narrative edits, and FAQs for the 2012-13 surveys are available through the data 

collection system (select Help, then Survey Materials). A New Keyholder Handbook is also available 

in the Help menu; even though you are a veteran IPEDS keyholder, this resource may be useful to you.

Data Availability for 2011-12 Collection:

The 2011-12 IPEDS data collection was very successful and the data submitted by the institutions 

during Fall, Winter, and Spring are currently available through the IPEDS Data Center. Additionally, 

we continue to update the College Navigator website with new data as they become available. Both

tools can be accessed from the IPEDS homepage at: http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds. 

We hope you enjoy the rest of the summer and thank you in advance for your assistance in making 

IPEDS a success. If you need additional information, please call the Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568 or 

email them at ipedshelp@rti.org. 

Best regards,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 15 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 7. Registration Email to Multi-Keyholders

Subject: IPEDS 2012-13 Registration Information - <UserID>

August 8, 2012

Dear IPEDS Keyholder:

Welcome back! The National Center for Education Statistics is finalizing preparations for the 2012-13

IPEDS data collection. At the end of the Spring 2012 collection period, you were registered as the 

keyholder for your institution. If you will continue to serve as the keyholder for the upcoming 2012-

13 collection cycle, please be sure to register as directed below. If you will NOT be serving as the 

keyholder for this collection year, please forward this email to your Chief Executive Officer so that 

another keyholder can be assigned.

The success of the IPEDS data collection and quality of the IPEDS data depend, in large part, on your 

efforts. Thank you in advance for your work this coming year.

The importance of your institution's compliance with the IPEDS reporting responsibility cannot be 

overstated. As you know, responses to the IPEDS surveys are mandated for those institutions that 

participate or expect to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs under Section 487(a)(17) 

of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, (HEA), 20 U.S.C. §1094(a)(17) and the Department 

of Education's (Department) regulations at 34 C.F.R. §668.14(b)(19). As a condition of continued 

participation in the federal student aid programs, all institutions must complete, in a timely manner 

and to the satisfaction of the Secretary, all surveys conducted as a part of the Integrated Postsecondary 

Education Data System. According to the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), an institution's failure 

to complete and submit these surveys is a serious violation of its obligations under the HEA and the 

regulations, and appropriate action, including warnings, fines, and possible loss of eligibility for Title 

IV federal student financial aid programs, will be taken by that office.

 

Keyholder Registration:

The keyholder's UserID and Password to access the IPEDS web-based data collection system for the 

entire 2012-13 collection cycle is listed below. This is a TEMPORARY password and you will need to 

create your own password when logging in.

******************************************

UserID: <UserID>

Temporary Password: <PW>

******************************************

The registration site opens August 8, 2012. Keyholders must register online at: 

http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/IPEDS by August 29, 2012. In order to ensure that each institution is 

registered, we will send reminder letters to CEOs of Title IV institutions if the keyholder is not 

registered by the August 29 date. 

When registering in the system, please be sure that your registration information is correct. Verify 

your phone number and make sure that your email address is correct, since these will be used for ALL 

further contact during the data collection. You may also designate a different keyholder at this time 

and you may request additional IDs and passwords for other users if your institution has more than one 

person who will need access to the system. You may request up to six (6) additional UserIDs and 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 16 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

passwords when you register. All additional users will be required to register, but only the keyholder 

must register by August 29.

2012-13 Data Collection

Schedule for the 2012-13 Data Collection: 

https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/ViewContent.aspx?contentId=21

Changes to the 2012-13 Survey Components: 

https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/ViewContent.aspx?contentId=22

For more information, use the Help menu in the data collection system.

A quick overview of the 2012-13 IPEDS data collection is provided below:

Registration Period 2012-13 (Registration, Institution Mapping, Institution Identification, IC Header)

During the registration period (August 8, 2012-September 4, 2012), institutions are encouraged to 

complete the Institution Identification page, the Institution Mapping (if applicable), and the IC Header 

questions. These three items must be completed before the Fall survey components can be started. The 

IC Header is available until the end of the Fall collection. Institution Identification is available 

through Spring.

Fall 2012 (Institutional Characteristics, Completions, and 12-month Enrollment): 

Opens September 5, 2012

Closes October 17, 2012 for Keyholders

Winter 2012-13 (Student Financial Aid):

Opens December 5, 2012

Closes February 6, 2013 for Keyholders

Spring 2013 (Human Resources, Fall Enrollment, Finance, Graduation Rates, and 200% Graduation 

Rates): 

***Opens December 5, 2012***

Closes April 10, 2013 for Keyholders

For your convenience in preparing for the upcoming collections, ALL survey forms, instructions, file 

import specifications, narrative edits, and FAQs for the 2012-13 surveys are available through the data 

collection system (select Help, then Survey Materials). A New Keyholder Handbook is also available 

in the Help menu; even though you are a veteran IPEDS keyholder, this resource may be useful to you. 

Data Availability for 2011-12 Collection:

The 2011-12 IPEDS data collection was very successful and the data submitted by the institutions 

during Fall, Winter, and Spring are currently available through the IPEDS Data Center. Additionally, 

we continue to update the College Navigator website with new data as they become available. Both 

tools can be accessed from the IPEDS homepage at: http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds. 

We hope you enjoy the rest of the summer and thank you in advance for your assistance in making 

IPEDS a success. If you need additional information, please call the Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568 or 

email them at ipedshelp@rti.org. 

Best regards,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 17 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 8. Registration Email to Coordinators

Subject: IPEDS 2012-13 Registration Information - <UserID>

August 8, 2012

Dear IPEDS Coordinator:

Welcome! Once again, it is time to issue new UserIDs/Passwords and prepare for the upcoming 2012-

13 collection year. At this time, the data from the Spring 2012 IPEDS web-based data collection are 

currently available through the IPEDS Data Center on the IPEDS web site at http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds

and we are continuing to update the College Navigator website as well.

At the bottom of this email is a copy of what is being sent to the keyholders who were registered last 

year. Please take time to read it because it contains additional information that is NOT in your email. 

As you can see, we continue to emphasize compliance with the Title IV requirements. The Office of 

Federal Student Aid is taking noncompliance very seriously; they are in the process of sending 

warning letters to some institutions and fine notices to others that did not fully comply for the 2011-12

collection year. 

Below are the UserID and Password you will use to access the IPEDS Web-based data collection 

system and register for the 2012-13 collection cycle. This is a TEMPORARY password and you will 

need to create your own password when logging in.

******************************************

Your UserID: <UserID>

Your Temporary Password: <PW>

******************************************

Online Registration is now open. Coordinators must register at http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/IPEDS. 

Please confirm your registration for 2012-13 after logging in and changing your password. You should 

verify or update your specific contact information, and make sure that your email address is correct 

since this will be used for ALL further contact during the data collection. If your office has more than 

one person who will need access to the system, you may request up to six (6) additional UserIDs and 

Passwords when you register. All additional users will again be required to register this year, but only 

the keyholder must register by August 29.

The following is provided to help you plan for the 2012-13 IPEDS data collection. 

2012-13 Data Collection

Schedule for the 2012-13 Data Collection: 

https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/ViewContent.aspx?contentId=21

Changes to the 2012-13 Survey Components: 

https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/ViewContent.aspx?contentId=22

For more information, use the Help menu in the data collection system.

A quick overview of the 2012-13 IPEDS data collection is provided below:

Registration Period 2012-13 (Registration, Institution Mapping, Institution Identification, IC Header)
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 18 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

During the registration period (August 8, 2012-September 4, 2012), institutions are encouraged to 

complete the Institution Identification page, the Institution Mapping (if applicable), and the IC Header 

questions. These three items must be completed before the Fall survey components can be started. The 

IC Header is available until the end of the Fall collection. Institution Identification is available 

through Spring.

Fall 2012 (Institutional Characteristics, Completions, and 12-month Enrollment): 

Opens September 5, 2012

Closes October 17, 2012 for Keyholders and October 31, 2012 for Coordinators.

Winter 2012-13 (Student Financial Aid):

Opens December 5, 2012

Closes February 6, 2013 for Keyholders and February 20, 2013 for Coordinators.

Spring 2013 (Human Resources, Fall Enrollment, Finance, Graduation Rates, and 200% Graduation 

Rates): 

***Opens December 5, 2012***

Closes April 10, 2013 for keyholders and April 24, 2013 for Coordinators.

For your convenience in preparing for the upcoming collections, ALL survey forms, instructions, file 

import specifications, narrative edits, and FAQs for the 2012-13 surveys are available through the data 

collection system (select Help, then Survey Materials). The IPEDS Coordinator Manual and a New 

Keyholder Handbook are available through the Help menu of the Data Collection System.

We hope that you enjoy the rest of the summer and thank you in advance for your continued support in 

making IPEDS successful. If you need additional information or help with registration, please call the 

IPEDS Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568 or email them at ipedshelp@rti.org. If you have questions about 

Coordinator roles and responsibilities within IPEDS, please contact Janice Plotczyk at 202-502-7459 

or Janice.Plotczyk@ed.gov.

Best regards,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics 

1990 K Street, NW - Room 8113C 

Washington, DC 20006

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 

Below is the text for the email being sent to Keyholders:

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 

Subject: IPEDS 2012-13 Registration Information - <UnitID>

August 8, 2012

Dear IPEDS Keyholder:
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 19 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Welcome back! The National Center for Education Statistics is finalizing preparations for the 2012-13

IPEDS data collection. At the end of the Spring 2012 collection period, you were registered as the 

keyholder for your institution. If you will continue to serve as the keyholder for the upcoming 2012-

13 collection cycle, please be sure to register as directed below. If you will NOT be serving as the 

keyholder for this collection year, please forward this email to your Chief Executive Officer so that 

another keyholder can be assigned.

The success of the IPEDS data collection and quality of the IPEDS data depend, in large part, on your 

efforts. Thank you in advance for your work this coming year.

The importance of your institution's compliance with the IPEDS reporting responsibility cannot be 

overstated. As you know, responses to the IPEDS surveys are mandated for those institutions that 

participate or expect to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs under Section 487(a)(17) 

of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, (HEA), 20 U.S.C. §1094(a)(17) and the Department 

of Education's (Department) regulations at 34 C.F.R. §668.14(b)(19). As a condition of continued 

participation in the federal student aid programs, all institutions must complete, in a timely manner 

and to the satisfaction of the Secretary, all surveys conducted as a part of the Integrated Postsecondary 

Education Data System. According to the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), an institution's failure 

to complete and submit these surveys is a serious violation of its obligations under the HEA and the 

regulations, and appropriate action, including warnings, fines, and possible loss of eligibility for Title 

IV federal student financial aid programs, will be taken by that office.

 

Keyholder Registration:

The keyholder's UserID and Password to access the IPEDS web-based data collection system for the 

2012-13 collection cycle is listed below. This is a TEMPORARY password and you will need to 

create your own password when logging in.

******************************************

Institution: <Institution_Name>

UserID: <UserID>

Temporary Password: <PW>

******************************************

The registration site opens August 8, 2012. Keyholders must register online at: 

http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/IPEDS by August 29, 2012. In order to ensure that each institution is 

registered, we will send reminder letters to CEOs of Title IV institutions if the keyholder is not 

registered by the August 29 date. 

When registering in the system, please be sure that your registration information is correct. Verify 

your phone number and make sure that your email address is correct, since these will be used for ALL 

further contact during the data collection. You may also designate a different keyholder at this time 

and you may request additional IDs and passwords for other users if your institution has more than one 

person who will need access to the system. You may request up to six (6) additional UserIDs and 

passwords when you register. All additional users will be required to register, but only the keyholder 

must register by August 29.

2012-13 Data Collection

Schedule for the 2012-13 Data Collection: 

https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/ViewContent.aspx?contentId=21
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 20 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Changes to the 2012-13 Survey Components: 

https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/ViewContent.aspx?contentId=22

For more information, use the Help menu in the data collection system.

A quick overview of the 2012-13 IPEDS data collection is provided below:

Registration Period 2012-13 (Registration, Institution Mapping, Institution Identification, IC Header)

During the registration period (August 8, 2012-September 4, 2012), institutions are encouraged to 

complete the Institution Identification page, the Institution Mapping (if applicable), and the IC Header 

questions. These three items must be completed before the Fall survey components can be started. The 

IC Header is available until the end of the Fall collection. Institution Identification is available 

through Spring.

Fall 2012 (Institutional Characteristics, Completions, and 12-month Enrollment): 

Opens September 5, 2012

Closes October 17, 2012 for Keyholders

Winter 2012-13 (Student Financial Aid):

Opens December 5, 2012

Closes February 6, 2013 for Keyholders

Spring 2013 (Human Resources, Fall Enrollment, Finance, Graduation Rates, and 200% Graduation 

Rates): 

***Opens December 5, 2012***

Closes April 10, 2013 for Keyholders

For your convenience in preparing for the upcoming collections, ALL survey forms, instructions, file 

import specifications, narrative edits, and FAQs for the 2012-13 surveys are available through the data 

collection system (select Help, then Survey Materials). A New Keyholder Handbook is also available 

in the Help menu; even though you are a veteran IPEDS keyholder, this resource may be useful to you. 

Data Availability for 2011-12 Collection:

The 2011-12 IPEDS data collection was very successful and the data submitted by the institutions 

during Fall, Winter, and Spring are currently available through the IPEDS Data Center. Additionally, 

we continue to update the College Navigator website with new data as they become available. Both 

tools can be accessed from the IPEDS homepage at: http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds. 

We hope you enjoy the rest of the summer and thank you in advance for your assistance in making 

IPEDS a success. If you need additional information, please call the Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568 or 

email them at ipedshelp@rti.org. 

Best regards,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 21 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 9. New Keyholder Welcome Package/Email

Subject: IPEDS Information for New Keyholders

<No specific date—Will be sent automatically as new Keyholders register>

Dear IPEDS Keyholder:

Welcome to IPEDS! As a new IPEDS Keyholder, you have an important job. The quality and 

accuracy of your institution’s IPEDS data depend on you. 

IPEDS data are a public face of your institution, and are widely used. They are used by students and 

parents, through the College Navigator website and on the FAFSA form, to aid in the college search 

process; by federal, state, and local governments for policy analysis and development; by institutions 

for benchmarking and peer analysis; and by professional associations, private businesses, and the 

media. In a minute we’ll talk about how you can access the IPEDS data you submit for use at your 

campus.

Resources:

The Data Provider Center website, at https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/, has all the information you’ll 

need to submit your IPEDS data. This information can also be found from the Help menu in the Data 

Collection System.

The IPEDS New Keyholder Handbook provides an easy way to get oriented to IPEDS. This manual 

includes a lot of useful information, including information on keyholder responsibilities, how to 

submit and lock your data, where to get help and training, and tips from veteran keyholders and the 

Help Desk, all collected in one place for easy reference.

The first thing we suggest you do to get ready to submit IPEDS data is to familiarize yourself with the 

data collection schedule for the year. The 2012-13 data collection schedule is shown below. Also, 

attached to this email is a calendar that you can print out and post on your bulletin board for easy 

reference, and forward to others in your institution who help with IPEDS data submission. Please 

remember that deadline extensions are NOT available.

