Postsecondary 

Institutions in the United 

States: Fall 2005 

and Degrees and Other 

Awards Conferred: 

2004-05

First Look

U.S. Department of Education 

Institute of Education Sciences 

NCES 2007-167 

Postsecondary 

Institutions in the United 

States: Fall 2005 

and Degrees and Other 

Awards Conferred: 

2004-05

First Look 

December 2006

U.S. Department of Education 

Institute of Education Sciences 

NCES 2007-167 

Laura G. Knapp 

Janice E. Kelly-Reid 

Roy W. Whitmore 

RTI International 

Elise Miller 

Program Director 

Postsecondary Institutional 

Studies Program 

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

Margaret Spellings 

Secretary 

Institute of Education Sciences

Grover J. Whitehurst 

Director 

National Center for Education Statistics

Mark Schneider 

Commissioner 

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, 

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Suggested Citation 

Knapp, L.G., Kelly-Reid, J.E., Whitmore, R.W., and Miller, E. (2006). Postsecondary Institutions in the 

United States: Fall 2005 and Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 2004-05 (NCES 2007-167). U.S. 

Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved [date] from 

http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch. 

Content Contact

Aurora D’Amico 

(202) 502-7334 

aurora.d’amico@ed.gov
Foreword 

This First Look presents findings from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System 

(IPEDS) fall 2005 data collection, which included two survey components: Institutional 

Characteristics for the 2005-06 academic year, and Completions covering the period July 1, 

2004, through June 30, 2005. These data were collected through the IPEDS web-based data 

collection system. 

The data on which this report is based are available to researchers and the public through the 

IPEDS Peer Analysis System and College Opportunities Online Locator. Both of these sources 

can be found at http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds. This First Look report continues the series previously 

named E.D. TABs based on the collection of data from over 6,500 postsecondary education 

institutions that participate in Title IV federal student financial aid programs. 

We hope that the information provided in the report will be useful to a wide range of interested 

readers. Further, we hope that the results reported here will encourage researchers and others to 

make full use of the IPEDS data for analysis, peer comparisons, or to help answer questions 

about postsecondary education institutions. 

Mark Schneider 

Commissioner 

National Center for Education Statistics 

C. Dennis Carroll 

Associate Commissioner 

Postsecondary Studies Division 

iii
iv
Acknowledgments 

The information presented in this publication was provided by either state coordinators for the 

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) or officials at individual institutions. 

In addition, these persons provided much assistance in resolving questions on the data, which 

resulted in more accurate information. Although it is not possible to list the names of all these 

people, their assistance was invaluable and is much appreciated. 

The U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and the 

Office for Civil Rights, with the approval of the Office of Management and Budget, cooperate in 

the collection of racial/ethnic and gender information from all postsecondary institutions that 

participate in the Fall Enrollment, Completions, and Fall Staff components of the IPEDS survey. 

In this collaboration, data provided by postsecondary institutions are designated as Compliance 

Reports pursuant to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (34 CFR 100.6(b)). 

The authors are grateful to Patricia Brown, Andrew Mary, Paula Knepper, and Dennis Carroll of 

the Postsecondary Studies Division, National Center for Education Statistics, for their valuable 

comments during the review of this publication. We also appreciate the thoughtful review 

provided by Tom Snyder, National Center for Education Statistics; Mary Schifferli, Office for 

Civil Rights; and Tom Hardy, Director of Institutional Research at the University of Oklahoma 

Health Sciences Center. At RTI International, in addition to the authors, Marcus Berzofsky, 

Jiantong (Jean) Wang, Robert J. (Joey) Morris, Scott Ginder, Heather Meier, Kelly Close, James 

Isaac, and Joanne Studders contributed to production of this report. 

v
vi
 Contents 

Page 

Foreword....................................................................................................................................... iii

Acknowledgments ..........................................................................................................................v

List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. viii

Introduction....................................................................................................................................1

IPEDS 2005-06.............................................................................................................................1 

Focus of This Report.....................................................................................................................1 

Institutional Characteristics, Price of Attendance, and Tuition and Fees.....................................2 

Completions..................................................................................................................................2 

Selected Findings............................................................................................................................3

Appendix A: Survey Methodology .......................................................................................... A-1

Overview.................................................................................................................................. A-1 

Terminology Used in the IPEDS Web Collection................................................................... A-1 

Universe, Institutions Surveyed, and Response Rates............................................................. A-1 

Survey Procedures ................................................................................................................... A-5 

Survey Components................................................................................................................. A-6 

Edit Procedures........................................................................................................................ A-6 

Imputation Procedures ............................................................................................................. A-7 

Appendix B: Glossary of IPEDS Terms...................................................................................B-1

vii
List of Tables 

Table Page 

1. Number and percent distribution of Title IV institutions within control of institution, 

by level of institution and region: United States and other jurisdictions, academic 

year 2005-06 ........................................................................................................................4 

2. Number and percent distribution of Title IV institutions within control of institution, 

by degree-granting status and highest level of offering: United States, academic year 

2005-06 ................................................................................................................................5 

3. Average and median academic year tuition and required fees for full-time students at 

Title IV institutions, by control of institution, student level, level of institution, and 

first-professional program: United States, academic year 2005-06.....................................6 

4. Changes in average components of academic year price of attendance for full-time, 

first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates at Title IV institutions, by level 

and control of institution, residency, and student housing: United States, academic 

years 2003-04 and 2005-06..................................................................................................7 

5. Changes in academic year average price of attendance for full-time, first-time 

degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates at Title IV institutions, by level and 

control of institution, student housing, and residency: United States, academic years 

2003-04 and 2005-06 ...........................................................................................................8 

6. Number and percent distribution of degrees conferred at Title IV institutions within 

control of institution, by level of institution, gender, race/ethnicity, and level of 

degree: United States, academic year 2004-05....................................................................9 

7. Awards conferred by Title IV institutions, by race/ethnicity, level of award, and 

gender: United States, academic year 2004-05..................................................................10 

A-1. Title IV institutions and administrative offices responding to the IPEDS fall 2005 

data collection, by degree-granting status and level and control of institution: United 

States and other jurisdictions.......................................................................................... A-3 

A-1a. Title IV institutions and administrative offices responding to the IPEDS fall 2005 

data collection, by degree-granting status and level and control of institution: United 

States............................................................................................................................... A-4 

A-2. Average price of attendance and imputed amounts for first-time entering students at 

Title IV institutions reporting by academic year, by type of student expense: United 

States, academic year 2005-06........................................................................................ A-8 

A-3. Average price of attendance and imputed amounts for first-time entering students at 

Title IV institutions reporting by program, by type of student expense: United States, 

academic year 2005-06 ................................................................................................... A-8 

A-4. Total awards and percentages of awards imputed for Title IV institutions, by control 

of institution, level of award, and gender: United States, academic year 2004-05....... A-10 

viii
Introduction 

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) is designed to collect institution 

level data from postsecondary institutions in the United States (the 50 states and the District of 

Columbia) and other jurisdictions, such as Puerto Rico.1

 For IPEDS, a postsecondary institution 

is defined as an organization that is open to the public and has as its primary mission the 

provision of postsecondary education. IPEDS defines postsecondary education as formal 

instructional programs with a curriculum designed primarily for students who are beyond the 

compulsory age for high school. This includes academic, vocational, and continuing professional 

education programs and excludes institutions that offer only avocational (leisure) and adult basic 

education programs. 

Prior to the inception of IPEDS, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) collected 

data from approximately 3,600 institutions of higher education through its Higher Education 

General Information Survey (HEGIS) program. HEGIS was conducted from 1966 until 1985, 

when the mission of NCES was expanded to include all postsecondary institutions. 