Fall 2012: September 5, 2012 – October 17, 2012

Winter 2012-13: December 5, 2012 – February 6, 2013

Spring 2013: December 5, 2012 – April 10, 2013

Next, you’ll probably want to familiarize yourself with the data you’ll need to submit. Using the 

Survey Materials option, you can access blank survey forms, instructions, FAQs, and edit and import 

specifications, so that you can prepare your data for submission, and alert others at your institution to 

the data you’ll need them to provide to you for submission. Seasoned keyholders will tell you that it’s 

best to start early so that you aren’t trying to find and report all the data in a last-minute crunch. Also, 

if you submit your data prior to the last three weeks before data collection closes, we’ll send an email 

to your president or CEO alerting them to your accomplishment.

Finally, the most important resource will be the IPEDS Help Desk, which can be reached at 1-877-

225-2568, or ipedshelp@rti.org. If you have any questions about IPEDS, please contact them for 

assistance. They’re there to help you get your IPEDS data submitted accurately and on time. 

Attached to this email is a flyer with the Help Desk contact information that you can post at your desk 

for ready reference.

Training opportunities:

The Association for Institutional Research, under contract with the U.S. Department of Education, has 

developed free, specialized training materials to assist you. There is an online tutorial specifically for 

new keyholders that provides an overview of keyholder responsibilities and how the IPEDS data 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 22 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

submission process works. There are other online tutorials that will assist you in understanding the 

key concepts you need to know in order to accurately submit data for the different survey forms. We 

encourage you to check out the one specifically designed for new keyholders now, and to view the key 

concepts tutorials as you prepare to report the different surveys. These are available at 

http://www.airweb.org/ipeds -- click on “Online Tutorials.” 

Free face-to-face workshops are also held in various parts of the country throughout the year. New 

this year is the full-day New Keyholders Workshop. This workshop provides you with a thorough 

introduction to the IPEDS data collection cycle and reporting requirements. Created specifically for 

new IPEDS keyholders, this workshop outlines the roles and responsibilities of a keyholder and the 

resources available to assist in the IPEDS planning and reporting processes. The workshop also 

provides you an opportunity to create an IPEDS planning calendar for the upcoming data collection 

cycle. This workshop is limited to new keyholders, there is no fee to attend, and you can request up to 

$500 to offset the cost of travel. Watch for special email announcements. 

Face-to-face workshops on other IPEDS topics are also held throughout the year. You can see the list 

of workshops and locations at http://www.airweb.org/ipeds -- click on “Workshops.” Registration 

priority is given to keyholders, and some travel assistance is available. Attached to this email is a flyer 

that describes the various IPEDS training resources available to you.

Data Dissemination:

The data you submit to IPEDS are made available to the public through the IPEDS online data use 

tools:

• Your institution will be included on the College Navigator website 

(http://collegenavigator.ed.gov), a college search tool designed for parents, prospective 

students, and high school counselors. 

• The IPEDS Data Feedback Report, produced annually, compares your institution to a group of 

similar institutions on a number of indicators. This report is sent to your institution’s CEO, 

but is available to anyone through the Executive Peer Tool 

(http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/). 

• IPEDS data are tabulated at the national, state, and sector level; tables are available through 

the Tables Library (http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/tables_library/). 

• And you can access data for your institution and all other IPEDS-participating institutions at 

the IPEDS Data Center (http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/), where you can compare 

institutional data, create reports, download data files, and more! 

The IPEDS Data Tools Help Desk is available to answer questions about all these tools, and can be 

reached at 1-866-558-0658 or ipedstools@rti.org. 

Finally, thank you in advance for your work during the 2012-13 IPEDS Data Collection. If you need 

additional information, please call the Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568 or email them at 

ipedshelp@rti.org . 

Best regards,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 23 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 10. Registration +2 Weeks Keyholder Reminder Email

Subject: IPEDS Reminder- Keyholder Registration Required – <UnitID>

August 22, 2013

 

Dear Keyholder: 

As of this morning, you have not registered as Keyholder for the upcoming 2012-13 IPEDS collection. 

Please remember that all Keyholders must register by August 29 in order to avoid a reminder letter 

being sent to the institution’s Chief Executive. For your convenience, a copy of the email that was 

sent to you on August 8, which contains your UserID and Password, is included below. If you will not 

be the keyholder for this collection year, please forward this email to the appropriate person(s). Thank 

you for your prompt attention to this matter. 

The registration site is available at: http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/ 

Once you have registered, all 2012-13 survey forms, instructions, upload specifications, and other 

information can be accessed through the Help menu (click on Survey Materials) in the data collection 

system. 

The Fall data collection will open on September 5, 2012. 

 

IPEDS Help Desk

Toll Free 1-877-225-2568

ipedshelp@rti.org

**NOTE: A copy of the original registration email, including embedded UserID/PW, 

will be attached below.**
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 24 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 11. Annual Update Email to CEOs of IPEDS Institutions 

Subject: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) - <UnitID>

Dear Chief Executive Officer –

Please read this email. It has important implications for your institution and its responsibilities related 

to awarding federal student aid.

The annual Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data collection has begun. 

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important data collection effort. This letter will serve 

to inform or remind you about some important aspects of the IPEDS program.

Importance of submitting accurate and timely IPEDS data

The completion of all IPEDS surveys in a timely and accurate manner is mandatory for all institutions 

that participate in or are applicants for participation in any federal financial assistance program 

authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Submitting IPEDS data accurately and 

on time is required by your Program Participation Agreement for Title IV federal student financial aid 

programs with the US Department of Education. In this way, your institution will avoid fines and 

other possible penalties for noncompliance with IPEDS reporting requirements.

Additionally, IPEDS data are a public face of your institution. 

 IPEDS data are used in the College Navigator (http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/) 

consumer information and college search tool, designed to help college students, prospective 

students, and their parents understand the differences between colleges and how much it costs 

to attend college. This tool gets a million page views a month, and is increasingly being used 

by high school counselors as they help students identify postsecondary educational 

opportunities.

 IPEDS data are displayed on the FAFSA online form. As potential students apply for 

financial aid, they can see the tuition and fees, average net price, graduation rates, retention 

rates, and transfer rates for schools as reported through IPEDS. 

 IPEDS data are also used for the College Affordability and Transparency Center

(http://collegecost.ed.gov), which lists institutions with the highest and lowest tuition and fees 

as well as highest and lowest net prices (the price of attendance minus grant and scholarship 

aid). It also shows institutions where tuition and fees and net prices are increasing at the 

highest rates; institutions on these lists are subject to additional reporting to the US 

Department of Education. The lists are made from the IPEDS data your institution submits. 

 The IPEDS Data Feedback Report provides each institution a context for examining the data 

they submitted to IPEDS. The goal is to produce an annual report that is useful to institutional 

executives and institutions for benchmarking and peer analysis, and that can help improve the 

quality and comparability of IPEDS data. The report is mailed to Chief Executive Officers 

each fall. PDF versions of the reports are available to institutions and the public from the Data 

Center and Executive Peer Tool (http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/).

The role of the IPEDS Keyholder

Each institution has an IPEDS Keyholder, who was appointed by you or your predecessor. This is the 

person who is responsible for making sure all IPEDS data are submitted accurately and on time. In fact, 

the success of the IPEDS data collection and quality of the IPEDS data depend, in large part, on the 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 25 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

efforts of your institution’s Keyholder. Many different offices and records systems are typically 

involved in IPEDS reporting (institutional research, registrar, admissions, financial aid, business, 

personnel, information technology), so the Keyholder is often called on to act as a data coordinator in 

order to make sure all IPEDS reporting requirements are met. IPEDS data are submitted throughout the 

year, during the fall, winter, and spring data collection periods.

How you can help

You can support your Keyholder by helping to make sure all offices involved in IPEDS reporting are 

aware of the importance of data quality and timeliness. You should also know that it requires a 

significant amount of time to complete your institution’s IPEDS submissions; you can view the IPEDS 

reporting burden estimates at https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/ViewContent.aspx?contentId=12. 

Finally, it might be important to make sure the Keyholder has time to attend IPEDS training through 

online tutorials, webinars, and face-to-face workshops; the training provided through our contractor, 

the Association for Institutional Research, is free, and travel grants are available 

(http://www.airweb.org/ipeds). 

If you have questions

Thank you for your attention to this message. If you have questions, please contact Jan Plotczyk, 

Team Leader of IPEDS Data Collection, at janice.plotczyk@ed.gov. 

Sincerely,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 26 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 12. Registration +3 Weeks Reminder Letter to CEOs

August 29, 2012

ceo_name

ceo_title

institution_name

addr1_txt

city_txt, state_cd zip_text

Dear Chief Executive Officer:

The National Center for Education Statistics is finalizing preparations for the 2012-13 Integrated 

Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data collection. Your institution currently does not have 

a designated keyholder for the upcoming 2012-13 collection cycle; please appoint one at this time, and 

forward the enclosed materials to that individual. The success of the IPEDS data collection and quality 

of the IPEDS data depend, in large part, on the efforts of your institution’s keyholder.

The keyholder is responsible for your institution’s data submission and should be someone who is 

familiar with the IPEDS data collection. This person is responsible for all three collections— Fall 2012, 

Winter 2012-13, and Spring 2013. The enclosed materials provide the information your appointed 

keyholder will need to register prior to entering data into the system. Once your keyholder 

registers, all future correspondence will go directly to him or her.

The importance of your institution’s compliance with this reporting responsibility cannot be overstated. 

Please be aware that responses to the IPEDS surveys are mandated for those institutions that participate 

or expect to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs under Section 487(a)(17) of the 

Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), 20 U.S.C. §1094(a)(17) and the Department of 

Education’s regulations at 34 C.F.R. §668.14(b)(19). As a condition of continued participation in the 

federal student aid programs, all institutions must complete, in a timely manner and to the satisfaction 

of the Secretary, all surveys conducted as a part of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data 

System. According to the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), an institution’s failure to complete and 

submit these surveys is a serious violation of its obligations under the HEA and the regulations, and 

appropriate action, including warnings, fines, and possible loss of eligibility for Title IV federal student 

financial aid programs, will be taken by that office.

Because of the importance of the IPEDS surveys, we will contact you again if your keyholder has not 

registered by September 19, 2012. Registration is currently open, and the data collection periods are 

scheduled as follows:

Fall 2012: September 5, 2012 – October 17, 2012

Winter 2012-13: December 5, 2012 – February 6, 2013

Spring 2013: December 5, 2012 – April 10, 2013

The results of the 2011-12 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) web-based data 

collections are currently available through the IPEDS Data Center and the College Navigator website. 

Links to these data tools are on the IPEDS web site at http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds. 

There is no need for you to respond to this letter. However, if you need any additional information 

or have any questions, please contact the IPEDS Help Desk toll free at 1-877-225-2568 (or send an 

email to ipedshelp@rti.org). Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important project.
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 27 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Sincerely,

Sharon A. Boivin

Acting Associate Commissioner

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career 

Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics

Attachments

unitid
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 28 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 13. Annual Update Email to IPEDS Coordinators

Subject: IPEDS Update - Important Information for Coordinators

August 29, 2012

Dear IPEDS Coordinator:

Welcome back to IPEDS! The 2012-13 data collection year is now underway, and the Fall collection opens 

next week. As we begin this collection year, we’d like to thank you for your continued support of IPEDS. 

We are well aware of the many contributions, and long hours of work, that go into making sure the data

provided by your institutions are timely and accurate.

As you know, there is a lot going on with IPEDS this year. Here are some of the key issues:

- Again this year, many keyholders (and coordinators who hold the first lock), are being asked confirm or 

revise their Reporting Map as part of the Registration process. The Reporting Map reconciles differences 

between the way that an institution reports data to IPEDS, and the way that institution is organized for Title 

IV federal student aid purposes, as reflected in the Postsecondary Education Participation System (PEPS) 

database. Hopefully this process will be relatively quick and painless since this is the second year we have 

included this process.

- The Human Resources (HR) component is now being required to be locked by the close of the Spring 

collection, rather than the Winter collection. However, the HR component has SIGNIFICANT changes which 

are likely to require substantial time and resources to re-tool on most campuses. If you have not already done 

so, please review the HR changes as soon as possible so that you can be aware of the changes underway.

- The Completions (C) survey component has been expanded to also include the collection of completers (e.g. 

head count of students to whom awards were conferred), in addition to the existing collection of completions 

(e.g. number of awards conferred). 

- Several distance education items have been added to IPEDS survey components for this collection year. 

- Details on the changes listed above, as well as all other changes for 2012-13, are available at: 

https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/ViewContent.aspx?contentId=22

- Again this year, the Student Financial Aid (SFA) component is required to be locked by the close of the 

Winter (rather than the Spring) collection. The good news is that the SFA component remains unchanged 

from last year.

- IC Header: Again this year, IC Header information will be available for reporting during the registration 

period (which opened August 8, 2012). Institutions are encouraged BUT NOT REQUIRED to complete the 

IC Header questions during the registration. The IC Header questions must be locked before the Fall survey 

components can be started.

- Net Price Calculator: The HEOA requires that every institution’s Net Price Calculator be updated annually. 

Please work with your institutions to ensure that this happens. The IPEDS template, including the most recent 

aid data information, is available at: http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/news_room/ana_netprice_1029.asp

State coordinators should view the report (within the collection system) entitled “State List of Institutions not 

Coordinated by Your Office” in order to determine if there are any institutions new to IPEDS that need to be 

added to your coordination list.

As always, please contact the IPEDS Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568, or ipedshelp@rti.org, if you need to add 

or delete institutions in your coordination list, or need to modify locking orders for any of your institutions.

Thanks again, and we look forward to another year of working with you.

Janice Plotczyk

IPEDS Coordinator Liaison

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 29 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 14. Fall Opening Announcement Email

Subject: IPEDS Fall Data Collection Now Open

September 5, 2012

Dear IPEDS Keyholder:

The Fall 2012 IPEDS web-based data collection is now open, and will remain open to Keyholders 

through October 17, 2012.

You can access the collection site at: http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds OR you may use the main 

IPEDS website at http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds and follow the links to the data provider center. 

-- Use your 2012-13 UserID and password (emailed to you, or mailed to your institution's CEO, in 

early August). Keyholder UserIDs begin with “P” or “88G.”

-- If you have a keyholder change, be sure to change the contact information in the registration screen, 

which can be found under the Tools menu. 

-- All institutions MUST complete and lock the Institutional Characteristics (IC) component, the 

Completions (C) component, and 12-month Enrollment (E12) component. The IC Header component 

must be locked before you can begin submitting data for the Fall components.

Note that the collection will close on October 17, 2012. You will not be able to submit, edit, or lock 

data after those dates and NO extensions can be granted.

The following assistance is available to you as you prepare your institution’s data submissions:

-- The IPEDS Help Desk is available to assist you at any time during the collection cycle. Please 

contact the Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568 or ipedshelp@rti.org if you have any questions about the 

IPEDS system.

-- Copies of the survey forms, instructions, file upload specifications, and frequently asked questions 

are available in the collection system under the Help menu, click on Survey Materials.

-- The Association for Institutional Research (AIR) has free IPEDS training tutorials available at 

http://airweb.org/ipeds.

Remember that the completion of all IPEDS surveys, in a timely and accurate manner, is mandatory 

for all institutions that participate or are applicants for participation in any Federal financial assistance 

program authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended. IPEDS 

surveys are mandated by 20 U.S.C. 1094(a)(17). Institutions have been fined for failing to submit 

complete surveys on time. 

To assist you in meeting this requirement, NCES has established a rigorous follow-up schedule. 

PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE. You will be prompted ONLY IF 

YOUR SURVEY SUBMISSIONS ARE NOT COMPLETE.

In order to complete all requirements for data submission, keyholders must LOCK each survey.

-- Under "Steps to Locking," be sure to run "Perform Edits" and resolve any errors. 

-- When activated (underlined), click "Lock" and follow the instructions. 

-- Please be sure to check your Survey status to make sure that it reads Locked or Complete after you 

have locked your data. 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 30 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

-- Use the "Am I Done" feature to ensure that you have completed all required surveys. 

Please be sure to provide a current email address for your institution’s Chief Executive (CEO) on your 

Institution Identification page, as it may be necessary to send IPEDS-related information to your CEO. 

Keyholders will always be copied on any such email correspondence. For example, NCES will send 

an email acknowledgement to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of those institutions that lock all of 

their required survey components prior to the final three weeks of the collection. Although we realize 

that it is not always possible for the IPEDS data to be submitted this early, we do appreciate the efforts 

of those individuals who can, and do, complete their data entry early in the collection. As such, we 

want to recognize the efforts of those individuals. 

You can also correct or update any data that were submitted during last year’s collection using the 

IPEDS Prior Year Data Revision system at http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds_py/. Use your current 

UserID and password for access.

Finally, please note that Keyholders may “opt out” of receiving some of the scheduled IPEDS 

reminders during the collection. To participate in the “opt out” opportunity, login to the collection 

system, go to the Tools menu and select “Follow-up Opt Out”. After reading the instructions, choose 

the radio button as appropriate. This action must be repeated for EACH collection period, if you 

choose to continue opting out. Note that new Keyholders cannot opt out, and all IPEDS compliance 

requirements still apply (e.g., institutions will not be granted extensions for failure to meet the 

reporting deadline).

Remember, if you have any questions or need help at any time during the collection cycle, you can 

contact the Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568, or send them an email at ipedshelp@rti.org.

Best regards,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 31 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 15. One Last Chance Reminder Email to CEOs

September 12, 2012

Dear Chief Executive Officer:

As you know, completion of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) survey

components is a requirement of your institution’s continued participation in Title IV Federal student 

financial aid programs. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is charged with 

conducting the IPEDS data collection, and provides support to participating institutions in this effort. 

Toward this end, NCES grants every institution ONE (and only one) opportunity to submit survey data 

beyond the specified deadline for any of the three annual IPEDS data collection periods.

Your institution, <institution_name>, benefitted from this “one opportunity” during the 

<period_year> data collection. During that collection period, the IPEDS Help Desk accepted postdeadline data and entered it into the IPEDS data collection system on behalf of your institution. This 

letter serves as a reminder that NCES will not again accept late data during this, the 2012-13 data 

collection year, or future data collection years. We are copying your institution’s IPEDS keyholder, 

<KH_name>, on this letter so that he or she is also aware of this notification.

The importance of your institution’s compliance with this reporting responsibility cannot be overstated. 

Please be aware that responses to the IPEDS surveys are mandated for those institutions that participate 

or expect to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs under Section 487(a)(17) of the 

Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), 20 U.S.C. §1094(a)(17) and the Department of 

Education’s regulations at 34 C.F.R. §668.14(b)(19). As a condition of continued participation in the 

federal student aid programs, all institutions must complete, in a timely manner and to the satisfaction 

of the Secretary, all surveys conducted as a part of the IPEDS. According to the Office of Federal 

Student Aid (FSA), an institution’s failure to complete and submit these surveys is a serious violation of 

its obligations under the HEA and the regulations, and appropriate action will be taken by FSA.

If you have any questions about this issue, please feel free to contact the IPEDS Help Desk at 1-877-

225-2568 or ipedshelp@rti.org for further information or clarification. 

Sincerely,

Sharon A. Boivin

Acting Associate Commissioner

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics

CC: <KH_name>
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 32 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 16. Fall Registration Close -4 Weeks Reminder Letter to CEOs

<NCES Letterhead>

September 19, 2012

ceo_name

ceo_title

institution_name

addr1_txt

city_txt, state_cd zip_text

Dear Chief Executive Officer:

Your institution currently does not have a designated keyholder for the 2012-13 IPEDS data collection 

cycle; please appoint one at this time, and forward the enclosed materials to that individual. The 

success of the IPEDS data collection and quality of the IPEDS data depend, in large part, on the efforts 

of your institution’s keyholder.

The keyholder is responsible for your institution’s data submission and should be someone who is 

familiar with the IPEDS data collection. This person is responsible for all three collections— Fall 2012, 

Winter 2012-13, and Spring 2013. The enclosed materials provide the information your appointed 

keyholder will need to register prior to entering data into the system. Once your keyholder 

registers, all future correspondence will go directly to him or her.

The importance of your institution’s compliance with this reporting responsibility cannot be overstated. 

Please be aware that responses to the IPEDS surveys are mandated for those institutions that participate 

or expect to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs under Section 487(a)(17) of the 

Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), 20 U.S.C. §1094(a)(17) and the Department of 

Education’s regulations at 34 C.F.R. §668.14(b)(19). As a condition of continued participation in the 

federal student aid programs, all institutions must complete, in a timely manner and to the satisfaction 

of the Secretary, all surveys conducted as a part of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data 

System. According to the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), an institution’s failure to complete and 

submit these surveys is a serious violation of its obligations under the HEA and the regulations, and 

appropriate action will be taken by FSA.

Because of the importance of the IPEDS surveys, we will contact you again if your keyholder has not 

registered by September 26, 2012. Registration is currently open, and the data collection periods are 

scheduled as follows:

Fall 2012: September 5, 2012 – October 17, 2012

Winter 2012-13: December 5, 2012 – February 6, 2013

Spring 2013: December 5, 2012 – April 10, 2013

The results of the 2011-12 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) web-based data 

collections are currently available through the IPEDS Data Center, and the College Navigator website. 

Links to all of these data tools are on the IPEDS web site at http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds. 

There is no need for you to respond to this letter. However, if you need any additional information 

or have any questions, please contact the IPEDS Help Desk toll free at 1-877-225-2568 (or send an 

email to ipedshelp@rti.org). Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important project.
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 33 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Sincerely,

Sharon A. Boivin

Acting Associate Commissioner

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career 

Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics 

Attachments

unitid
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 34 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 17. Fall Close -4 Weeks Reminder Email to Keyholders

Subject: IPEDS Reminder – Fall Collection Closes in Four Weeks

September 19, 2012

Dear IPEDS Keyholder:

Although there are four weeks remaining in the Fall 2012 IPEDS data collection, please be aware that 

we are scheduled to close promptly on October 17, 2012. Currently, our records indicate that you 

have not begun to enter information for the Fall surveys that are required of your institution. All 

institutions are required to complete the IC Header, Institutional Characteristics, Completions, and 12-

Month Enrollment survey components. 

While we understand that you are busy with many other responsibilities, we would strongly encourage 

you to enter and lock your data as soon as possible. As you know, under Section 487(a)(17) of the 

Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, completion of the IPEDS surveys is an integral part of 

your institution's Program Participation Agreement (PPA) with the Department of Education. 

We will be sending additional email reminders on October 3 and October 10. Also on October 3, we 

will begin calling the CEOs of institutions where keyholders have not begun entering data. 

The IPEDS web-based collection system is located at: http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds and if you 

have questions concerning accessing the system, or entering, editing, or locking your data, please 

contact the Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568, or ipedshelp@rti.org.

Please do not disregard this email! If you believe that you have received this message in error, please 

contact the Help Desk. Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important project.

Best regards,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 35 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 18. Fall Close -4 Weeks Reminder Email to NEW Keyholders

Subject: IPEDS Reminder – Fall Collection Closes in Four Weeks

September 19, 2012

Dear New IPEDS Keyholder:

Although there are four weeks remaining in the Fall 2012 IPEDS data collection, please be aware that 

we are scheduled to close promptly on October 17, 2012. Currently, our records indicate that you 

have not completed and locked all surveys that are required of your institution for this Fall collection. 

While you still have 4 weeks to complete them, we know you are busy with many other 

responsibilities, and we wanted to contact you so this important task doesn’t slip your mind. All 

institutions are required to complete the Institutional Characteristics, the Completions, and the 12-

Month Enrollment survey components. 

When you registered in the IPEDS Data Collection System (DCS), you identified yourself as a 

new keyholder. As such, we wanted to be sure to highlight a few things:

- If you have not yet located and reviewed the blank forms and instructions for completing the 

surveys, please do so as soon as possible. They are available at 

https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/VisIndex.aspx, Contact the IPEDS Help Desk if you need 

assistance with finding the correct forms.

- If you will have assistance from others at your institution in completing the Fall surveys, 

please contact those individuals and provide them with the blank forms, instructions, and due 

date. Also, consider generating and assigning additional UserID and passwords so that these 

individuals can access the Data Collection System directly. The Help Desk can assist you 

with this.

- We strongly encourage you to enter and lock your data as soon as possible. The Help Desk 

gets very busy toward the end of the collection, especially during the last few days, and it is 

harder to reach them. In order that they can answer any questions that you have, please do not 

wait until the last minute.

As you know, under Section 487(a)(17) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, completion 

of the IPEDS surveys is an integral part of your institution's Program Participation Agreement (PPA) 

with the Department of Education. 

We will be sending additional email reminders on October 3 and October 10. Also on October 3, we 

will begin calling the CEOs of institutions where keyholders have not begun entering data. 

The IPEDS web-based collection system is located at: http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds and if you 

have questions concerning accessing the system, or entering, editing, or locking your data, please 

contact the Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568, or ipedshelp@rti.org.

Please do not disregard this email! If you believe that you have received this message in error, please 

contact the Help Desk. Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important project.

Best regards,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 36 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 19. Fall CEO Close -3 Weeks Early-Completer Thank-You Email

Subject: IPEDS Thanks You for Early Response - <UnitID>

September 26, 2012

Dear Chief Executive:

The National Center of Education Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Education, would like to 

extend its appreciation to your institution, and especially to your IPEDS Keyholder, 

<keyholder_name>. As of today (three weeks prior to the close of the Fall data collection), all of the 

required IPEDS surveys for your institution, <institution name>, have been entered, edited, and 

locked.

Because IPEDS is a very large data collection involving a large number of institutions, completing the 

surveys and locking them early during the collection period is extremely helpful. Providing IPEDS 

data is a major undertaking, and we want you to know that we truly appreciate the timely response. 

We hope that you will pass along our word of gratitude to your Keyholder, as he or she is the one who 

is typically charged with overseeing the successful data entry and completion of the mandatory IPEDS 

surveys.

Again, please accept our thanks to you and your staff for your important contributions to the success 

of IPEDS.

Sincerely,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics

CC: <keyholder name>
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 37 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 20. Fall CEO Call Script for No Registered Keyholder

CEO Calls to Title IV Institutions - No Registered Keyholder

Guidelines and Script

Fall 2012

In an effort to get the remaining Title IV schools to register for IPEDS, beginning September 26

th

, we 

will be making calls to those schools who have not registered. We have outlined some guidelines to 

follow when making these calls. Each of you will be getting a list of schools to work sorted by sector. 

Goals of these calls:

1. Get the school to register for IPEDS as soon as possible and remind them of the deadline for 

IPEDS submission of October 17; or

2. Get a good reason for why the school should not be included in IPEDS

List of Sectors:

(0) Central Office Administrative Unit

(1) 4-year public

(2) 4-year private, not-for-profit

(3) 4-year private, for-profit

(4) 2-year public

(5) 2-year private, not-for-profit

(6) 2-year private, for-profit

(7) Less than 2-year public

(8) Less than 2- year private, not-for-profit

(9) Less than 2-year private, for-profit

(99) New Institution

Guidelines to follow for contacting CEOs:

 Check Status of the school to see if it is still showing up as not registered. If they have 

registered since the list was generated, you do not need to call, but be sure to document 

why the call was NOT made.

 CHECK COMMENTS THOROUGHLY to see if any reason for the school not being 

registered. If a reason is given, you may not need to call them. For example, if they called 

us and said that they are no longer Title-IV, and the incident is pending review by project 

staff, you do not need to make the call.

 When you call the school, you will first ask to speak with the CEO (get his/her name from 

the Institution Identification page). If you cannot reach the CEO, please leave him/her a 

message but ALSO try to reach the Keyholder from last year (if there was one). Be sure 

to introduce yourself as being from the IPEDS help desk and state that you are following 

up regarding registration for the IPEDS data collection. An example script is shown 

below. 

 In rare cases, the CEO may give you a reason why they do not think they need to register 

or participate in IPEDS. Keep good notes and document them in the Help Desk 

Application (HDA) thoroughly, then contact a project staff person.

 You MAY also get some schools that submit combined data. All schools need to submit 

their own IC, but other surveys can be combined, in specific situations. If the school is 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 38 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

part of a parent-child relationship, but does not appear that way in the system, get the 

details of the arrangement so that we can set them up properly in the system.

Example script for contacting CEOs:

Hello, my name is ________, calling on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education concerning 

the IPEDS Fall Data Collection. May I speak with Dr./Mr./Ms (CEO NAME)?

IF CEO IS UNAVAILABLE:

May I leave a message for Dr./Mr./Ms (CEO NAME), or can you suggest a time at which I 

should call back?

LEAVE A MESSAGE THAT YOU CALLED AND ASK THAT THE CEO CALL THE IPEDS 

HOTLINE (877-225-2568) OR SET APPOINTMENT TO CALL BACK.

IF CEO IS AVAILABLE:

Hello Dr./Mr./Ms. (CEO NAME), I am calling concerning the IPEDS Fall Data Collection. In 

August and September, we sent letters to you requesting that you appoint a keyholder for the 

IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System). Your keyholder has not registered 

for the Fall data collection which opened on September 5

th

. [IF there is an unregistered keyholder 

in the system, tell the CEO who that person is. If not, ask:] Have you appointed a keyholder?

IF YES:

We need for the keyholder to register and begin data collection immediately in order to 

meet the October 17

th deadline for the data collection. Would you be able to follow-up with the 

keyholder? Or if you prefer, you can give me that name and phone number of the keyholder and 

I will be happy to call them. 