IPEDS 2005-06 

Participation in IPEDS was a requirement for the 6,622 institutions that participated in Title IV 

federal student financial aid programs such as Pell Grants or Stafford Loans during the 2005-06 

academic year.2 Title IV institutions include traditional colleges and universities, 2-year 

institutions, and for-profit degree- and non-degree-granting institutions (such as schools of 

cosmetology), among others. In addition, 83 administrative offices (central and system offices) 

listed in the IPEDS universe were expected to provide minimal data through a shortened version 

of the Institutional Characteristics component. Four of the U.S. service academies are included in 

the IPEDS universe as if they were Title IV institutions.3 Institutions that do not participate in 

Title IV programs may participate in the IPEDS data collection on a voluntary basis. 

Focus of This Report 

Tabulations in this report present selected data items collected in fall 2005 from the 6,463 Title 

IV institutions in the United States. One table also includes the 159 Title IV institutions in the 

 

1

 The other jurisdictions surveyed in IPEDS are American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the 

Marshall Islands, the Northern Marianas, Palau, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. 2

 Institutions participating in Title IV programs are accredited by an agency or organization recognized by the 

Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, have a program of over 300 clock hours or 8 credit hours, have been 

in business for at least 2 years, and have a signed Program Participation Agreement (PPA) with the Office of 

Postsecondary Education (OPE), U.S. Department of Education. Twenty-four institutions that were significantly 

affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita during the early fall of 2005 were unable to participate in the fall data 

collection, although 2 of these institutions participated for Institutional Characteristics (IC) and 4 participated for 

Completions. Affected tables are noted accordingly. See Appendix A for additional information about data issues 

related to Hurricane Katrina. 

3

 The four U.S. service academies that are not Title IV–eligible are the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Military 

Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and the U.S. Air Force Academy. One academy, the U.S. Merchant 

Marine Academy, is Title IV–eligible. Data for all five institutions are included in the tables and counts of 

institutions. 

1
other jurisdictions. Additional detailed information is available through the various IPEDS web 

tools.4

 In the fall collection, institutions provided data on institutional characteristics, tuition and 

fees, and price of attendance for the 2005-06 academic year and completions data (degrees, 

certificates, and other formal awards conferred) for the 2004-05 academic year. 

Institutional Characteristics, Tuition and Fees, and Price of Attendance 

The Institutional Characteristics (IC) component of IPEDS collects and maintains information 

used to classify postsecondary institutions based on a variety of characteristics. Data on sector, 

level, control, and affiliation allow classification within general categories. More specific 

categories of institutions can be defined by using additional data, such as types of programs 

offered, levels of degrees and awards, calendar system, admission requirements, student charges, 

and basic enrollment information. 

In addition, this component collects data on tuition and fees (by level of program: undergraduate, 

graduate, and first-professional) and room and board charges. Price of attendance also is 

collected for full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking students. 

Price of attendance is an estimate of the total amount an incoming undergraduate-level student 

should expect to pay to attend college. This price includes tuition and fees, books and supplies, 

room and board, and certain other designated expenses such as transportation. IPEDS collects 

price-of-attendance information for full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking 

undergraduates from Title IV institutions. These estimates are the average amounts used by the 

financial aid office to determine a student’s financial need. 

Twenty-two institutions that were significantly affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita during 

the early fall of 2005 were unable to respond to the IC component. Their data (for the 2005-06 

academic year) were not imputed, and they are not represented in the findings and tables based 

on this component. 

Completions 

The Completions component collects data annually on recognized program completions in 

postsecondary education by level of degree (associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, doctor’s, and firstprofessional) and on other formal awards by length of program. Data are collected on the 

race/ethnicity and gender of recipients and their fields of study. In addition, completions data on 

the number of students with multiple majors are collected by field of study, degree level, 

race/ethnicity, and gender from those schools that award degrees with multiple majors. Data 

reflect all formal awards (i.e., degrees, diplomas, certificates) conferred between July 1, 2004, 

and June 30, 2005. 

Twenty institutions that were significantly affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita during the 

early fall of 2005 were unable to respond to the Completions component. Their data for the 

2004-05 academic year were imputed, and they are represented in the findings and tables based 

on this component. 

 

4

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

2
Selected Findings 

Institutional Characteristics, Tuition and Fees, and Price of Attendance 

• Among the 6,600 Title IV postsecondary institutions in the United States and other 

jurisdictions, 40 percent were classified as 4-year institutions, 34 percent were 2-year 

institutions, and the remaining 26 percent were less-than-2-year institutions (table 1). 

• Considering degree-granting institutions in the United States, 29 percent offered an 

associate’s degree as their highest degree, 17 percent offered a bachelor’s degree as their 

highest degree, 20 percent offered a master’s degree as their highest degree, and 16 percent 

offered a doctor’s degree as their highest degree (table 2). 

• During 2005-06, undergraduates attending private not-for-profit 4-year institutions paid 

$16,888 on average for tuition and required fees (table 3). Undergraduates attending private 

for-profit 4-year institutions paid $13,894 on average, and out-of-state undergraduates 

attending public 4-year institutions paid $12,652 on average for tuition and required fees. 

Public in-state undergraduates paid an average of $5,206 in tuition and required fees during 

2005-06. 

• For undergraduates attending 4-year institutions, there was a 17 percent increase in tuition 

and required fees at public institutions between 2003-04 and 2005-06, while average tuition 

and fees increased 12 percent at private not-for-profit institutions and 11 percent at private 

for-profit institutions over the same 2-year period (table 4). 

• Private for-profit 4-year institutions reported the highest overall average price of attendance 

during 2005-06 for undergraduates living on campus ($28,250), which was about 2 percent 

higher than the figure for private not-for-profit 4-year institutions ($27,754) (table 5). Public 

4-year institutions reported an average price of $15,114 for in-state undergraduates living on 

campus and $22,791 for out-of-state undergraduates living on campus. 

• On average, 2-year public institutions offered the lowest price of attendance overall in 

2005-06: $6,200 for in-district students living off campus with family (table 5). 

• Between 2003-04 and 2005-06, the average price of attendance for undergraduates attending 

public 4-year institutions and living on campus rose 14 percent for both in-state and out-ofstate students (table 5). Likewise, the price for undergraduates living on campus at private 

not-for-profit 4-year institutions rose 11 percent, and the price for undergraduates living on 

campus at private for-profit 4-year institutions rose 12 percent over the same 2-year period 

(table 5). 

Completions 

• For the 2004-05 academic year, about 2.3 million degrees were awarded by 4-year Title IV 

institutions and about 557,000 were awarded by 2-year institutions (table 6). 

• During the 2004-05 academic year, about 3.6 million postsecondary awards (degrees or 

certificates) were conferred by Title IV institutions (table 7). 

3
Table 1. Number and percent distribution of Title IV institutions within control of institution, by level of 

institution and region: United States and other jurisdictions, academic year 2005-06 

Number of institutions Percent of institutions 

Level of institution and region Total Public

Private notfor-profitPrivate forprofit Total Public Private notfor-profit Private forprofit

Total institutions 6,6001 2,035 1,912 2,653 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Total U.S. institutions 6,4411 2,010 1,862 2,569 97.6 98.8 97.4 96.8

Level of institution 

4-year 2,654 656 1,584 414 40.2 32.2 82.8 15.6

U.S. 2,593 639 1,547 407 39.3 31.4 80.9 15.3

Other jurisdictions 61 17 37 7 0.9 0.8 1.9 0.3

2-year 2,213 1,161 223 829 33.5 57.1 11.7 31.2

U.S. 2,188 1,153 219 816 33.2 56.7 11.5 30.8

Other jurisdictions 25 8 4 13 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.5

Less-than-2-year 1,733 218 105 1,410 26.3 10.7 5.5 53.1

U.S. 1,660 218 96 1,346 25.2 10.7 5.0 50.7

Other jurisdictions 73 0 9 64 1.1 0.0 0.5 2.4

Region 

New England 394 92 172 130 6.0 4.5 9.0 4.9

Mid East 1,103 277 434 392 16.7 13.6 22.7 14.8

Great Lakes 972 283 323 366 14.7 13.9 16.9 13.8

Plains 603 199 202 202 9.1 9.8 10.6 7.6

Southeast 1,544 589 360 595 23.4 28.9 18.8 22.4

Southwest 674 238 97 339 10.2 11.7 5.1 12.8

Rocky Mountains 229 80 29 120 3.5 3.9 1.5 4.5

Far West 917 247 245 425 13.9 12.1 12.8 16.0

U.S. service academies 5 5 0 0 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.0

Other jurisdictions 159 25 50 84 2.4 1.2 2.6 3.2 1 Due to natural disaster, 22 institutions were unable to respond to this survey; their data were not imputed, and they are not 

represented in this table. Of these, 20 are in the Southeast region, and 2 are in the Southwest region; 7 are 4-year institutions, 6 

are 2-year institutions, and the remaining 9 are less-than-2-year institutions. 