IF NO:

We need for you to appoint a keyholder immediately so they can register and begin data 

collection. The deadline for the collection is October 17th. If you could give me the name and 

phone number of that person now, I will be happy to call them and provide them with the ID 

and password necessary for them to register and begin data collection.

OBTAIN KEYHOLDER NAME AND PHONE NUMBER IF POSSIBLE AND 

FOLLOWUP WITH THAT PERSON.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IF NECESSARY:

According to Section 490 of the Higher Education Amendments of 1992, completion of the IPEDS 

surveys is an important part of your institution’s Program Participation Agreement (PPA) with the 

Department of Education and is mandatory for participation in federal student financial assistance 

programs. 

Thank you very much for your time and cooperation. 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 39 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 21. Fall Keyholder/CEO Call Script for No Data Entered

“NO DATA” Script: Keyholder/CEO Calls to Registered 

Title IV Institutions with no survey data entered 

Fall 2012 Collection

Guidelines and Script

In an effort to get the remaining Title IV schools to enter their IPEDS data, beginning October 5, we 

will be making calls to those schools that have not entered any survey data for their required surveys. 

I have outlined some guidelines to follow when making these calls. Each of you will be getting a list 

of schools assigned to you in the Help Desk Application (HDA). 

Goals of these calls:

1) Get the school to begin data entry as soon as possible and remind them of the deadline for Fall 

IPEDS submission of October 17th; or

2) Get a good reason for why the school should not be included in IPEDS.

ALL calls must be thoroughly documented in the call log in the HDA. 

Guidelines to follow for contacting keyholder and/or CEOs:

 Check Status of the school in the Data Collection System (DCS) to determine if the school is still 

showing up as not having data entered (i.e. status of “NO DATA”) for the Institutional 

Characteristics (IC), 12-Month Enrollment (E12), and Completions (C) surveys. 

 There is a feature in HDA which automatically takes schools off your list as the schools 

start entering data, but you should still check the status in the DCS before making the call.

 If they have begun entering data (i.e. “No Data,” “has data,” “edited,” “clean,” “locked,” 

or “complete” as the status the ANY of the surveys) since the time that list was generated 

they do NOT need to be called (but document this reason in the call log when resolving 

the incident). 

 CHECK HDA COMMENTS THOROUGHLY to see if there is any reason for the school not 

making progress. If a valid reason is given, you do not need to call them (e.g. we are 

determining if they are still Title-IV eligible). However, enter a comment explaining that you 

reviewed the comments and explaining WHY you are not calling.

 When you call the school, you will ask to speak FIRST with the keyholder (KH). If the 

keyholder is no longer employed there, or is unavailable, then you will ask to speak with the 

CEO. 

 The Keyholder name and phone number can be located in the HDA (contacts screen) or in 

the collection system (DCS) in the “user” screen,

 The CEO name and phone number is located in the DCS in the “Institution Identification” 

screen.

 Be sure to introduce yourself as being from the IPEDS helpdesk and state that you are 

following up regarding data entry for the IPEDS Fall data collection. An example script is 

shown below. 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 40 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

 The keyholder or CEO may give you a reason why they do not think they need to participate 

in IPEDS. There should, however, be VERY few acceptable reasons. If they try to give 

you such a reason, please keep good notes and CONTACT Amy, Jennifer, or Jamie.

 If the KH or CEO says that the data are being combined with another school, or that the school 

has closed, seek help from a Team Leader or Project Staff to determine how to handle the 

specific situation.

 Although you will only be calling schools with Keyholders, you should note that there are also 

users called “coordinators” and they have a later deadline of November 1st. If someone tells 

you that their deadline is November 1st, seek help from a colleague to make sure they 

understand if they are really a coordinator or not.

 Keyholder UserIDs start with “P” or “88G.” Any other IDs (starting with a 2-digit 

number) are “coordinator” users.

Example script for contacting Keyholders and CEOs:

First, try to contact the Keyholder:

Hello, my name is ________, calling on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education 

concerning the IPEDS Fall Data Collection. May I speak with Dr./Mr./Ms (Keyholder 

NAME)?

IF keyholder IS UNAVAILABLE:

May I leave a message for Dr./Mr./Ms (NAME), or can you suggest a time at which I 

should call back? (Or if you have already made 2-3 call attempts:) Is there someone else I 

can talk to about the IPEDS Fall data collection?

LEAVE A MESSAGE THAT YOU CALLED AND ASK THAT THE Keyholder/CEO 

CALL THE IPEDS Help Desk (877-225-2568) OR SET APPOINTMENT TO CALL BACK.

IF Keyholder is available:

Hello Dr./Mr./Ms. (KH NAME), I am calling concerning the IPEDS Fall Data Collection. 

***Please note that all calls from the Help Desk may be monitored for quality control 

purposes*** As of today, we see that you have not yet begun entering data. We wanted 

to make sure you were aware of the October 17th deadline. Is there anything I can help 

you with to assure that you are able to meet this deadline?

(If “NO”): Please remember that the deadline for the study is October 17th and that 

participation is mandatory for schools that participate in Title IV student financial aid 

programs. The IPEDS Help Desk will be open Oct. 8th - Oct. 17th from 8:30am-8pm 

weekdays, 10am-6pm Saturday Oct. 13th & 1:30pm-6pm Sunday Oct. 14th. Thank you 

very much and have a nice day.

(If “YES”) Answer any questions they may have.

If keyholder is unavailable, try to contact the CEO.

Hello, my name is ________, calling for the U.S. Department of Education concerning 

the IPEDS Fall Data Collection. May I speak with Dr./Mr./Ms (CEO NAME)?
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 41 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

IF CEO IS UNAVAILABLE:

May I leave a message for Dr./Mr./Ms (NAME), or can you suggest a time at which I 

should call back? Or is there someone else I can talk to about the Fall data collection?

LEAVE A MESSAGE THAT YOU CALLED AND ASK THAT THE CEO CALL THE IPEDS 

HOTLINE (877-225-2568) OR SET APPOINTMENT TO CALL BACK.

IF CEO IS AVAILABLE:

Hello Dr./Mr./Ms. (CEO NAME), I am calling concerning the IPEDS Fall Data 

Collection.  Please note that all calls from the Help Desk may be monitored for quality 

control purposes.** **As of today, your school has not yet begun entering data. We wanted to 

make sure you are aware of the October 17th deadline. I tried contacting your keyholder, 

Dr/Mr/Ms (KH Name), but was unable to reach him/her. 

We would very much appreciate your help because the surveys must be completed by 

October 17 and they are mandatory for schools that participate in Title IV student financial aid 

programs.

Is there anything I can help you with to assure that you are able to meet the October 

17th deadline?

(If “NO”): Then thank you very much for reminding your keyholder, and have a nice 

day.

(If “YES”) Answer any questions they may have.

*** A checkbox has been added in HDA. Once the script has been read, indicating that the 

call may be monitored for quality control purposes, the box should be checked, and this part of the 

script does not need to be read during future calls to the school. 

IF CEO THINKS SCHOOL IS OUT OF SCOPE FOR IPEDS, OBTAIN REASON AND 

RECORD DETAILS. Contact Amy, Jennifer, or Jamiewith this information.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IF NECESSARY:

According to Section 490 of the Higher Education Amendments of 1992, completion of the 

IPEDS surveys is an important part of your institution’s Program Participation Agreement (PPA) with 

the Department of Education and is mandatory for participation in federal student financial assistance 

programs. 

Thank you very much for your time and cooperation. 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 42 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 22. Fall Close -2 Weeks Reminder Email to Keyholder for “No Data Entered” or 

“All Required Surveys Not Locked”

Subject: IPEDS Reminder – Fall Collection Closes in Two Weeks

October 3, 2012

Dear IPEDS Keyholder:

The Fall 2012 IPEDS data collection is scheduled to close in just two weeks, on October 17. 

Currently, our records indicate that you have not yet locked the required surveys that are being 

conducted this Fall. 

All institutions are required to complete the IC Header, Institutional Characteristics (IC), Completions 

(C), and 12-Month Enrollment (E12) components. 

Please remember that you must lock each survey for it to be considered a response. Use the "Am I 

Done?" feature to confirm that all of your required surveys are locked.

While we understand that you are busy with many other responsibilities, we would strongly encourage 

you to enter and lock your data as soon as possible. Section 487(a)(17) of the Higher Education Act of 

1965, as amended, requires that, as a condition of continued participation in the federal student aid 

programs, all institutions must complete the IPEDS surveys. 

The office of Federal Student Aid has provided the following warning to institutions that did not 

provide data during recent IPEDS collections: "We want to stress that compliance with these 

reporting requirements is an important obligation for all schools that participate in the federal student 

aid programs... An institution's failure to complete and submit these surveys is considered a serious 

violation of its obligations under the HEA and the regulations."

At this time, the Help Desk is beginning to call the CEOs of Title IV institutions that have not yet 

begun entering any data. In order to avoid receiving such a call, please begin entering your data as 

soon as possible. Following today's email reminder, we will send one additional email reminder, on 

October 10, to ensure your compliance with the collection deadline date of October 17, 2012.

The data collection website is located at http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds. If you have questions 

concerning accessing the system, or entering, editing, or locking your data, please contact the Help 

Desk at 1-877-225-2568, or ipedshelp@rti.org. The help desk will operate extended hours starting 

October 8 and continuing through the end of the collection on October 17: Weekdays 8:30am to 

8:00pm, Saturday (October 13) 10:00am to 6:00pm, and Sunday (October 14) 1:30pm to 6:00pm, all 

times are Eastern.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important project.

Sincerely,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 43 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 23. Fall Keyholder Call Script for Institutions with NEW Keyholder and All 

Required Surveys Not Yet Locked

New Keyholder Script: Keyholder Calls to Registered 

Title IV Institutions with a new Keyholder and all surveys not locked

Fall 2012 Collection

Guidelines and Script

In recent years, new* keyholders have been most at risk for failing to complete all required surveys by 

the collection deadline. To better target these less experienced keyholders, we will be contacting them 

if all required surveys are not locked as of two weeks remaining in the collection. 

*New keyholders are self-identified by selecting the “New Keyholder” radio button at the time of their 

registration in the IPEDS collection system.

Beginning October 3, we will be making calls to new keyholders if they haven’t yet locked all 

surveys. Guidelines for conducting these calls are outlined below. Call assignments will be made 

within the Help Desk Application (HDA). 

Goals of these calls:

- Confirm that the new keyholder is aware of the Fall IPEDS submission of October 17

- Confirm that the new keyholder is aware of all surveys required during the fall collection;

- Offer assistance, if needed, to assist the keyholder in completing and locking the surveys.

ALL calls must be thoroughly documented in the call log in the HDA. 

Guidelines to follow for contacting the keyholder:

 Check Status of the school in the Data Collection System (DCS) to determine if the school is still 

not yet complete (i.e. status other than “locked” or “complete” for the Institutional 

Characteristics (IC), 12-Month Enrollment (E12), and Completions (C) surveys). 

 If they have completed entering data (i.e. “locked,” or “complete” as the status for ALL of 

the above surveys) since the time that list was generated they do NOT need to be called, 

but document this reason in the call log when resolving the incident. 

 CHECK HDA COMMENTS THOROUGHLY to see if there is any reason for the school not 

making progress, or if the Keyholder has already been in contact with the help desk to seek 

assistance. 

 When you call the school, you will ask to speak with the keyholder (KH). If the keyholder is 

no longer employed there, or is unavailable, then you will ask to speak with the CEO. 

 The Keyholder name and phone number can be located in the HDA (contacts screen) or in 

the collection system (DCS) in the “user” screen,

 Be sure to introduce yourself as being from the IPEDS helpdesk and state that you are 

following up regarding data entry for the IPEDS Fall data collection. An example script is 

included below. 

 Although you will only be calling schools with Keyholders, you should note that there are also 

users called “coordinators” and they have a later deadline of October 31. If someone tells you 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 44 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

that their deadline is October 31, seek help from a colleague to make sure they understand if 

they are really a coordinator or not. Keyholder UserIDs start with “P” or “88G.” Any other

IDs (starting with a 2-digit number) are “coordinator” users.

Example script for contacting Keyholders:

Hello, my name is ________, calling on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education 

concerning the IPEDS Fall Data Collection. May I speak with Dr./Mr./Ms (Keyholder 

NAME)?

IF keyholder IS UNAVAILABLE:

May I leave a message for Dr./Mr./Ms (NAME), or can you suggest a time at which I 

should call back? 

LEAVE A MESSAGE THAT YOU CALLED AND ASK THAT THE Keyholder CALL 

THE IPEDS Help Desk (877-225-2568) OR SET APPOINTMENT TO CALL BACK.

IF Keyholder is available:

Hello Dr./Mr./Ms. (KH NAME), I am calling concerning the IPEDS Fall Data Collection. 

***Please note that all calls from the Help Desk may be monitored for quality control 

purposes*** Because you have identified yourself as a new keyholder, we are contacting 

you as a courtesy to make sure you are aware of the October 17th deadline for submitting 

Fall data.

Are you aware that your institution has surveys due by October 17

th, which includes 

Institutional Characteristics, Completions, and 12-Month Enrollment?

Are you the individual who will be completing the Fall surveys?

(If NO: Have you contacted the individuals responsible for those surveys and 

provided the blank forms, instructions, and due dates?)

(If YES: Have you located the blank forms and instructions for completing the 

surveys?)

Is there anything I can help you with to assure that you are able to meet this deadline?

(If “YES”) Answer any questions they may have.

Please keep the Help Desk phone number handy in case you have questions that we can 

assist you with. Do you need the phone number?

(If “YES”) Provide phone number and email address.

We also wanted to encourage you to complete the surveys as soon as possible. Just to let 

you know, the Help Desk tends to get very busy toward the end of the collection, 

especially the last few days, and it is harder to reach us. In order that we can answer any 

questions that you have, please do not wait until the last minute.

Thank you for your time, and have a nice day.

*** A checkbox has been added in HDA. Once the script has been read, indicating that the call may be 

monitored for quality control purposes, the box should be checked, and this part of the script does not need to be 

read during future calls to the school. 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 45 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 24. Fall Close -1 Week Reminder Email to Keyholder for “No Data Entered” or

“All Required Surveys are Not Locked”

**Note: The CEO will be copied on this email IF the institution is on the “special call” list having 

missed a collection deadline during the prior 2 collection years.

Subject: IPEDS Reminder – Fall Collection Closes in One Week

October 10, 2012

Dear IPEDS Keyholder:

As of today, your institution had not completed its required IPEDS Fall 2012 survey components. The 

IC Header, Institutional Characteristics (IC), Completions (C) and 12-Month Enrollment (E12) 

components are required for all institutions.

You can access the data collection site at: http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds. Log into the system and 

click on the "Am I Done?" link at the top of your institution's survey list to see which surveys you 

need to complete.

Please do NOT ignore this email but if you feel you have received it in error, call the Help Desk at 1-

877-225-2568.

The Fall 2012 data collection will close to keyholders on Wednesday, October 17, 2012, at midnight 

Pacific Time. You will not be able to submit, edit, or lock data after that date and NO extensions can 

be granted. Please remember that each survey component must be locked to be considered a response. 