NOTE: Data are not imputed. The item response rates for all cells in this table are 100.0 percent. The other jurisdictions include 

American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Marshall Islands, the Northern Marianas, Palau, Puerto Rico, 

and the Virgin Islands. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data 

System (IPEDS), Fall 2005, Institutional Characteristics component.

4
5

Table 2. Number and percent distribution of Title IV institutions within control of institution, by degreegranting status and highest level of offering: United States, academic year 2005-06

Number of institutions Percent of institutions 

Degree-granting status and 

highest level of offering Total Public

Private notfor-profitPrivate forprofit Total Public Private notfor-profit Private forprofit

All institutions 6,4411 2,010 1,862 2,569 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Less than 1 year 273 8 25 240 4.2 0.4 1.3 9.3

At least 1 but less than 2 years 1,387 210 71 1,106 21.5 10.4 3.8 43.1

Associate’s degree 1,230 680 98 452 19.1 33.8 5.3 17.6

At least 2 but less than 4 years 958 473 121 364 14.9 23.5 6.5 14.2

Bachelor’s degree 737 88 425 224 11.4 4.4 22.8 8.7

Post-baccalaureate certificate 59 5 49 5 0.9 0.2 2.6 0.2

Master’s degree 854 171 536 147 13.3 8.5 28.8 5.7

Post-master’s certificate 215 101 107 7 3.3 5.0 5.7 0.3

Doctor’s degree 696 268 406 22 10.8 13.3 21.8 0.9

First-professional degree2 32 6 24 2 0.5 0.3 1.3 0.1

Degree-granting 4,263 1,690 1,643 930 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Associate’s degree 1,230 680 98 452 28.9 40.2 6.0 48.6

At least 2 but less than 4 years 458 372 15 71 10.7 22.0 0.9 7.6

Bachelor’s degree 737 88 425 224 17.3 5.2 25.9 24.1

Post-baccalaureate certificate 41 4 32 5 1.0 0.2 1.9 0.5

Master’s degree 854 171 536 147 20.0 10.1 32.6 15.8

Post-master’s certificate 215 101 107 7 5.0 6.0 6.5 0.8

Doctor’s degree 696 268 406 22 16.3 15.9 24.7 2.4

First-professional degree2 32 6 24 2 0.8 0.4 1.5 0.2

Non-degree-granting 2,178 320 219 1,639 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Less than 1 year 273 8 25 240 12.5 2.5 11.4 14.6

At least 1 but less than 2 years 1,387 210 71 1,106 63.7 65.6 32.4 67.5

At least 2 but less than 4 years 500 101 106 293 23.0 31.6 48.4 17.9

Post-baccalaureate certificate 18 1 17 0 0.8 0.3 7.8 0.0 1 Due to natural disaster, 22 institutions were unable to respond to this survey; their data were not imputed, and they are not 

represented in this table. 

2

 The 32 institutions noted here award only first-professional degrees (no other degree levels); 1 of the 32 also grants a firstprofessional certificate. 

NOTE: Data are not imputed. The item response rates for all cells in this table are 100.0 percent. Detail may not sum to totals 

because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data 

System (IPEDS), Fall 2005, Institutional Characteristics component.
6

Table 3. Average and median academic year tuition and required fees for full-time 

students at Title IV institutions, by control of institution, student level, level of 

institution, and first-professional program: United States, academic year 

2005-06 

Student level, level of institution, and first- Public 

professional program In-state Out-of-state

Private notfor-profit1Private forprofit1

Average tuition and required fees per institution 

Undergraduate

4-year $5,206 $12,652 $16,888 $13,894

2-year 2,514 5,529 8,553 11,778

Less-than-2-year 5,335 5,663 9,384 10,617

Graduate 6,2302 13,1032 12,607 13,173

First-professional 

Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.) † † 19,359 †

Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.) 18,524 36,515 43,196 †

Law (L.L.B. or J.D.) 13,003 23,594 27,743 ‡

Medicine (M.D.) 18,935 36,091 35,900 †

Optometry (O.D.) 13,555 28,080 24,483 †

Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) 17,896 32,068 33,011 †

Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) 11,506 22,369 24,879 †

Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.) ‡ ‡ 24,137 †

Theology (M.Div., M.H.L., B.D., or Ordination) † † 10,547 †

Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) 13,644 30,659 29,481 †

Median tuition and required fees per institution 

Undergraduate

4-year 4,888 12,420 16,852 12,760

2-year 2,352 5,306 8,520 10,210

Less-than-2-year 4,950 4,950 8,530 10,068

Graduate 5,6482 12,5502 10,766 11,400

First-professional 

Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.) † † 21,480 †

Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.) 18,852 36,344 43,500 †

Law (L.L.B. or J.D.) 11,981 23,420 28,355 ‡

Medicine (M.D.) 19,736 35,155 37,011 †

Optometry (O.D.) 13,448 28,725 25,236 †

Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) 17,294 31,880 34,125 †

Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) 11,177 21,966 23,692 †

Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.) ‡ ‡ 24,307 †

Theology (M.Div., M.H.L., B.D., or Ordination) † † 9,775 †

Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) 13,561 31,123 32,635 †

† Not applicable. 

‡ Reporting standards not met; fewer than three respondents. 

1 Out-of-state average and median tuition and required fees were used for private institutions that reported 

varying tuitions by residency. 

2 Four 2-year institutions reported graduate-level tuition and/or fees in 2005-06. 

NOTE: Tuition and required fees are average institutional charges, not average amounts paid by students (i.e., 

charges are not weighted by enrollment). Institutions that report tuitions by program are not included. U.S. 

service academies are not included. Averages and medians for first-professional programs were calculated 

based on only those institutions that offer degrees at the first-professional level. Medians were calculated using 

SAS, Version 9, Proc Univariate. Due to natural disaster, 22 institutions were unable to respond to this survey; 

their data were not imputed, and they are not represented in this table. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary 

Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2005, Institutional Characteristics component. 
7

Table 4. Changes in average components of academic year price of attendance for full-time, first-time 

degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates at Title IV institutions, by level and control of 

institution, residency, and student housing: United States, academic years 2003-04 and 

2005-06 

Component of price, control of 4-year 2-year Less-than-2-year 

institution, residency, and student 

housing 2003-04 2005-06

Percent 

change 2003-04 2005-06

Percent 

change 2003-04 2005-06

Percent 

change

Tuition and required fees 

Public 

In-district $4,450 $5,226 17.4 $1,848 $2,105 13.9 $4,586 $5,002 9.1

In-state 4,452 5,228 17.4 2,224 2,502 12.5 4,609 5,024 9.0

Out-of-state 11,036 12,660 14.7 5,038 5,512 9.4 4,835 5,305 9.7

Private not-for-profit 15,230 17,093 12.2 7,940 8,702 9.6 9,545 10,569 10.7

Private for-profit 12,297 13,645 11.0 10,231 11,483 12.2 9,893 10,618 7.3

Books and supplies 

Public 896 991 10.6 894 974 8.9 761 849 11.6

Private not-for-profit 850 925 8.8 975 1,069 9.6 746 875 17.2

Private for-profit 1,054 1,191 13.1 1,146 1,260 10.0 820 865 5.5

Room and board 

Public 

On campus 5,608 6,204 10.6 3,872 4,188 8.2 ‡ ‡ ‡

Off campus (not with family) 6,410 7,037 9.8 5,751 6,220 8.2 4,849 5,024 3.6

Private not-for-profit 

On campus 6,080 6,690 10.0 4,643 5,004 7.8 4,987 4,837 -3.0

Off campus (not with family) 6,549 7,057 7.8 6,923 7,310 5.6 6,886 7,077 2.8

Private for-profit 

On campus 6,354 6,947 9.3 5,643 6,330 12.2 ‡1 5,624 ‡

Off campus (not with family) 8,143 8,725 7.1 6,317 6,685 5.8 6,773 7,113 5.0

Other expenses 

Public 

On campus 2,427 2,655 9.4 2,129 2,320 9.0 ‡ ‡ ‡

Off campus (not with family) 2,978 3,190 7.1 2,758 2,963 7.4 2,307 2,357 2.2

Off campus (with family) 2,939 3,148 7.1 2,921 3,129 7.1 2,956 3,058 3.4

Private not-for-profit 

On campus 2,052 2,175 6.0 2,388 2,689 12.6 1,517 1,903 25.5

Off campus (not with family) 2,610 2,787 6.8 3,080 3,263 5.9 2,345 2,572 9.7

Off campus (with family) 2,925 3,171 8.4 3,333 3,580 7.4 3,528 3,620 2.6

Private for-profit 

On campus 3,218 3,415 6.1 2,926 2,900 -0.9 ‡ 3,290 ‡

Off campus (not with family) 3,394 3,601 6.1 3,083 3,301 7.1 2,910 3,090 6.2

Off campus (with family) 4,040 4,227 4.6 3,416 3,555 4.1 3,613 3,869 7.1

‡ Reporting standards not met; fewer than three respondents. 

1

The response rate for this item is 66.7 percent. 

NOTE: Price data for 2003-04 are not imputed. The item response rates for all cells for 2003-04 range from 92.6 percent to 100.0 

percent, except where indicated. Amounts are institutional averages, not average amounts paid by students (i.e., charges are not 

weighted by enrollment). Out-of-state average tuition and required fees were used for private institutions that reported varying 

tuitions by residency. Institutions that report tuitions by program are not included. All amounts are in current dollars. Due to natural 

disaster, 22 institutions were unable to respond to this survey; their data were not imputed, and they are not represented in this 

table. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data 

System (IPEDS), Fall 2005, Institutional Characteristics component. 
8

Table 5. Changes in academic year average price of attendance for full-time, first-time 

degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates at Title IV institutions, by level and control of 

institution, student housing, and residency: United States, academic years 2003-04 and 

2005-06 

4-year 2-year Less-than-2-year 

Control of institution, student housing, 

and residency 2003-04 2005-06

Percent 

change 2003-04 2005-06

Percent 

change 2003-04 2005-06

Percent 

change

Public 

On campus1

In-district $13,286 $15,114 13.8 $8,765 $9,643 10.0 ‡ ‡ ‡

In-state 13,287 15,114 13.8 8,928 9,836 10.2 ‡ ‡ ‡

Out-of-state 20,060 22,791 13.6 11,189 12,196 9.0 ‡ ‡ ‡

Off campus (not with family)2

In-district 14,754 16,435 11.4 11,242 12,253 9.0 $12,458 $13,198 5.9

In-state 14,757 16,437 11.4 11,622 12,654 8.9 12,481 13,221 5.9

Out-of-state 21,312 23,859 11.9 14,431 15,665 8.5 12,707 13,501 6.3

Off campus (with family)2

In-district 8,306 9,356 12.6 5,655 6,200 9.6 8,258 8,875 7.5

In-state 8,308 9,358 12.6 6,034 6,601 9.4 8,281 8,898 7.5

Out-of-state 14,863 16,780 12.9 8,844 9,611 8.7 8,507 9,178 7.9

Private not-for-profit 

On campus1 24,939 27,754 11.3 17,318 19,441 12.3 18,361 22,139 20.6

Off campus (not with family)2 23,997 26,474 10.3 18,753 20,147 7.4 19,353 20,868 7.8

Off campus (with family)2 17,772 19,810 11.5 12,082 13,154 8.9 13,651 14,839 8.7

Private for-profit 

On campus1 25,117 28,250 12.5 20,861 22,895 9.7 19,660 23,315 18.6

Off campus (not with family)2 24,593 26,882 9.3 20,607 22,533 9.3 20,159 21,459 6.4

Off campus (with family)2 17,117 18,783 9.7 14,623 16,101 10.1 14,089 15,125 7.4

‡ Reporting standards not met; fewer than three respondents. 

1 On-campus average price is based on those institutions that offer on-campus housing and/or meal service. 2

 Off-campus average price is based on those institutions that do not require full-time, first-time students to live on campus. 

NOTE: Price data for 2003-04 are not imputed. The item response rates for all cells for 2003-04 range from 98.9 percent to 100.0 

percent. Price of attendance includes tuition and required fees, room and board charges, books and supplies, and other expenses. 

Prices are average institutional prices, not average amounts paid by students (i.e., charges are not weighted by enrollment). Outof-state average tuition and required fees were used for private institutions that reported varying tuitions by residency. Institutions 

that report tuitions by program are not included. All amounts are in current dollars. Due to natural disaster, 22 institutions were 

unable to respond to this survey; their data were not imputed, and they are not represented in this table. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data 

System (IPEDS), Fall 2005, Institutional Characteristics component. 
9

Table 6. Number and percent distribution of degrees conferred at Title IV institutions within control of 

institution, by level of institution, gender, race/ethnicity, and level of degree: United States, 

academic year 2004-05 

All institutions Public Private not-for profit Private for-profit 

Level of institution,1 gender, 

race/ethnicity, and level of degree Number

Percent 

of total Number

Percent 

of total Number

Percent 

of total Number

Percent 

of total

4-year institutions 

Total degrees 2,293,350 100.0 1,347,129 100.0 812,140 100.0 134,081 100.0

Gender 

Men 976,672 42.6 573,381 42.6 339,418 41.8 63,873 47.6

Women 1,316,678 57.4 773,748 57.4 472,722 58.2 70,208 52.4

Race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic 1,501,754 65.5 912,667 67.7 525,395 64.7 63,692 47.5

Black, non-Hispanic 204,650 8.9 112,191 8.3 72,389 8.9 20,070 15.0

Hispanic 145,574 6.3 89,309 6.6 43,455 5.4 12,810 9.6

Asian/Pacific Islander 137,793 6.0 86,422 6.4 45,047 5.5 6,324 4.7

American Indian/Alaska Native 15,096 0.7 10,209 0.8 3,900 0.5 987 0.7

Race/ethnicity unknown 151,248 6.6 58,781 4.4 68,742 8.5 23,725 17.7

Nonresident alien 137,235 6.0 77,550 5.8 53,212 6.6 6,473 4.8

Degrees conferred 

Associate’s degrees 139,550 6.1 55,672 4.1 35,335 4.4 48,543 36.2

Bachelor’s degrees 1,439,262 62.8 932,441 69.2 457,963 56.4 48,858 36.4

Master’s degrees 574,618 25.1 291,505 21.6 248,031 30.5 35,082 26.2

Doctor’s degrees 52,631 2.3 31,743 2.4 19,552 2.4 1,336 1.0

First-professional degrees2 87,289 3.8 35,768 2.7 51,259 6.3 262 0.2

2-year institutions 

Total degrees 557,172 100.0 491,904 100.0 10,009 100.0 55,259 100.0

Gender 

Men 208,295 37.4 180,023 36.6 3,836 38.3 24,436 44.2

Women 348,877 62.6 311,881 63.4 6,173 61.7 30,823 55.8

Race/ethnicity 

White, non-Hispanic 366,358 65.8 330,517 67.2 5,617 56.1 30,224 54.7

Black, non-Hispanic 62,850 11.3 51,449 10.5 1,411 14.1 9,990 18.1

Hispanic 57,963 10.4 49,095 10.0 1,004 10.0 7,864 14.2

Asian/Pacific Islander 27,283 4.9 24,498 5.0 874 8.7 1,911 3.5

American Indian/Alaska Native 6,335 1.1 5,658 1.2 264 2.6 413 0.7

Race/ethnicity unknown 24,571 4.4 19,414 3.9 617 6.2 4,540 8.2

Nonresident alien 11,812 2.1 11,273 2.3 222 2.2 317 0.6

Degrees conferred 

Associate’s degrees 557,170 100.0 491,902 100.0 10,009 100.0 55,259 100.0

Bachelor’s degrees 2 # 2 # 0 0.0 0 0.0

# Rounds to zero. 

1 Institutions are classified as 4-year or 2-year based on the highest level of awards offered in the collection year. 2 First-professional degrees are awarded after completion of the academic requirements to begin practice in the following 

professions: chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.); dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.); law (L.L.B. or J.D.); medicine (M.D.); optometry (O.D.); 

osteopathic medicine (D.O.); pharmacy (Pharm.D.); podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.); theology (M.Div., M.H.L., B.D., or 

Ordination); or veterinary medicine (D.V.M.). 