If you have not locked the required IPEDS survey components by October 17, your institution will be 

referred to the office of Federal Student Aid for appropriate action. 

Section 487(a)(17) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, requires that, as a condition of 

continued participation in the federal student aid programs, all institutions must complete the IPEDS 

surveys.

If you have questions concerning accessing the system, or entering, editing, or locking your data, 

please contact the Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568, or ipedshelp@rti.org. The help desk will be 

operating extended hours through the end of the collection on October 17 as follows: Weekdays

8:30am to 8:00pm, Saturday (October 13) 10:00am to 6:00pm and Sunday (October 14) 1:30pm to 

5:00pm, all times are Eastern.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important project.

Sincerely,

Sharon A. Boivin

Acting Associate Commissioner

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 46 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 25. Winter/Spring Opening Announcement Email

Subject: IPEDS Winter AND Spring Data Collections Now Open

December 5, 2012

Dear IPEDS Keyholder:

Both the Winter 2012-13 and Spring 2013 web-based data collections are now open. The Winter 

collection will remain open through February 6, 2013, and the Spring collection will remain open 

through April 10, 2013.

You can access the collection site at: http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/IPEDS

IMPORTANT NOTE: When you log in, you will need to choose a new password, because your 

current password has expired. 

For the Winter collection:

- All institutions with undergraduate students MUST complete the Student Financial Aid (SFA) 

component by February 6, 2013.

For the Spring collection:

- All institutions MUST complete the Human Resources (HR), Finance (F) and Fall Enrollment (EF)

components, and most institutions must complete the, Graduation Rates (GR), and 200% Graduation 

Rate (GR200) components. These survey components must be completed by April 10, 2013.

Please make a note of the reporting deadlines for these survey components. You will not be able to 

submit, edit, or lock data after those dates and NO extensions can be granted.

The following assistance is available to you as you prepare your institution’s data submissions:

- The IPEDS Help Desk is available to assist you at any time during the collection cycle. Please 

contact the Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568 or ipedshelp@rti.org if you have any questions about the 

IPEDS system.

- Copies of the survey forms, instructions, file upload specifications, and frequently asked questions

are available in the collection system under the Help menu.

- The Association for Institutional Research (AIR) has free IPEDS training Webinars available at 

http://www.airweb.org, click on IPEDS.

Remember that the completion of all IPEDS surveys, in a timely and accurate manner, is mandatory 

for all institutions that participate or are applicants for participation in any Federal financial assistance 

program authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended. IPEDS 

surveys are mandated by 20 U.S.C. 1094(a)(17). Institutions have been fined for failing to submit 

complete surveys on time. 

To assist you in meeting this requirement, NCES has established a rigorous follow-up schedule. 

PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE. You will be prompted ONLY IF 

YOUR SURVEY SUBMISSION IS NOT COMPLETE.

In order to complete all requirements for data submission, keyholders must LOCK each survey.

- Under "Steps to Locking," be sure to run "Perform Edits" and resolve any errors. 

- When activated (underlined), click "Lock" and follow the instructions. 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 47 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

- Please be sure to check your Survey status to make sure that it reads Locked or Complete after you 

have locked your data. 

- Use the "Am I Done" feature to ensure that you have completed all required surveys. 

NCES will send an email acknowledgement to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of those institutions 

that lock all of their required survey components prior to the final three weeks of the collection. 

Although we realize that it is not always possible for the IPEDS data to be submitted this early, we do 

appreciate the efforts of those individuals who can, and do, complete their data entry early in the 

collection. As such, we want to recognize the efforts of those individuals. If your institution changes 

keyholders at any time during the year, be sure to change the contact information on the registration 

screen, which can be found under "Tools."

You can correct or update any data that were submitted during last year’s collection using the IPEDS 

Prior Year Data Revision system at http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds_py/. Use your current UserID 

and password for access.

Finally, please note that Keyholders may “opt-out” of receiving some of the scheduled IPEDS 

reminders during the collection. To participate in the “opt-out” opportunity, login to the collection 

system, go to the Tools menu and select “Follow-up Opt Out”. After reading the instructions, choose 

the radio button as appropriate. This action must be repeated for EACH collection period, if you 

choose to continue opting-out. Note that new Keyholders cannot opt-out, and all IPEDS compliance 

requirements still apply (e.g. institutions will not be granted extensions for failure to meet the 

reporting deadline).

Best regards,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 48 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 26. Winter Registration Close -4 Weeks Reminder Letter to CEOs

<NCES Letterhead>

January 9, 2013

ceo_name

ceo_title

institution_name

addr1_txt

city_txt, state_cd zip_text

Dear Chief Executive Officer:

Your institution currently does not have a designated keyholder for the 2012-13 collection cycle. So 

that your institution does not miss any additional reporting deadlines, it is essential that you appoint 

one at this time, and forward the enclosed materials to that individual. The success of the IPEDS data 

collection and quality of the IPEDS data depend, in large part, on the efforts of your institution’s 

keyholder.

The keyholder is responsible for your institution’s data submission and should be someone who is 

familiar with the IPEDS data collection. This person is responsible for all three collections— Fall 2012, 

Winter 2012-13, and Spring 2013. The enclosed materials provide the information your appointed 

keyholder will need to register prior to entering data into the system. Once your keyholder 

registers, all future correspondence will go directly to him or her.

The importance of your institution’s compliance with this reporting responsibility cannot be overstated. 

Please be aware that responses to the IPEDS surveys are mandated for those institutions that participate 

or expect to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs under Section 487(a)(17) of the 

Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), 20 U.S.C. §1094(a)(17) and the Department of 

Education’s regulations at 34 C.F.R. §668.14(b)(19). As a condition of continued participation in the 

federal student aid programs, all institutions must complete, in a timely manner and to the satisfaction 

of the Secretary, all surveys conducted as a part of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data 

System. According to the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), an institution’s failure to complete and 

submit these surveys is a serious violation of its obligations under the HEA and the regulations, and 

appropriate action will be taken by FSA.

The data collection periods for the 2012-13 IPEDS collection year are scheduled as follows:

Fall 2012: September 5, 2012 – October 17, 2012

Winter 2012-13: December 5, 2012 – February 6, 2013

Spring 2013: December 5, 2012 – April 10, 2013

The results of the 2011-12 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) web-based data 

collections are currently available through the IPEDS Data Center, and the College Navigator website. 

Links to all of these data tools are on the IPEDS web site at http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds. 

There is no need for you to respond to this letter. However, if you need any additional information 

or have any questions, please contact the IPEDS Help Desk toll free at 1-877-225-2568 (or send an 

email to ipedshelp@rti.org). Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important project.

Sincerely,
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 49 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Sharon A. Boivin

Acting Associate Commissioner

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career 

Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics 

Attachments

unitid
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 50 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 27. Winter Close -4 Weeks Reminder Email to Keyholders

Subject: IPEDS Reminder – Winter Collection Closes in Four Weeks

January 9, 2013

Dear IPEDS Keyholder: 

There are four weeks remaining in the Winter 2012-13 IPEDS data collection, and we are scheduled to 

close promptly on February 6, 2013. Currently, our records indicate that you have not begun to enter 

information for the Student Financial Aid (SFA) survey component which is required of your 

institution. You will not be able to submit, edit, or lock data after the due date and NO extensions can 

be granted.

While we understand that you are busy with many other responsibilities, we would strongly encourage 

you to enter and lock your data as soon as possible. As you know, under Section 487(a)(17) of the 

Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, completion of the IPEDS surveys is an integral part of 

your institution's Program Participation Agreement (PPA) with the Department of Education. 

We will be sending additional email reminders on January 23 and January 30. Also on January 23, we 

will begin calling the CEOs of institutions where keyholders have not begun entering Student 

Financial Aid (SFA) data. 

The IPEDS web-based collection system is located at: http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds. If you have 

questions concerning accessing the system, or entering, editing, or locking your data, please contact 

the Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568, or ipedshelp@rti.org. 

Please do not disregard this email! If you believe that you have received this message in error, please 

contact the Help Desk. Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important project. 

Best regards, 

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 51 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 28. Winter Close -4 Weeks Reminder Email to NEW Keyholders

Subject: IPEDS Reminder – Winter Collection Closes in Four Weeks

January 9, 2013

Dear IPEDS Keyholder:

Although there are four weeks remaining in the Winter 2012-13 IPEDS data collection, please be 

aware that we are scheduled to close promptly on February 6, 2013. Currently, our records indicate 

that you have not completed and locked all surveys that are required of your institution for this Winter 

collection. All institutions are required to complete the Student Financial Aid (SFA) survey 

component.

When you registered in the IPEDS Data Collection System (DCS), you identified yourself as a 

new keyholder. As such, we wanted to be sure to highlight a few things:

- If you have not yet located and reviewed the blank forms and instructions for completing the 

survey component, please do so as soon as possible. Contact the IPEDS Help Desk if you 

need assistance with finding the correct forms.

- If you are not the individual who will be completing the Winter survey, please contact the 

individuals responsible for those surveys and provide them with the blank forms, instructions, 

and due date. Also, consider generating and assigning “proxy UserIDs” so that these 

individuals can access the DCS directly. 

- While we understand that you are busy with many other responsibilities, we would strongly 

encourage you to enter and lock your data as soon as possible. Just to let you know, the Help 

Desk tends to get very busy toward the end of the collection, especially the last few days, and 

it is harder to reach them. In order that they can answer any questions that you have, please do 

not wait until the last minute.

As you know, under Section 487(a)(17) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, completion 

of the IPEDS surveys is an integral part of your institution's Program Participation Agreement (PPA) 

with the Department of Education. 

We will be sending additional email reminders on January 23rd and 30th. Also on January 23rd, we 

will begin calling the CEOs of institutions where keyholders have not begun entering data. 

The IPEDS web-based collection system is located at: http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds and if you 

have questions concerning accessing the system, or entering, editing, or locking your data, please 

contact the Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568, or ipedshelp@rti.org.

Please do not disregard this email! If you believe that you have received this message in error, please 

contact the Help Desk. Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important project.

Best regards,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 52 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 29. Winter CEO Close -3 Weeks Early-Completer Thank-You Email

Subject: IPEDS Thanks You for Early Response - <UnitID>

January 16, 2013

Dear Chief Executive:

The National Center of Education Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Education, would like to 

extend its appreciation to your institution, and especially to your IPEDS Keyholder, <keyholder

name>. As of today (three weeks prior to the close of the Winter data collection), the required IPEDS 

survey component for your institution, <institution name>, has been entered, edited, and locked.

Because IPEDS is a very large data collection involving a large number of institutions, completing the 

surveys and locking them early during the collection period is extremely helpful. Providing IPEDS 

data is a major undertaking, and we want you to know that we truly appreciate the timely response. 

We hope that you will pass along our word of gratitude to your Keyholder, as he or she is the one who 

is typically charged with overseeing the successful data entry and completion of the mandatory IPEDS 

surveys.

Again, please accept our thanks to you and your staff for your important contributions to the success 

of IPEDS. 

Sincerely,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics

CC: <keyholder name>
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 53 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 30. Winter CEO Call Script for No Registered Keyholder

CEO Calls to Title IV Institutions - No Registered Keyholder

Guidelines and Script

Winter 2012-13

In an effort to get the remaining Title IV schools to register for IPEDS, beginning on January 16th, we 

will be making calls to those schools who have not registered. We have outlined some guidelines to 

follow when making these calls. Each of you will be getting a list of schools to work sorted by sector. 

Goals of these calls:

1) Get the school to register for IPEDS as soon as possible and remind them of the deadline for 

IPEDS submission of February 6 or

2) Get a good reason for why the school should not be included in IPEDS

List of Sectors:

(0) Central Office Administrative Unit

(1) 4-year public

(2) 4-year private, not-for-profit

(3) 4-year private, for-profit

(4) 2-year public

(5) 2-year private, not-for-profit

(6) 2-year private, for-profit

(7) Less than 2-year public

(8) Less than 2- year private, not-for-profit

(9) Less than 2-year private, for-profit

(99) New Institution

Guidelines to follow for contacting CEOs:

 Check Status of the school to see if it is still showing up as not registered. If they have 

registered since the list was generated, you do not need to call, but be sure to document why 

the call was NOT made.

 CHECK COMMENTS THOROUGHLY to see if any reason for the school not being 

registered. If a reason is given, you may not need to call them. For example, if they called us 

and said that they are no longer Title-IV, and the incident is pending review by project staff, 

you do not need to make the call.

 When you call the school, you will first ask to speak with the CEO (get his/her name from the 

Institution Identification page). If you cannot reach the CEO, please leave him/her a message 

but ALSO try to reach the Keyholder from last year (if there was one). Be sure to introduce 

yourself as being from the IPEDS help desk and state that you are following up regarding 

registration for the IPEDS data collection. An example script is shown below. 

 In rare cases, the CEO may give you a reason why they do not think they need to register or 

participate in IPEDS. Keep good notes and document them in the Help Desk Application 

(HDA) thoroughly, then contact a project staff person.

 You MAY also get some schools that submit combined data. All schools need to submit their 

own IC, but other surveys can be combined, in specific situations. If the school is part of a 

parent-child relationship, but does not appear that way in the system, get the details of the 

arrangement so that we can set them up properly in the system.
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 54 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Example script for contacting CEOs:

Hello, my name is ________, calling on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education concerning 

the IPEDS Winter Data Collection. May I speak with Dr./Mr./Ms (CEO NAME)?

IF CEO IS UNAVAILABLE:

May I leave a message for Dr./Mr./Ms (CEO NAME), or can you suggest a time at which I 

should call back?

LEAVE A MESSAGE THAT YOU CALLED AND ASK THAT THE CEO CALL THE IPEDS 

HOTLINE (877-225-2568) OR SET APPOINTMENT TO CALL BACK.

IF CEO IS AVAILABLE:

Hello Dr./Mr./Ms. (CEO NAME), I am calling concerning the IPEDS Winter Data Collection. 

In August and September, we sent letters to you requesting that you appoint a keyholder for the 

IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System). Your keyholder has not registered 

for the current data collection year, which opened in September. [IF there is an unregistered 

keyholder in the system, tell the CEO who that person is. If not, ask:] Have you appointed a 

keyholder?

IF YES:

We need for the keyholder to register and begin data collection immediately in order to 

meet the February 6th deadline for the Winter data collection. Would you be able to follow-up 

with the keyholder? Or if you prefer, you can give me that name and phone number of the 

keyholder and I will be happy to call them. 

IF NO:

We need for you to appoint a keyholder immediately so they can register and begin data 

collection. The deadline for the collection is February 6th. If you could give me the name and 

phone number of that person now, I will be happy to call them and provide them with the ID 

and password necessary for them to register and begin data collection.

OBTAIN KEYHOLDER NAME AND PHONE NUMBER IF POSSIBLE AND 

FOLLOWUP WITH THAT PERSON.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IF NECESSARY:

According to Section 490 of the Higher Education Amendments of 1992, completion of the IPEDS 

surveys is an important part of your institution’s Program Participation Agreement (PPA) with the 

Department of Education and is mandatory for participation in federal student financial assistance 

programs. 