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Three institutions that were less-than-2-year institutions in the collection 

year (2005-06) reported awarding 34 associate’s degrees in the reporting year (2004-05), and these 34 degrees are not included in 

this table. Due to natural disaster, 20 institutions were unable to respond to this survey; their data were imputed, and they are 

represented in this table. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data 

System (IPEDS), Fall 2005, Completions component. 
10

Table 7. Awards conferred by Title IV institutions, by race/ethnicity, level of award, and gender: United 

States, academic year 2004-05 

Level of award and gender 

Total 

awards 

White,

nonHispanic

Black,

nonHispanic Hispanic

Asian/ 

Pacific

Islander

American 

Indian/ 

Alaska 

Native 

Race/ 

ethnicity

unknown

Nonresident

alien

Total awards 3,595,928 2,279,812 395,729 312,108 197,339 29,265 223,347 158,328

Men 1,456,012 940,105 125,400 114,274 85,206 10,831 93,908 86,288

Women 2,139,916 1,339,707 270,329 197,834 112,133 18,434 129,439 72,040

Less than 1 year 368,758 192,933 66,014 58,467 18,014 3,695 25,994 3,641

Men 137,705 79,102 22,097 18,731 6,567 1,343 8,441 1,424

Women 231,053 113,831 43,917 39,736 11,447 2,352 17,553 2,217

At least 1 but less than 2 years 313,033 176,671 56,032 45,477 11,439 3,691 17,206 2,517

Men 108,057 63,636 15,845 15,523 4,498 1,403 6,106 1,046

Women 204,976 113,035 40,187 29,954 6,941 2,288 11,100 1,471

Associate’s degrees 696,7541 450,001 81,757 74,279 31,830 8,004 36,799 14,084

Men 267,562 177,211 25,472 27,839 12,976 2,614 15,868 5,582

Women 429,192 272,790 56,285 46,440 18,854 5,390 20,931 8,502

At least 2 but less than 4 years 29,082 20,001 2,974 2,839 1,310 264 1,272 422

Men 13,499 8,925 1,214 1,650 601 146 755 208

Women 15,583 11,076 1,760 1,189 709 118 517 214

Bachelor’s degrees 1,439,264 987,923 127,844 94,995 91,197 9,703 82,241 45,361

Men 613,000 428,250 42,879 36,984 40,899 3,887 36,847 23,254

Women 826,264 559,673 84,965 58,011 50,298 5,816 45,394 22,107

Post-baccalaureate certificates 19,957 12,841 1,437 1,295 1,064 125 1,836 1,359

Men 6,886 4,276 442 477 395 34 740 522

Women 13,071 8,565 995 818 669 91 1,096 837

Master’s degrees 574,618 342,080 49,065 28,378 29,334 2,969 49,569 73,223

Men 233,590 131,292 13,965 10,123 13,301 1,031 21,143 42,735

Women 341,028 210,788 35,100 18,255 16,033 1,938 28,426 30,488

Post-master’s certificates 13,615 8,826 1,734 453 310 54 1,156 1,082

Men 4,345 2,714 347 133 113 16 417 605

Women 9,270 6,112 1,387 320 197 38 739 477

Doctor’s degrees 52,631 28,152 2,854 1,691 2,695 224 2,673 14,342

Men 26,973 13,027 980 707 1,297 83 1,232 9,647

Women 25,658 15,125 1,874 984 1,398 141 1,441 4,695

First-professional degrees 87,289 59,978 5,987 4,196 10,020 534 4,537 2,037

Men 43,849 31,411 2,141 2,089 4,496 273 2,326 1,113

Women 43,440 28,567 3,846 2,107 5,524 261 2,211 924

First-professional certificates 927 406 31 38 126 2 64 260

Men 546 261 18 18 63 1 33 152

Women 381 145 13 20 63 1 31 108 1 Includes 34 associate’s degrees awarded by three institutions that were less-than-2-year institutions in the collection year (2005-06). 

NOTE: Due to natural disaster, 20 institutions were unable to respond to this survey; their data were imputed, and they are represented 

in this table. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System 

(IPEDS), Fall 2005, Completions component. 
Appendix A: 

Survey Methodology 

Overview 

IPEDS defines a postsecondary institution as an organization that is open to the public and has a 

primary mission of providing education or training beyond the high school level. The primary 

focus of the IPEDS fall 2005 data collection was to collect data from Title IV institutions. These 

institutions have Program Participation Agreements (PPAs) with the Office of Postsecondary 

Education (OPE) within the U.S. Department of Education and thus are eligible to participate in 

Title IV student financial aid programs. There were 6,705 Title IV institutions1

 and 

administrative offices located in the United States and the other jurisdictions of the United 

States, such as Puerto Rico,2

 in the 2005-06 academic year. 

IPEDS began collecting data from all postsecondary institutions in 1986, when it superseded the 

Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), which was directed at institutions of 

higher education only. HEGIS data were collected from 1966 through 1985. In 1992, the focus of 

IPEDS became the Title IV institutions, when the Higher Education Amendments made 

reporting to IPEDS mandatory for these institutions. In 2000, IPEDS implemented a web-based 

data collection system with the capability of tailoring data collection screens to each institution. 

Edits were also built into the system to give immediate feedback to the institutions when 

problems were detected. This system has allowed for earlier release of data to institutions and the 

public, primarily through the IPEDS Peer Analysis System and College Opportunities Online 

Locator. 

The fall 2005 data collection was entirely web-based. Institutions in the universe were asked to 

enter their survey responses using the IPEDS data collection website. The fall 2005 IPEDS data 

were collected between September 7, 2005, and October 19, 2005. The collection had two 

components: Institutional Characteristics and Completions. 

Terminology Used in the IPEDS Web Collection 

Please refer to the Glossary provided at the end of this document for definitions of various terms. 

Universe, Institutions Surveyed, and Response Rates 

The IPEDS universe is established during the fall collection period. For the 2005-06 cycle, 49 

institutions and one administrative office included in prior IPEDS data collections were declared 

to be outside the scope of IPEDS because they were closed or were merged with another 

institution. Furthermore, another 173 institutions included separately in prior IPEDS data 

collections were reclassified (136 in fall 2004 and 37 more in fall 2005) and are now reported by 

 

1

 Includes 6,622 institutions and 83 administrative (central or system) offices. The central and system offices are 

required to complete the Institutional Characteristics component in the fall, the Staff component in the winter (if 

they have more than 15 full-time staff), and the Finance component in the spring (if they have their own separate 

budget). 

2

 The other jurisdictions include American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Marshall Islands, 

the Northern Marianas, Palau, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. 

A-1
a parent institution. In addition, 193 institutions and one administrative office were added to the 

universe. These schools were identified from several sources, including a universe review by 

state coordinators, a review of the data file maintained by OPE, and information provided by the 

institutions themselves. 

According to Section 490 of the Higher Education Amendments of 1992 (P.L. 102- 325), IPEDS 

is mandatory for any 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, 

as amended (20 USC 1094(a)(17)). Therefore, most of the studies that use IPEDS data 

concentrate on the Title IV institutions, and this group is the main focus of IPEDS. To ensure the 

inclusion of all Title IV participants, the full set of 6,705 Title IV entities in the established 

IPEDS universe was validated by matching it with OPE’s Postsecondary Education Participation 

System (PEPS) file. 

The IPEDS database also includes institutions that do not participate in Title IV financial aid 

programs. These institutions are invited to participate in the IPEDS program, and if they 

voluntarily respond to the surveys, the institutions are included in College Opportunities Online 

Locator (IPEDS COOL). IPEDS COOL is a website developed to help parents and students 

make informed decisions about postsecondary education. 

Table A-1 provides the number of Title IV institutions and administrative offices and the survey 

response rates by degree-granting status and by level and control of institution for the United 

States and other jurisdictions for the two fall components. Because Title IV institutions are the 

primary focus of IPEDS and they are required to respond, response rates for Title IV institutions 

in the fall 2005 IPEDS collection were quite high. Response rates for the Institutional 

Characteristics component are based on 6,600 institutions and 83 administrative offices (central 

and system offices). Twenty-two institutions significantly affected by Hurricanes Katrina and 

Rita are not included in the 2005-06 universe. Because of the effects of weather and flooding, 

these institutions were closed for the remainder of the fall 2005 semester or longer. The 

Institutional Characteristics component response rate among all Title IV entities was almost 100 

percent (6,674 of the 6,683 Title IV entities responded). The response rate for the Completions 

component was 99.5 percent; 6,590 out of 6,622 eligible institutions responded. Private for-profit 

less-than-2-year institutions had the lowest response rate for Completions data (98.6 percent). 

The following types of institutions had a response rate of 100 percent for Completions data: 

public 2-year, private not-for-profit 2-year, and public less-than-2-year institutions. Completions 

data for institutions unable to report due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were imputed because 

they are based on activity occurring in the 2004-05 year and therefore were not impacted. 

Table A-1a provides the number of Title IV institutions and administrative offices and the survey 

response rates by degree-granting status and by level and control of institution for those 

institutions located in the United States only (excluding any other jurisdictions). 

NCES required that the potential for nonresponse bias for all institutions (including those in 

other jurisdictions) be analyzed for sectors for which the response rate is less than 90 percent. As 

shown in table A-1, no sectors required this analysis. 

A-2
Table A-1. Title IV institutions and administrative offices responding to the IPEDS 

fall 2005 data collection, by degree-granting status and level and control 

of institution: United States and other jurisdictions 

Institutional Characteristics1 Completions2 Degree-granting status and 

level and control of 

institution 

Final 

universe

Number 

responded

Response 

rate (%)

Final 

universe

Number 

responded 

Response 

rate (%)

All institutions 6,683 6,674 99.9 6,622 6,590 99.5

Public 2,106 2,105 100.0 2,038 2,037 100.0

Private not-for-profit 1,919 1,918 99.9 1,916 1,911 99.7

Private for-profit 2,658 2,651 99.7 2,668 2,642 99.0

4-year 2,702 2,702 100.0 2,661 2,655 99.8

 Public 696 696 100.0 658 657 99.8

 Private not-for-profit 1,590 1,590 100.0 1,588 1,584 99.7

 Private for-profit 416 416 100.0 415 414 99.8

2-year 2,244 2,243 100.0 2,219 2,214 99.8

 Public 1,192 1,191 99.9 1,162 1,162 100.0

 Private not-for-profit 223 223 100.0 223 223 100.0

 Private for-profit 829 829 100.0 834 829 99.4

Less-than-2-year 1,737 1,729 99.5 1,742 1,721 98.8

 Public 218 218 100.0 218 218 100.0

 Private not-for-profit 106 105 99.1 105 104 99.0

 Private for-profit 1,413 1,406 99.5 1,419 1,399 98.6

Degree-granting 4,427 4,426 100.0 4,361 4,350 99.7

 4-year 2,684 2,684 100.0 2,643 2,637 99.8

 Public 695 695 100.0 657 656 99.8

 Private not-for-profit 1,573 1,573 100.0 1,571 1,567 99.7

 Private for-profit 416 416 100.0 415 414 99.8

 2-year 1,743 1,742 99.9 1,718 1,713 99.7

 Public 1,091 1,090 99.9 1,061 1,061 100.0

 Private not-for-profit 117 117 100.0 117 117 100.0

 Private for-profit 535 535 100.0 540 535 99.1

Non-degree-granting 2,256 2,248 99.6 2,261 2,240 99.1

 4-year3 18 18 100.0 18 18 100.0

 Public 1 1 100.0 1 1 100.0

 Private not-for-profit 17 17 100.0 17 17 100.0

 2-year 501 501 100.0 501 501 100.0

 Public 101 101 100.0 101 101 100.0

 Private not-for-profit 106 106 100.0 106 106 100.0

 Private for-profit 294 294 100.0 294 294 100.0

 Less-than-2-year 1,737 1,729 99.5 1,742 1,721 98.8

 Public 218 218 100.0 218 218 100.0

 Private not-for-profit 106 105 99.1 105 104 99.0

 Private for-profit 1,413 1,406 99.5 1,419 1,399 98.6 1 Due to natural disaster, 22 institutions were unable to respond to this survey; their data were not imputed, 

and they are not represented in this table. 

2

 Due to natural disaster, 20 institutions were unable to respond to this survey; their data were imputed, and 

they are represented in this table.

3 These institutions grant certificates only at the post-baccalaureate, post-master’s, and post-doctorate 

levels. 

NOTE: For the Institutional Characteristics response rates, administrative offices (central and system offices) 

are included in the counts according to the highest level of the institution(s) they serve because they 

complete the Institutional Characteristics component. Data were imputed for all IC and Completions 

nonrespondents. Only Part D data were imputed for IC nonrespondents. The other jurisdictions include 

American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Marshall Islands, the Northern Marianas, 

Palau, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary 

Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2005. 

A-3
Table A-1a. Title IV institutions and administrative offices responding to the IPEDS 

fall 2005 data collection, by degree-granting status and level and control 

of institution: United States 

Institutional Characteristics1 Completions2 Degree-granting status and 

level and control of 

institution 

Final 

universe

Number 

responded

Response 

rate (%)

Final 

universe

Number 

responded 

Response 

rate (%)

All institutions 6,521 6,512 99.9 6,463 6,431 99.5

Public 2,080 2,079 100.0 2,013 2,012 100.0

Private not-for-profit 1,867 1,866 99.9 1,866 1,861 99.7

Private for-profit 2,574 2,567 99.7 2,584 2,558 99.0

4-year 2,638 2,638 100.0 2,600 2,594 99.8

 Public 678 678 100.0 641 640 99.8

 Private not-for-profit 1,551 1,551 100.0 1,551 1,547 99.7

 Private for-profit 409 409 100.0 408 407 99.8

2-year 2,219 2,218 100.0 2,194 2,189 99.8

 Public 1,184 1,183 99.9 1,154 1,154 100.0

 Private not-for-profit 219 219 100.0 219 219 100.0

 Private for-profit 816 816 100.0 821 816 99.4

Less-than-2-year 1,664 1,656 99.5 1,669 1,648 98.7

 Public 218 218 100.0 218 218 100.0

 Private not-for-profit 97 96 99.0 96 95 99.0

 Private for-profit 1,349 1,342 99.5 1,355 1,335 98.5

Degree-granting 4,339 4,338 100.0 4,276 4,265 99.7

 4-year 2,620 2,620 100.0 2,582 2,576 99.8

 Public 677 677 100.0 640 639 99.8

 Private not-for-profit 1,534 1,534 100.0 1,534 1,530 99.7

 Private for-profit 409 409 100.0 408 407 99.8

 2-year 1,719 1,718 99.9 1,694 1,689 99.7

 Public 1,083 1,082 99.9 1,053 1,053 100.0

 Private not-for-profit 113 113 100.0 113 113 100.0

 Private for-profit 523 523 100.0 528 523 99.1

Non-degree-granting 2,182 2,174 99.6 2,187 2,166 99.0

 4-year3 18 18 100.0 18 18 100.0

 Public 1 1 100.0 1 1 100.0

 Private not-for-profit 17 17 100.0 17 17 100.0

 2-year 500 500 100.0 500 500 100.0

 Public 101 101 100.0 101 101 100.0

 Private not-for-profit 106 106 100.0 106 106 100.0

 Private for-profit 293 293 100.0 293 293 100.0

 Less-than-2-year 1,664 1,656 99.5 1,669 1,648 98.7

 Public 218 218 100.0 218 218 100.0

 Private not-for-profit 97 96 99.0 96 95 99.0

 Private for-profit 1,349 1,342 99.5 1,355 1,335 98.5 1 Due to natural disaster, 22 institutions were unable to respond to this survey; their data were not imputed, 

and they are not represented in this table. 