Thank you very much for your time and cooperation. 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 55 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 31. Winter Keyholder/CEO Call Script for No Data Entered

“NO DATA” Script: Keyholder/CEO Calls to Registered 

Title IV Institutions with no survey data entered 

Winter 2012-13 Collection

Guidelines and Script

In an effort to get the remaining Title IV schools to enter their IPEDS data, beginning January 23rd, 

we will be making calls to those schools that have not entered any survey data for their required 

surveys. Outlined below are guidelines to follow when making these calls. Each of you will be getting 

a list of schools assigned to you in the Help Desk Application (HDA). 

Goals of these calls:

1) Get the school to begin data entry as soon as possible and remind them of the deadline for 

Winter IPEDS submission of February 6th; or

2) Get a good reason for why the school should not be included in IPEDS.

ALL calls must be thoroughly documented in the call log in the HDA. 

Guidelines to follow for contacting keyholder and/or CEOs:

 Institutions will be assigned in the HDA, thus any institution showing up in the call list currently 

has not begun entering data for their HR or SFA surveys (i.e. status of “NO DATA” or “NoData”). Schools will automatically be removed from the list once they have started entering HR

and/or SFA data. These reminder calls apply ONLY to schools who have not started the 

Student Financial Aid (SFA) survey. For the purposes of these calls, we do NOT consider 

the status of any other surveys, thus you may be told that the institution HAS started, but in 

those cases they have likely started on the HR, EF, F, GR, and/or GR200 surveys, but NOT

the SFA survey.

 CHECK HDA COMMENTS THOROUGHLY to see if there is any reason for the school not 

making progress. If a valid reason is given, you do not need to call them (e.g. we are determining 

if they are still Title-IV eligible). However, enter a comment explaining that you reviewed the 

comments and explaining WHY you are not calling.

 When you call the school, you will ask to speak FIRST with the keyholder (KH). If the keyholder 

is no longer employed there, or is unavailable, then you will ask to speak with the CEO. 

 The Keyholder name and phone number can be located in the HDA (contacts screen) or in 

the collection system (DCS) in the “user” screen,

 The CEO name and phone number is located in the DCS in the “Institution Identification” 

screen.

 Be sure to introduce yourself as being from the IPEDS helpdesk and state that you are following 

up regarding data entry for the IPEDS Winter data collection. An example script is shown below. 

 The keyholder or CEO may give you a reason why they do not think they need to participate in 

IPEDS. There should, however, be VERY few acceptable reasons. If they try to give you such 

a reason, please keep good notes and CONTACT Amy, Jennifer, or Jamie.
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 56 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

 If the KH or CEO says that the data are being combined with another school, or that the school has 

closed, seek help from a Team Leader or Project Staff to determine how to handle the specific 

situation.

 Although you will only be calling schools with Keyholders, you should note that there are also 

users called “coordinators” and they have a later deadline of February 20th. If someone tells you 

that their deadline is February 20th, seek help from a colleague to make sure they understand if 

they are really a coordinator or not.

 Keyholder UserIDs start with “P” or “88G.” Any other IDs (starting with a 2-digit 

number) are “coordinator” users.

Example script for contacting Keyholders and CEOs:

First, try to contact the Keyholder:

Hello, my name is ________, calling on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education 

concerning the IPEDS Winter Data Collection. May I speak with Dr./Mr./Ms (Keyholder 

NAME)?

IF keyholder IS UNAVAILABLE:

May I leave a message for Dr./Mr./Ms (NAME), or can you suggest a time at which I 

should call back? (Or if you have already made 2-3 call attempts:) Is there someone else I 

can talk to about the IPEDS Winter data collection?

LEAVE A MESSAGE THAT YOU CALLED AND ASK THAT THE Keyholder/CEO 

CALL THE IPEDS Help Desk (877-225-2568) OR SET APPOINTMENT TO CALL BACK.

IF Keyholder is available:

Hello Dr./Mr./Ms. (KH NAME), I am calling concerning the IPEDS Winter Data 

Collection. As of today, we see that you have not yet begun entering data for the required 

Winter surveys. We wanted to make sure you were aware of the February 6th deadline. 

Is there anything I can help you with to assure that you are able to meet this deadline?

(If “NO”): Please remember that the deadline for entering your data is February 6th and 

that participation is mandatory for schools that participate in Title IV student financial 

aid programs. Thank you very much and have a nice day.

(If “YES”) Answer any questions they may have.

If keyholder is unavailable, try to contact the CEO.

Hello, my name is ________, calling for the U.S. Department of Education concerning 

the IPEDS Winter Data Collection. May I speak with Dr./Mr./Ms (CEO NAME)?

IF CEO IS UNAVAILABLE:

May I leave a message for Dr./Mr./Ms (NAME), or can you suggest a time at which I 

should call back? Or is there someone else I can talk to about the Winter data collection?

LEAVE A MESSAGE THAT YOU CALLED AND ASK THAT THE CEO CALL THE IPEDS Help 

Desk (877-225-2568) OR SET APPOINTMENT TO CALL BACK.
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 57 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

IF CEO IS AVAILABLE:

Hello Dr./Mr./Ms. (CEO NAME), I am calling concerning the IPEDS Winter Data 

Collection. As of today, your school has not yet begun entering data for the required surveys. 

We wanted to make sure you are aware of the February 6th deadline. I tried contacting your 

keyholder, Dr/Mr/Ms (KH Name), but was unable to reach him/her. 

We would very much appreciate your help because the Winter surveys must be 

completed by February 6th and is mandatory for schools that participate in Title IV student 

financial aid programs.

Is there anything I can help you with to assure that you are able to meet the February 

6th deadline?

(If “NO”): Then thank you very much for reminding your keyholder, and have a nice 

day.

(If “YES”) Answer any questions they may have.

IF CEO THINKS SCHOOL IS OUT OF SCOPE FOR IPEDS, OBTAIN REASON AND 

RECORD DETAILS. Contact Amy, Jennifer or Jamie with this information.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IF NECESSARY:

According to Section 490 of the Higher Education Amendments of 1992, completion of the 

IPEDS surveys is an important part of your institution’s Program Participation Agreement (PPA) with 

the Department of Education and is mandatory for participation in federal student financial assistance 

programs. 

Thank you very much for your time and cooperation. 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 58 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 32. Winter Close -2 Weeks Reminder Email to Keyholder for “No Data 

Entered” or “All Required Surveys Not Locked”

Subject: IPEDS Reminder – Winter Collection Closes in Two Weeks

January 23, 2013

Dear IPEDS Keyholder:

The Winter 2012-13 IPEDS data collection is scheduled to close in just two weeks, on February 6th. 

Currently, our records indicate that you have not yet locked the required survey that is being 

conducted during the Winter collection. You will not be able to submit, edit, or lock data after the due 

date and NO extensions can be granted.

All institutions are required to complete the Student Financial Aid (SFA) components (if your 

institution has undergraduate students). Although the Human Resources (HR), Finance (F), Fall 

Enrollment (EF), Graduation Rates (GR) and Graduation Rate 200% (GR200) components are 

currently available, they are not required to be locked until Spring. 

Please remember that you must lock the SFA survey for it to be considered a response. 

While we understand that you are busy with many other responsibilities, we would strongly encourage 

you to enter and lock your data as soon as possible. Section 487(a)(17) of the Higher Education Act of 

1965, as amended, requires that, as a condition of continued participation in the federal student aid 

programs, all institutions must complete the IPEDS surveys. 

The office of Federal Student Aid has provided the following warning to institutions that did not 

provide data during recent IPEDS collections: "We want to stress that compliance with these 

reporting requirements is an important obligation for all schools that participate in the federal student 

aid programs... An institution's failure to complete and submit these surveys is considered a serious 

violation of its obligations under the HEA and the regulations."

At this time, the Help Desk is beginning to call the CEOs of Title IV institutions that have not yet 

begun entering any data for the HR and SFA survey components. In order to avoid receiving such a 

call, please begin entering your data as soon as possible. Following today's email reminder, we will 

send one additional email reminder, on January 30th, to ensure your compliance with the collection 

deadline date of February 6th.

The data collection website is located at http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds. If you have questions 

concerning accessing the system, or entering, editing, or locking your data, please contact the Help 

Desk at 1-877-225-2568, or ipedshelp@rti.org. The help desk will operate extended hours starting 

January 28th and continuing through the end of the collection on February 6th as follows: Weekdays 

8:30am to 8:00pm, Saturday (February 2) 10:00am to 6:00pm, and Sunday (February 3) 1:30pm to 

6:00pm (all times are Eastern).

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important project.

Sincerely,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 59 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 33. Winter Keyholder Call Script for Institutions with NEW Keyholder and All 

Required Surveys Not Yet Locked

New Keyholder Script: Keyholder Calls to Registered 

Title IV Institutions with a new Keyholder and all surveys not locked

Winter 2012-13 Collection

Guidelines and Script

In recent years, new* keyholders have been most at risk for failing to complete all required surveys by 

the collection deadline. To better target these less experienced keyholders, we will be contacting them 

if all required surveys are not locked as of two weeks remaining in the collection. 

*New keyholders are self-identified by selecting the “New Keyholder” radio button at the time of their 

registration in the IPEDS collection system.

Beginning January 23

rd, we will be making calls to new keyholders if they haven’t yet locked all 

surveys. Guidelines for conducting these calls are outlined below. Call assignments will be made 

within the Help Desk Application (HDA). 

Goals of these calls:

- Confirm that the new keyholder is aware of the Winter IPEDS submission of February 6th;

- Confirm that the new keyholder is aware of all surveys required during the Winter collection;

- Offer assistance, if needed, to assist the keyholder in completing and locking the surveys.

ALL calls must be thoroughly documented in the call log in the HDA. 

Guidelines to follow for contacting the keyholder:

 Check Status of the school in the Data Collection System (DCS) to determine if the school is still 

not yet complete (i.e. status other than “locked” or “complete” for the Student Financial Aid 

(SFA) survey). 

 If they have completed entering data (i.e. “locked,” or “complete” as the status for the 

SFA survey) since the time that list was generated they do NOT need to be called, but 

document this reason in the call log when resolving the incident. 

 CHECK HDA COMMENTS THOROUGHLY to see if there is any reason for the school not 

making progress, or if the Keyholder has already been in contact with the help desk to seek 

assistance. 

 When you call the school, you will ask to speak with the keyholder (KH). If the keyholder is 

no longer employed there, or is unavailable, then you will ask to speak with the CEO. 

 The Keyholder name and phone number can be located in the HDA (contacts screen) or in 

the collection system (DCS) in the “user” screen,

 Be sure to introduce yourself as being from the IPEDS helpdesk and state that you are 

following up regarding data entry for the IPEDS Fall data collection. An example script is 

included below. 

 Although you will only be calling schools with Keyholders, you should note that there are also 

users called “coordinators” and they have a later deadline of February 20

th. If someone tells 

you that their deadline is February 20

th, seek help from a colleague to make sure they 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 60 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

understand if they are really a coordinator or not. Keyholder UserIDs start with “P” or “88G.” 

Any other IDs (starting with a 2-digit number) are “coordinator” users.

Example script for contacting Keyholders:

Hello, my name is ________, calling on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education 

concerning the IPEDS Winter Data Collection. May I speak with Dr./Mr./Ms (Keyholder 

NAME)?

IF keyholder IS UNAVAILABLE:

May I leave a message for Dr./Mr./Ms (NAME), or can you suggest a time at which I 

should call back? 

LEAVE A MESSAGE THAT YOU CALLED AND ASK THAT THE Keyholder CALL 

THE IPEDS Help Desk (877-225-2568) OR SET APPOINTMENT TO CALL BACK.

IF Keyholder is available:

Hello Dr./Mr./Ms. (KH NAME), I am calling concerning the IPEDS Winter Data 

Collection. ***Please note that all calls from the Help Desk may be monitored for 

quality control purposes*** Because you have identified yourself as a new keyholder, we 

are contacting you as a courtesy to make sure you are aware of the February 6th 

deadline for submitting Winter data.

Are you aware that your institution’s Student Financial Aid survey must be completed

by February 6

th?

Are you the individual who will be completing the survey?

(If NO: Have you contacted the individuals responsible for the survey and 

provided the blank forms, instructions, and due dates?)

(If YES: Have you located the blank forms and instructions for completing the 

survey?)

Is there anything I can help you with to assure that you are able to meet this deadline?

(If “YES”) Answer any questions they may have.

Please keep the Help Desk phone number handy in case you have questions that we can 

assist you with. Do you need the phone number?

(If “YES”) Provide phone number and email address: 1-877-225-2568, 

ipedshelp@rti.org

We also wanted to encourage you to complete the survey as soon as possible. Just to let 

you know, the Help Desk tends to get very busy toward the end of the collection, 

especially the last few days, and it is harder to reach us. In order that we can answer any 

questions that you have, please do not wait until the last minute.

Thank you for your time, and have a nice day.

*** A checkbox has been added in HDA. Once the script has been read, indicating that the call may be 

monitored for quality control purposes, the box should be checked, and this part of the script does not need to be 

read during future calls to the school. 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 61 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 34. Winter Close -1 Week Reminder Email to Keyholder for “No Data Entered” 

or “All Required Surveys Not Locked”

**Note: The CEO will be copied on this email IF the institution is on the “special call” list having 

missed a collection deadline during the prior 2 collection years.

Subject: IPEDS Reminder – Winter Collection Closes in One Week

January 30, 2013

Dear IPEDS Keyholder:

The Winter 2012-13 IPEDS data collection will close in one week, on February 6, 2013. As of today, 

your institution had not completed its required Student Financial Aid (SFA) survey component during 

the Winter data collection. 

Please do NOT ignore this email but if you feel you have received it in error, call the Help Desk at 1-

877-225-2568.

Once the collection closes to keyholders on Wednesday, February 6, 2013, at midnight Pacific Time, 

you will not be able to submit, edit, or lock data and NO extensions can be granted. Please remember 

that the SFA survey component must be locked to be considered a response. 

If you have not locked the required IPEDS SFA survey component by February 6, your institution will 

be referred to the office of Federal Student Aid for appropriate action. Section 487(a)(17) of the 

Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, requires that, as a condition of continued participation in 

the federal student aid programs, all institutions must complete the IPEDS surveys.

The data collection website is located at: http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds. If you have questions 

concerning accessing the system, or entering, editing, or locking your data, please contact the Help 

Desk at 1-877-225-2568, or ipedshelp@rti.org. The help desk will be operating extended hours 

through the end of the collection on February 6 as follows: Weekdays 8:30am to 8:00pm, Saturday 

(February 2) 10:00am to 6:00pm and Sunday (February 3 1:30pm to 5:00pm (all times are Eastern).

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important project.