2

 Due to natural disaster, 20 institutions were unable to respond to this survey; their data were imputed, and 

they are represented in this table.

3 These institutions grant certificates only at the post-baccalaureate, post-master’s, and post-doctorate 

levels. 

NOTE: For the Institutional Characteristics response rates, administrative offices (central and system offices) 

are included in the counts according to the highest level of the institution(s) they serve because they 

complete the Institutional Characteristics component. Data were imputed for all IC and Completions 

nonrespondents. Only price data were imputed for IC nonrespondents. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary 

Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2005. 

A-4
Survey Procedures 

The fall 2005 IPEDS data collection was a web-based data collection. Each institution appointed 

a keyholder who was responsible for ensuring that survey data submitted by the institution were 

correct. The keyholder could generate UserIDs and passwords for up to six additional survey 

respondents who could also enter or review data. For many institutions, keyholders were also 

required to edit and “lock” the data; locking is equivalent to submitting completed data to NCES. 

Additionally, many states or systems had one or more coordinators. 

Coordinators are individuals who take responsibility for a specified group of institutions to 

ensure that all data were entered correctly. Some coordinators may be responsible for a system of 

institutions (e.g., SUNY—the State University of New York); others may coordinate all or some 

institutions in a state. Also, coordinators may elect to provide different levels of review. For 

example, some may only view data provided by their institutions, while others may upload, 

review, and/or lock data for their institutions. 

In late July, letters were sent to chief executive officers (CEOs) at institutions without 

preexisting keyholders requesting that they appoint a keyholder for the 2005-06 collection year. 

The package included a letter for the keyholder and a registration certificate with the institution’s 

UserID and password for the entire 2005-06 collection year. Additionally, in late July, e-mail 

messages were sent to keyholders and coordinators who were continuing in their respective roles, 

providing them with their new UserID and password and requesting that they update or confirm 

their registration information beginning July 27, 2005. As with previous IPEDS studies, followup for nonresponse was conducted. Follow-up activities began August 24, 2005, with a letter to 

CEOs of institutions whose keyholder had not registered. Additional follow-ups were conducted 

via mail, e-mail, and telephone throughout the collection period with CEOs, coordinators, and 

keyholders. Due to severe hurricanes in the fall of 2005, several institutions in Louisiana, 

Mississippi, and Texas were excused from reporting the fall 2005 Institutional Characteristics 

and Completions components. 

The web-based survey instruments offered many features to improve the quality and timeliness 

of the data. As indicated above, survey respondents were required to register before entering 

2005-06 data to provide a point of contact between NCES/IPEDS and the institution. 

Online data entry forms were tailored to each institution based on characteristics such as 

institutional control (public, private not-for-profit, private for-profit), level of institution (4-year, 

2-year, and less-than-2-year), and calendar system (standard academic terms vs. enrollment by 

program). 

When data from previous years were available for an institution, they were preloaded on the 

customized forms for easy reference and comparison purposes. Once the 2005-06 data were 

entered, either manually or through file upload, the keyholders were required to run edit checks 

and resolve all errors before they were able to lock their data. Once data were locked, they were 

considered “submitted,” regardless of whether or not the coordinator had reviewed the 

submission. 

Once the data were complete and all locks were applied, IPEDS help desk staff conducted a final 

review of the institution’s data. If any additional problems were detected, the help desk staff 

contacted the institutions to resolve any remaining questions. When all problems were resolved, 

A-5
the final data were migrated to the Peer Analysis Tool, where they were available to other 

responding institutions for comparison purposes. 

Survey Components 

Institutional Characteristics—This component of the web-based survey collects basic data on 

each institution, such as identification, educational offerings, control or affiliation, admission 

requirements, and student services. In addition, data are collected on student charges for 

academic year 2005-06 for each level of enrollment (undergraduate, graduate, first-professional) 

or for the institution’s six largest programs (if programs are primarily occupational/vocational). 

Finally, price of attendance for full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking (undergraduate) 

students is requested, which includes tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board, and 

other expenses (such as transportation, laundry, and entertainment). Price data are those used by 

the institutions’ financial aid office to determine student need. 

Completions—This component of the web-based survey collects detailed data on the number of 

degrees or other formal awards conferred in academic year 2004-05—by race/ethnicity, gender, 

and 6-digit Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) code. Completions data on the number 

of students with multiple majors are collected by 6-digit CIP code, degree level, race/ethnicity, 

and gender from institutions that award degrees with multiple majors. 

Edit Procedures 

Edit checks were built into the web-based instrument to detect major reporting errors. The 

system automatically generated percentages and totals on each collection component (i.e., 

Completions and Institutional Characteristics); edit checks compared current responses to data 

reported the previous year. The edit checks could be run at any time during the collection. As 

edit checks were executed, survey respondents were allowed to correct any errors detected by the 

system. If data were entered correctly but failed the edit checks, the survey respondents were 

asked either to confirm the data were correct as entered or to explain why the data appeared to be 

out of the expected data range. All edit checks had to be resolved (confirmed or explained) 

before each survey was permitted to be locked. Survey respondents were also provided with one 

or more caveats boxes on each survey component and were encouraged to use this area to 

explain any special circumstances that might not be evident in their reported data. In addition, 

the data were manually reviewed for additional errors by coordinators and the IPEDS help desk 

staff. When necessary, keyholders were contacted to verify the accuracy of the data. 

For the Completions component of the collection, CIP codes were preloaded using the 2000 

edition of the Classification of Instructional Programs. All institutions were required to use 

CIP:2000 for reporting Completions data beginning in fall 2005. Award levels reported for each 

CIP code were checked against a predetermined list (of valid award levels for each 6-digit CIP 

code) developed by subject matter experts. Award levels also were checked against those 

indicated on the prior year’s Institutional Characteristics component. CIP codes and award levels 

were compared to the prior year’s data for consistency. For each award level except firstprofessional,3

 the gender totals for each two-digit CIP were compared to the information from 

 

3

 First-professional degrees are awarded after completion of the academic requirements to begin practice in the 

following professions: chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.); dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.); law (L.L.B. or J.D.); medicine 

(M.D.); optometry (O.D.); osteopathic medicine (D.O.); pharmacy (Pharm.D.); podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.); 

theology (M.Div., M.H.L., B.D., or Ordination); or veterinary medicine (D.V.M.). 

A-6
the prior year. The first-professional categories were compared to the prior year’s response at the 

six-digit CIP level, by gender. For large current year and prior year values, the absolute relative 

percent difference of current year values versus prior year values was not expected to be more 

than 50 percent. Small values, numbers less than 20 for both years, were not subjected to 

comparisons. Also, the number of awards for each race/ethnicity and gender combination, within 

each award level, was compared to values from the prior year. Finally, the number of awards was 

expected to be less than the total enrollment reported on the fall 2004 Enrollment component, by 

level of enrollment (undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional) and by gender. 