Sincerely,

Sharon A. Boivin

Acting Associate Commissioner

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 62 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 35. Spring Reminder to Include in This Week in IPEDS

**The following note will be included in regularly-scheduled “This Week in IPEDS” announcements 

during the Spring collection period, at approximately “Close -8” weeks and “Close -6” weeks.

Spring 2013 Data Collection Deadline Reminder 

As a reminder to those institutions that did not complete them prior to the Winter collection deadline, 

the following survey components (if applicable) remain open, with the Keyholder deadline of April 

10, 2013: Human Resources (HR), Fall Enrollment (EF), Finance (F), Graduation Rates (GR), and 

200% Graduation Rates (GR200). 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 63 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 36. Spring Close -4 Weeks Registration Reminder Letter to CEOs

<NCES Letterhead>

March 13, 2013

ceo_name

ceo_title

institution_name

addr1_txt

city_txt, state_cd zip_text

Dear Chief Executive Officer:

Your institution currently does not have a designated keyholder for the 2012-13 collection cycle. So 

that your institution does not miss any additional reporting deadlines, it is essential that you appoint 

one at this time, and forward the enclosed materials to that individual. The success of the IPEDS data 

collection and quality of the IPEDS data depend, in large part, on the efforts of your institution’s 

keyholder.

The keyholder is responsible for your institution’s data submission and should be someone who is 

familiar with the IPEDS data collection. This person is responsible for all three collections— Fall 2012, 

Winter 2012-13, and Spring 2013. The enclosed materials provide the information your appointed 

keyholder will need to register prior to entering data into the system. Once your keyholder 

registers, all future correspondence will go directly to him or her.

The importance of your institution’s compliance with this reporting responsibility cannot be overstated. 

Please be aware that responses to the IPEDS surveys are mandated for those institutions that participate 

or expect to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs under Section 487(a)(17) of the 

Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), 20 U.S.C. §1094(a)(17) and the Department of 

Education’s regulations at 34 C.F.R. §668.14(b)(19). As a condition of continued participation in the 

federal student aid programs, all institutions must complete, in a timely manner and to the satisfaction 

of the Secretary, all surveys conducted as a part of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data 

System. According to the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), an institution’s failure to complete and 

submit these surveys is a serious violation of its obligations under the HEA and the regulations, and 

appropriate action will be taken by FSA.

The data collection periods for the 2012-13 IPEDS collection year are scheduled as follows:

Fall 2012: September 5, 2012 – October 17, 2012

Winter 2012-13: December 5, 2012 – February 6, 2013

Spring 2013: December 5, 2012 – April 10, 2013

There is no need for you to respond to this letter. However, if you need any additional information 

or have any questions, please contact the IPEDS Help Desk toll free at 1-877-225-2568 (or send an 

email to ipedshelp@rti.org). Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important project.
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 64 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Sincerely,

Sharon A. Boivin

Acting Associate Commissioner

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career 

Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics 

Attachments

unitid
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 65 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 37. Spring Close -4 Weeks Reminder Email to Keyholders for “All Required 

Surveys Not Locked”

Subject: IPEDS Reminder – Spring Collection Closes in Four Weeks

March 13, 2013

Dear IPEDS Keyholder: 

There are four weeks remaining in the Spring 2013 IPEDS data collection, and we are scheduled to 

close promptly on April 10, 2013. Currently, our records indicate that you have not begun to enter 

information for the survey components which are required of your institution. All institutions are 

required to complete the Human Resources (HR), Fall Enrollment (EF) and Finance (F) components, 

while most institutions are also required to complete the Graduation Rates (GR) and 200% Graduation 

Rates (GR200) components.

While we understand that you are busy with many other responsibilities, we would strongly encourage 

you to enter and lock your data as soon as possible. As you know, under Section 487(a)(17) of the 

Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, completion of the IPEDS surveys is an integral part of 

your institution's Program Participation Agreement (PPA) with the Department of Education. 

We will be sending additional email reminders on March 27 and April 3. Also on March 27, we will 

begin calling the CEOs of institutions where keyholders have not begun entering data. 

The IPEDS web-based collection system is located at: http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds. If you have 

questions concerning accessing the system, or entering, editing, or locking your data, please contact 

the Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568, or ipedshelp@rti.org. 

Please do not disregard this email! If you believe that you have received this message in error, please 

contact the Help Desk. Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important project. 

Best regards, 

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 66 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 38. Spring Close -4 Weeks Reminder Email to NEW Keyholders

Subject: IPEDS Reminder – Spring Collection Closes in Four Weeks

March 13, 2013

Dear IPEDS Keyholder:

Although there are four weeks remaining in the Spring 2013 IPEDS data collection, please be aware 

that we are scheduled to close promptly on April 10, 2013. Currently, our records indicate that you 

have not completed and locked all surveys that are required of your institution for this Spring 

collection. All institutions are required to complete the Human Resources, Enrollment and Finance 

survey components. Most institutions must also complete the Graduation Rates and 200% Graduation 

Rates survey components.

When you registered in the IPEDS Data Collection System (DCS), you identified yourself as a 

new keyholder. As such, we wanted to be sure to highlight a few things:

- If you have not yet located and reviewed the blank forms and instructions for completing the 

surveys, please do so as soon as possible. Contact the IPEDS Help Desk if you need 

assistance with finding the correct forms.

- If you are not the individual who will be completing the Spring surveys, please contact the 

individuals responsible for those surveys and provide them with the blank forms, instructions, 

and due date. Also, consider generating and assigning “proxy UserIDs” so that these 

individuals can access the DCS directly. 

- While we understand that you are busy with many other responsibilities, we would strongly 

encourage you to enter and lock your data as soon as possible. Just to let you know, the Help 

Desk tends to get very busy toward the end of the collection, especially the last few days, and 

it is harder to reach them. In order that they can answer any questions that you have, please do 

not wait until the last minute.

As you know, under Section 487(a)(17) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, completion 

of the IPEDS surveys is an integral part of your institution's Program Participation Agreement (PPA) 

with the Department of Education. 

We will be sending additional email reminders on March 27

th and April 3rd. Also on March 27th, we 

will begin calling the CEOs of institutions where keyholders have not begun entering data. 

The IPEDS web-based collection system is located at: http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds and if you 

have questions concerning accessing the system, or entering, editing, or locking your data, please 

contact the Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568, or ipedshelp@rti.org.

Please do not disregard this email! If you believe that you have received this message in error, please 

contact the Help Desk. Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important project.

Best regards,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 67 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 39. Spring CEO Close -3 Weeks Early-Completer Thank-You Email

Subject: IPEDS Thanks You for Early Response - <UnitID>

March 20, 2013

Dear Chief Executive:

The National Center of Education Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Education, would like to 

extend its appreciation to your institution, and especially to your IPEDS Keyholder, <Keyholder

name>. As of today (three weeks prior to the close of the Spring data collection), the required survey 

components for your institution, <Institution Name>, have been entered, edited, and locked.

Because IPEDS is a very large data collection involving a large number of institutions, completing the 

surveys and locking them early during the collection period is extremely helpful. Providing IPEDS 

data is a major undertaking, and we want you to know that we truly appreciate the timely response. 

We hope that you will pass along our word of gratitude to your Keyholder, as he or she is the one who 

is typically charged with overseeing the successful data entry and completion of the mandatory IPEDS 

surveys.

Again, please accept our thanks to you and your staff for your important contributions to the success 

of IPEDS.

Sincerely,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics

CC: <keyholder name>
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 68 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 40. Spring CEO Call Script for No Registered Keyholder

CEO Calls to Title IV Institutions - No Registered Keyholder

Guidelines and Script

Spring 2013

In an effort to get the remaining Title IV schools to register for IPEDS, beginning March 20, we will 

be making calls to those schools who have not registered. We have outlined some guidelines to follow 

when making these calls. Each of you will be getting a list of schools to work sorted by sector. 

Goals of these calls:

1) Get the school to register for IPEDS as soon as possible and remind them of the 

deadline for IPEDS submission of April 10; or

2) Get a good reason for why the school should not be included in IPEDS

List of Sectors:

(0) Central Office Administrative Unit

(1) 4-year public

(2) 4-year private, not-for-profit

(3) 4-year private, for-profit

(4) 2-year public

(5) 2-year private, not-for-profit

(6) 2-year private, for-profit

(7) Less than 2-year public

(8) Less than 2- year private, not-for-profit

(9) Less than 2-year private, for-profit

(99) New Institution

Guidelines to follow for contacting CEOs:

 Check Status of the school to see if it is still showing up as not registered. If they have 

registered since the list was generated, you do not need to call, but be sure to document why 

the call was NOT made.

 CHECK COMMENTS THOROUGHLY to see if any reason for the school not being 

registered. If a reason is given, you may not need to call them. For example, if they called us 

and said that they are no longer Title-IV, and the incident is pending review by project staff, 

you do not need to make the call.

 When you call the school, you will first ask to speak with the CEO (get his/her name from the 

Institution Identification page). If you cannot reach the CEO, please leave him/her a message 

but ALSO try to reach the Keyholder from last year (if there was one). Be sure to introduce 

yourself as being from the IPEDS help desk and state that you are following up regarding 

registration for the IPEDS data collection. An example script is shown below. 

 In rare cases, the CEO may give you a reason why they do not think they need to register or 

participate in IPEDS. Keep good notes and document them in the Help Desk Application 

(HDA) thoroughly, then contact a project staff person.

 You MAY also get some schools that submit combined data. All schools need to submit their 

own IC, but other surveys can be combined, in specific situations. If the school is part of a 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 69 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

parent-child relationship, but does not appear that way in the system, get the details of the 

arrangement so that we can set them up properly in the system.

Example script for contacting CEOs:

Hello, my name is ________, calling on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education concerning 

the IPEDS Spring Data Collection. May I speak with Dr./Mr./Ms (CEO NAME)?

IF CEO IS UNAVAILABLE:

May I leave a message for Dr./Mr./Ms (CEO NAME), or can you suggest a time at which I 

should call back?

LEAVE A MESSAGE THAT YOU CALLED AND ASK THAT THE CEO CALL THE IPEDS 

HOTLINE (877-225-2568) OR SET APPOINTMENT TO CALL BACK.

IF CEO IS AVAILABLE:

Hello Dr./Mr./Ms. (CEO NAME), I am calling concerning the IPEDS Spring Data Collection. In 

August and September, we sent letters to you requesting that you appoint a keyholder for the 

IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System). Your keyholder has not registered 

for the current data collection year, which opened in December. [IF there is an unregistered 

keyholder in the system, tell the CEO who that person is. If not, ask: Have you appointed a 

keyholder?]

IF YES:

We need for the keyholder to register and begin data collection immediately in order to 

meet the April 10 deadline for the Spring data collection. Would you be able to follow-up with 

the keyholder? Or if you prefer, you can give me that name and phone number of the keyholder 

and I will be happy to call them. 

IF NO:

We need for you to appoint a keyholder immediately so they can register and begin data 

collection. The deadline for the collection is April 10. If you could give me the name and phone 

number of that person now, I will be happy to call them and provide them with the ID and 

password necessary for them to register and begin data collection.

OBTAIN KEYHOLDER NAME AND PHONE NUMBER IF POSSIBLE AND 

FOLLOWUP WITH THAT PERSON.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IF NECESSARY:

According to Section 490 of the Higher Education Amendments of 1992, completion of the IPEDS 

surveys is an important part of your institution’s Program Participation Agreement (PPA) with the 

Department of Education and is mandatory for participation in federal student financial assistance 

programs. 

Thank you very much for your time and cooperation. 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 70 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 41. Spring Keyholder/CEO Call Script for No Data Entered

“NO DATA” Script: Keyholder/CEO Calls to Registered 

Title IV Institutions with no survey data entered 

Spring 2013 Collection

Guidelines and Script

In an effort to get the remaining Title IV schools to enter their IPEDS data, beginning March 27th, we 

will be making calls to those schools that have not entered any survey data for their required Spring 

surveys: Human Resources (HR), Enrollment (EF), Finance (F), Graduation Rates (GR), and 

Graduation Rates 200% (GR200). Outlined below are guidelines to follow when making these calls. 

Each of you will be getting a list of schools assigned to you in the Help Desk Application (HDA). 

Goals of these calls:

1) Get the school to begin data entry as soon as possible and remind them of the deadline for 

Spring IPEDS submission of April 10; or

2) Get a good reason for why the school should not be included in IPEDS.

ALL calls must be thoroughly documented in the call log in the HDA. 

Guidelines to follow for contacting keyholder and/or CEOs:

 Institutions will be assigned in the HDA, thus any institution showing up in the call list currently 

has not begun entering data for their surveys (i.e. status of “NO DATA” or “No-Data”). Schools 

will automatically be removed from the list once they have started entering data. 

 The first round of reminder calls apply ONLY to schools who have not started ANY of their 

Spring surveys. A second round of calls will be assigned later for institutions that may have 

started (or completed) HR, EF, F, GR, or GR200 during the Winter, but have not done any 

data entry during the Spring collection. 

 CHECK HDA COMMENTS THOROUGHLY to see if there is any reason for the school not 

making progress. If a valid reason is given, you do not need to call them (e.g. we are determining 

if they are still Title-IV eligible). However, enter a comment explaining that you reviewed the 

comments and explaining WHY you are not calling.

 When you call the school, you will ask to speak FIRST with the keyholder (KH). If the keyholder 

is no longer employed there, or is unavailable, then you will ask to speak with the CEO. 

 The Keyholder name and phone number can be located in the HDA (contacts screen) or in 

the collection system (DCS) in the “user” screen,

 The CEO name and phone number is located in the DCS in the “Institution Identification” 

screen.

 Be sure to introduce yourself as being from the IPEDS helpdesk and state that you are following 

up regarding data entry for the IPEDS Spring data collection. An example script is included 

below. 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 71 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

 The keyholder or CEO may give you a reason why they do not think they need to participate in 

IPEDS. There should, however, be VERY few acceptable reasons. If they try to give you such 

a reason, please keep good notes and CONTACT Amy, Jennifer, or Jamie

 If the KH or CEO says that the data are being combined with another school, or that the school has 

closed, seek help from a Team Leader or Project Staff to determine how to handle the specific 

situation.

 Although you will only be calling schools with Keyholders, you should note that there are also 

users called “coordinators” and they have a later deadline of April 24

th. If someone tells you that 

their deadline is April 24th, seek help from a colleague to make sure they understand if they are 

really a coordinator or not.

 Keyholder UserIDs start with “P” or “88G.” Any other IDs (starting with a 2-digit 

number) are “coordinator” users.

Example script for contacting Keyholders and CEOs:

First, try to contact the Keyholder:

Hello, my name is ________, calling on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education 

concerning the IPEDS Spring Data Collection. May I speak with Dr./Mr./Ms (Keyholder 

NAME)?

IF keyholder IS UNAVAILABLE:

May I leave a message for Dr./Mr./Ms (NAME), or can you suggest a time at which I 

should call back? (Or if you have already made 2-3 call attempts:) Is there someone else I 

can talk to about the IPEDS Spring data collection?

LEAVE A MESSAGE THAT YOU CALLED AND ASK THAT THE Keyholder/CEO 

CALL THE IPEDS Help Desk (877-225-2568) OR SET APPOINTMENT TO CALL BACK.

IF Keyholder is available:

Hello Dr./Mr./Ms. (KH NAME), I am calling concerning the IPEDS Spring Data 

Collection. As of today, we see that you have not yet begun entering data for the required 

Spring surveys. We wanted to make sure you were aware of the April 10 deadline. Is 

there anything I can help you with to assure that you are able to meet this deadline?

(If “NO”): Please remember that the deadline for entering your data is April 10 and that 

participation is mandatory for schools that participate in Title IV student financial aid 

programs. Thank you very much and have a nice day.

(If “YES”) Answer any questions they may have.

If keyholder is unavailable, try to contact the CEO.

Hello, my name is ________, calling for the U.S. Department of Education concerning 

the IPEDS Spring Data Collection. May I speak with Dr./Mr./Ms (CEO NAME)?
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 72 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

IF CEO IS UNAVAILABLE:

May I leave a message for Dr./Mr./Ms (NAME), or can you suggest a time at which I 

should call back? (Or if you have already made 2-3 call attempts:) Or is there someone else 

I can talk to about the Spring data collection?

LEAVE A MESSAGE THAT YOU CALLED AND ASK THAT THE CEO CALL THE IPEDS Help 

Desk (877-225-2568) OR SET APPOINTMENT TO CALL BACK.

IF CEO IS AVAILABLE:

Hello Dr./Mr./Ms. (CEO NAME), I am calling concerning the IPEDS Spring Data 

Collection. As of today, your school has not yet begun entering data for the required surveys. 

We wanted to make sure you are aware of the April 10 deadline. I tried contacting your 

keyholder, Dr/Mr/Ms (KH Name), but was unable to reach him/her. 

We would very much appreciate your help because the surveys must be completed by 

April 10 and are mandatory for schools that participate in Title IV student financial aid 

programs.

Is there anything I can help you with to assure that you are able to meet the April 10

deadline?

(If “NO”): Then thank you very much for reminding your keyholder, and have a nice 

day.

(If “YES”) Answer any questions they may have.

IF CEO THINKS SCHOOL IS OUT OF SCOPE FOR IPEDS, OBTAIN REASON AND 

RECORD DETAILS. Contact Amy, Jennifer, or Jamie with this information.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IF NECESSARY:

According to Section 490 of the Higher Education Amendments of 1992, completion of the 

IPEDS surveys is an important part of your institution’s Program Participation Agreement (PPA) with 

the Department of Education and is mandatory for participation in federal student financial assistance 

programs. 

Thank you very much for your time and cooperation. 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 73 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 42. Spring Close -3 Weeks Reminder Email No Data Since Winter

Subject: IPEDS Reminder – Spring Collection Closes in Three Weeks

March 20, 2013

Dear IPEDS Keyholder:

There are three weeks remaining in the Spring 2013 IPEDS data collection, and we are 

scheduled to close promptly on April 10, 2013. During the Winter collection period you 

began (or completed) Human Resources (HR), Fall Enrollment (EF), Finance (F), Graduation 

Rates (GR), and/or 200% Graduation Rates (GR200) components. However, our records 

indicate that you have not entered any information recently, and that you have not locked all 

the required surveys that are being conducted this Spring. All five survey components, if 

applicable to your institution, are required to be completed and locked prior to the end of the 

Spring collection. 

While we understand that you are busy with many other responsibilities, we would strongly 

encourage you to enter and lock your data as soon as possible. As you know, under Section 

487(a)(17) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, completion of the IPEDS 

surveys is an integral part of your institution's Program Participation Agreement (PPA) with 

the Department of Education. 

We will be sending additional email reminders on March 27 and April 3. Also on March 27, 

we will begin calling the CEOs of institutions where keyholders have not yet begun entering 

data. 

The IPEDS web-based collection system is located at: http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds and if

you have questions concerning accessing the system, or entering, editing, or locking your 

data, please contact the Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568, or ipedshelp@rti.org. 

Please do not disregard this email! If you believe that you have received this message in error, 

please contact the Help Desk. Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important 

project. 

Best regards,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 74 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 43. Spring Close -2 Weeks Reminder Email to Keyholder for “No Data Entered” 

or “All Required Surveys Not Locked”

Subject: IPEDS Reminder – Spring Collection Closes in Two Weeks

March 27, 2013

Dear IPEDS Keyholder:

The Spring 2013 IPEDS data collection is scheduled to close in just two weeks, on April 10. 

Currently, our records indicate that you have not yet locked the required surveys that are being 

conducted this Spring. 

All institutions are required to complete the Human Resources (HR), Enrollment (EF) and Finance (F) 

components. Most institutions are also required to complete the Graduation Rates (GR), and 200% 

Graduation Rates (GR200) components.

Please remember that you must lock each survey component for it to be considered a response. Use the 

"Am I Done?" feature to confirm that your required surveys are locked. 

While we understand that you are busy with many other responsibilities, we would strongly encourage 

you to enter and lock your data as soon as possible. Section 487(a)(17) of the Higher Education Act of 

1965, as amended, requires that, as a condition of continued participation in the federal student aid 

programs, all institutions must complete the IPEDS surveys. 

The office of Federal Student Aid has provided the following warning to institutions that did not 

provide data during recent IPEDS collections: "We want to stress that compliance with these reporting 

requirements is an important obligation for all schools that participate in the federal student aid 

programs... An institution's failure to complete and submit these surveys is considered a serious 

violation of its obligations under the HEA and the regulations." 

At this time, the Help Desk is beginning to call the CEOs of Title IV institutions that have not yet 

begun entering any data. In order to avoid receiving such a call, please begin entering your data as 

soon as possible. Following today's email reminder, we will send one additional email reminder, on 

April 3, to ensure your compliance with the collection deadline date of April 10, 2013.

The data collection website is located at http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds. If you have questions 

concerning accessing the system, or entering, editing, or locking your data, please contact the Help 

Desk at 1-877-225-2568, or ipedshelp@rti.org. The help desk will operate extended hours starting 

April 1 and continuing through the end of the collection on April 10 as follows: Weekdays 8:30am to 

8:00pm, and Saturday (April 6) 10:00am to 6:00pm and Sunday (April 7) 1:30pm to 5:00pm, all times 

are Eastern.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important project.

Sincerely,

Jessica Shedd

Acting Program Director

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center for Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 75 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 44. Spring Keyholder Call Script for Institutions with NEW Keyholder and All 

Required Surveys Not Yet Locked

New Keyholder Script: Keyholder Calls to Registered 

Title IV Institutions with a new Keyholder and all surveys not locked

Spring 2013 Collection

Guidelines and Script

In recent years, new* keyholders have been most at risk for failing to complete all required surveys by 

the collection deadline. To better target these less experienced keyholders, we will be contacting them 

if all required surveys are not locked as of two weeks remaining in the collection. 

*New keyholders are self-identified by selecting the “New Keyholder” radio button at the time of their 

registration in the IPEDS collection system.

Beginning March 27

th, we will be making calls to new keyholders if they haven’t yet locked all 

surveys. Guidelines for conducting these calls are outlined below. Call assignments will be made 

within the Help Desk Application (HDA). 

Goals of these calls:

- Confirm that the new keyholder is aware of the Spring IPEDS submission of April 10th;

- Confirm that the new keyholder is aware of all surveys required during the Spring collection;

- Offer assistance, if needed, to assist the keyholder in completing and locking the surveys.

ALL calls must be thoroughly documented in the call log in the HDA. 

Guidelines to follow for contacting the keyholder:

 Check Status of the school in the Data Collection System (DCS) to determine if the school is still 

not yet complete (i.e. status other than “locked” or “complete” for the Human Resources (HR), 

Enrollment (EF), Finance (F), Graduation Rates (GR), and 200% Graduation Rates 

(GR200) surveys). 

 If they have completed entering data (i.e. “locked,” or “complete” as the status for ALL of 

the above surveys) since the time that list was generated they do NOT need to be called, 

but document this reason in the call log when resolving the incident. 

 CHECK HDA COMMENTS THOROUGHLY to see if there is any reason for the school not 

making progress, or if the Keyholder has already been in contact with the help desk to seek 

assistance. 

 When you call the school, you will ask to speak with the keyholder (KH). If the keyholder is 

no longer employed there, or is unavailable, then you will ask to speak with the CEO. 

 The Keyholder name and phone number can be located in the HDA (contacts screen) or in 

the collection system (DCS) in the “user” screen,

 Be sure to introduce yourself as being from the IPEDS helpdesk and state that you are 

following up regarding data entry for the IPEDS Spring data collection. An example script is 

included below. 

 Although you will only be calling schools with Keyholders, you should note that there are also 

users called “coordinators” and they have a later deadline of April 24th. If someone tells you 

that their deadline is April 24th, seek help from a colleague to make sure they understand if 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 76 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

they are really a coordinator or not. Keyholder UserIDs start with “P” or “88G.” Any other

IDs (starting with a 2-digit number) are “coordinator” users.

Example script for contacting Keyholders:

Hello, my name is ________, calling on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education 

concerning the IPEDS Spring Data Collection. May I speak with Dr./Mr./Ms (Keyholder 

NAME)?

IF keyholder IS UNAVAILABLE:

May I leave a message for Dr./Mr./Ms (NAME), or can you suggest a time at which I 

should call back? 

LEAVE A MESSAGE THAT YOU CALLED AND ASK THAT THE Keyholder CALL 

THE IPEDS Help Desk (877-225-2568) OR SET APPOINTMENT TO CALL BACK.

IF Keyholder is available:

Hello Dr./Mr./Ms. (KH NAME), I am calling concerning the IPEDS Spring Data 

Collection. ***Please note that all calls from the Help Desk may be monitored for 

quality control purposes*** Because you have identified yourself as a new keyholder, we 

are contacting you as a courtesy to make sure you are aware of the April 10th deadline 

for submitting Spring data.

Are you aware that your institution has surveys due by April 10th, which includes 

Human Resources (HR), Enrollment (EF), Finance (F), Graduation Rates (GR), and 

200% Graduation Rates (GR200)?

Are you the individual who will be completing the Spring surveys?

(If NO: Have you contacted the individuals responsible for those surveys and 

provided the blank forms, instructions, and due dates?)

(If YES: Have you located the blank forms and instructions for completing the 

surveys?)

Is there anything I can help you with to assure that you are able to meet this deadline?

(If “YES”) Answer any questions they may have.

Please keep the Help Desk phone number handy in case you have questions that we can 

assist you with. Do you need the phone number?

(If “YES”) Provide phone number and email address.

We also wanted to encourage you to complete the surveys as soon as possible. Just to let

you know, the Help Desk tends to get very busy toward the end of the collection, 

especially the last few days, and it is harder to reach us. In order that we can answer any 

questions that you have, please do not wait until the last minute.

Thank you for your time, and have a nice day.

*** A checkbox has been added in HDA. Once the script has been read, indicating that the call may be 

monitored for quality control purposes, the box should be checked, and this part of the script does not need to be 

read during future calls to the school. 
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 77 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 45. Spring Close -1 Week Reminder Email to Keyholder for “No Data Entered” 

or “All Required Surveys Not Locked”

**Note: The CEO will be copied on this email IF the institution is on the “special call” list having 

missed a collection deadline during the prior 2 collection years.

Subject: IPEDS Reminder – Spring Collection Closes in One Week

April 3, 2013

Dear IPEDS Keyholder: 

The Spring 2013 IPEDS data collection will close in one week, on April 10, 2013. As of today, your 

institution had not completed all surveys that are required this Spring. 

Please do NOT ignore this email but if you feel you have received it in error, call the Help Desk at 1-

877-225-2568. 

Once the collection closes to keyholders on Wednesday, April 10, 2013, at midnight Pacific Time, you 

will not be able to submit, edit, or lock data and NO extensions can be granted. Please remember that 

each survey component must be locked to be considered a response. 

If you have not locked the required IPEDS survey components by April 10, your institution will be 

referred to the office of Federal Student Aid for appropriate action. Section 487(a)(17) of the Higher 

Education Act of 1965, as amended, requires that, as a condition of continued participation in the 

federal student aid programs, all institutions must complete the IPEDS surveys. 

The data collection system is located at: http://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds. If you have questions 

concerning accessing the system, or entering, editing, or locking your data, please contact the Help 

Desk at 1-877-225-2568, or ipedshelp@rti.org. The help desk will operate extended hours starting 

April 1 and continuing through the end of the collection on April 10 as follows: Weekdays 8:30am to 

8:00pm, and Saturday (April 6) 10:00am to 6:00pm and Sunday (April 7) 1:30pm to 5:00pm, all times 

are Eastern.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in this important project. 

Sincerely, 

Sharon A. Boivin

Acting Associate Commissioner

Postsecondary, Adult, and Career Education Division

National Center Education Statistics
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 78 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 46. Registration Confirmation Email

Subject: IPEDS Registration Confirmation - <UnitID>

User name: <UserName>

User ID: <UserID>

Institution name: <institution_name>

Thank you for completing the registration process for the IPEDS 2012-13 data collection.

The schedule for the 2012-13 data collection is as follows:

Fall collection September 5, 2012 - October 17, 2012

Winter collection December 5, 2012 - February 6, 2013

Spring collection December 5, 2012 - April 10, 2013

You can get more information about the data collection at http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds, including survey 

forms, instructions, import specifications, and more. Please call the Help Desk if you have questions 

or problems.

IPEDS Help Desk

Toll Free 1-877-225-2568

ipedshelp@rti.org

Exhibit 47. Locking Confirmation Email to Keyholders

Subject: IPEDS Locking Confirmation for <survey name> – <UnitID>

The survey component data for <survey name> for INSTITUTION: <UnitID> - <institution name>

was locked on <date>. The U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics 

would like to thank you for your participation in the 2012-13 IPEDS data collection. Please be sure to 

lock all applicable surveys for this collection period.

If you have any questions about your institution’s reporting requirements, please contact the IPEDS 

Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568 or ipedshelp@rti.org.

IPEDS Help Desk

Toll Free 1-877-225-2568

ipedshelp@rti.org
IPEDS: 2009-2013 Page 79 of 79 Del. No. 12: 2012-13 Collection Year

Exhibit 48. Ready-to-Lock Email to Coordinators

Subject: IPEDS Survey Ready to be Locked: <Survey_Name> - <UnitID>

Dear IPEDS Coordinator: You now have lock access to <survey_name> for the institution: 

<Inst_name> (<UnitID>).

IPEDS Help Desk

Toll Free 1-877-225-2568

ipedshelp@rti.org

Exhibit 49. UserID and Password Confirmation Email

Subject: IPEDS UserID Reminder

Your User ID and Password for the IPEDS Data Collection System are listed below. Please keep them 

in a secure place.

User ID: <UserID>

Password: <Password>

The IPEDS data collection system is located at: https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/

IPEDS Help Desk

Toll Free 1-877-225-2568

ipedshelp@rti.org