Edits were also applied to the Institutional Characteristics component of the collection. The types 

of educational offerings were checked to determine whether the institution qualified as primarily 

postsecondary and thus should be considered in scope for IPEDS. All levels of offering and 

levels of awards, admission requirements, application fees, tuition and fees, and room and board 

charges were compared to the prior year’s data for consistency. Large changes in the student 

charges section were flagged for follow-up; for example, the absolute relative percent differences 

of current year versus prior year data were not expected to exceed 50 percent for application 

fees, 30 percent for tuition and fees, and 40 percent for room and board charges. 

Inconsistencies noted: Nine institutions indicated in the Institutional Characteristics component 

that they do not award associate’s degrees (in the 2005-06 academic year), yet together they 

reported a total of 94 associate’s degrees in the Completions component (for the 2004-05 

academic year). These nine institutions are classified in the IPEDS universe as “non-degreegranting” based on their levels of offering reported in the Institutional Characteristics 

component. The associate’s degrees granted by these institutions are not included in table rows 

restricted to institutions classified as “degree-granting.” Three of these nine institutions indicated 

that they are less-than-2-year institutions, and they reported awarding 34 associate’s degrees in 

the Completions component. The associate’s degrees granted by these institutions are not

included in tables restricted to 2-year institutions. 

Imputation Procedures 

Institutional Characteristics—Student Charges in Part D of the Institutional Characteristics 

component were subject to imputation for nonresponse—both total (institutional) nonresponse 

and partial (item) nonresponse, but no institutions qualified for partial imputation. In addition, 

the imputation base was restricted to institutions satisfying the following conditions: 

• The institution must participate in Title IV student financial aid programs. 

• The institution must be currently active4

 in IPEDS. 

• The institution must not be an administrative unit. 

For Part D, 88 imputation groups were formed primarily based on institutional sector and levels 

of offering. Because of small group sizes, many of these imputation groups were combined to 

form 23 collapsed imputation groups. Then, the following imputation methods were used within 

collapsed imputation groups to impute missing data: 

 

4

 Institutions that did not respond were verified as currently active (open for business) prior to imputation through 

telephone calls and/or e-mail. 

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• Carry Forward—Reported 2004-05 institutional characteristics data were carried forward to 

the current year. A year-to-year adjustment factor was applied to some variables. 

• Group Median—The median values of each relevant item for the institutions within the same 

collapsed imputation group were used as the imputed values for the imputee. 

Tables A-2 and A-3 provide the price of attendance and the amounts imputed for full-time, firsttime degree/certificate-seeking students at Title IV institutions for institutions reporting by 

academic year and by program, respectively. 

Table A-2. Average price of attendance and imputed amounts for first-time entering students at 

Title IV institutions reporting by academic year, by type of student expense: United States, 

academic year 2005-06 

Imputed amounts 

Student expenses 

Average reported

 amounts Minimum Maximum

Tuition and required fees 

In-district $9,725 $655 $655

In-state 9,836 655 655

Out-of-state 11,754 5,024 5,024

Books and supplies 1,003 1,260 1,260

On-campus room and board 6,232 3,503 3,503

On-campus other expenses 2,377 2,535 2,535

Off-campus (not with family) room and board 6,909 8,652 8,652

Off-campus (not with family) other expenses 3,062 3,779 3,779

Off-campus (with family) other expenses 3,348 3,649 3,649

NOTE: Table is restricted to U.S. institutions only. Student expenses were imputed for one institution that reported by academic 

year. Due to natural disaster, 22 institutions were unable to respond to this survey; their data were not imputed. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data 

System (IPEDS), Fall 2005, Institutional Characteristics component. 

Table A-3. Average price of attendance and imputed amounts for first-time entering students at 

Title IV institutions reporting by program, by type of student expense: United States, 

academic year 2005-06 

Average reported Imputed amounts 

Student expenses amounts Minimum Maximum

Tuition and required fees $9,985 $5,355 $15,000

Books and supplies 863 0 800

On-campus room and board 5,169 † †

On-campus other expenses 3,045 † †

Off-campus (not with family) room and board 6,834 102 9,600

Off-campus (not with family) other expenses 3,332 757 7,620

Off-campus (with family) other expenses 3,622 961 4,061

† Not applicable. 

NOTE: Table is restricted to U.S. institutions only. Average reported amounts are for all largest programs regardless of program 

length. Student expenses were imputed for eight institutions that reported by program. Due to natural disaster, 22 institutions were 

unable to respond to this survey; their data were not imputed. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data 

System (IPEDS), Fall 2005, Institutional Characteristics component. 

A-8
Completions—The completions data were subject to imputation for nonresponse—both total 

(institutional) nonresponse and partial (item) nonresponse—but no institutions qualified for 

partial imputation. In addition, the imputation base was restricted to institutions satisfying the 

following conditions:

• The institution must participate in Title IV student financial aid programs. 

• The institution must be currently active in IPEDS. 

• The institution must not be an administrative office. 

• The institution must not be a child institution (a child institution’s data are reported by 

another institution, referred to as the “parent”). 

• The institution must not be new to the IPEDS universe. 

For the Completions component, 103 imputation groups were formed primarily based on 

institutional sector and levels of offering. Then the following imputation method was used to 

impute missing data: 

• Carry Forward—Reported 2003-04 (or 2002-03) completions data, including race/ethnicity 

and CIP, were carried forward to the current year. The base value of the number of awards 

was then multiplied by the ratio of current year mean completions to past year mean 

completions within the imputation group to adjust for year-to-year change. For the Carry 

Forward procedure, some of the imputation groups were collapsed. There were a total of 33 

collapsed imputation groups. 

Partial nonresponse was determined by comparison with the existing past data. It was determined 

that there were no partial nonrespondents. 

Table A-4 provides the total awards and percentages of awards that were imputed for all Title IV 

institutions in the United States, by control of institution, level of award, and gender. Numbers of 

students with second majors would have been imputed by the Carry Forward procedure; 

however, all institutions that reported students with second majors last year also reported 

students with second majors this year, so no imputation was necessary. 

A-9
Table A-4. Total awards and percentages of awards imputed for Title IV institutions, by control of institution, level of 

award, and gender: United States, academic year 2004-05

Total Public Private not-for-profit Private for-profit 

Imputed Imputed Imputed Imputed 

Level of award and gender 

Degrees/ 

certificates Number Percent

Degrees/ 

certificates Number Percent

Degrees/ 

certificates Number Percent 

Degrees/ 

certificates Number Percent

Total 3,595,928 7,240 0.2 2,224,253 1,598 0.1 876,992 1,310 0.1 494,683 4,332 0.9

Men 1,456,012 2,206 0.2 923,340 689 0.1 363,636 314 0.1 169,036 1,203 0.7

Women 2,139,916 5,034 0.2 1,300,913 909 0.1 513,356 996 0.2 325,647 3,129 1.0

Less than 1 year 368,758 2,499 0.7 208,577 0 0.0 17,883 0 0.0 142,298 2,499 1.8

Men 137,705 849 0.6 99,373 0 0.0 7,664 0 0.0 30,668 849 2.8

Women 231,053 1,650 0.7 109,204 0 0.0 10,219 0 0.0 111,630 1,650 1.5

At least 1 but less than 2 years 313,033 1,571 0.5 150,217 0 0.0 12,464 145 1.2 150,352 1,426 0.9

Men 108,057 225 0.2 59,417 0 0.0 4,283 47 1.1 44,357 178 0.4

Women 204,976 1,346 0.7 90,800 0 0.0 8,181 98 1.2 105,995 1,248 1.2

Associate’s degrees1 696,754 409 0.1 547,606 55 # 45,344 0 0.0 103,804 354 0.3

Men 267,562 148 0.1 202,309 8 # 16,613 0 0.0 48,640 140 0.3

Women 429,192 261 0.1 345,297 47 # 28,731 0 0.0 55,164 214 0.4

At least 2 but less than 4 years 29,082 40 0.1 11,889 0 0.0 5,621 0 0.0 11,572 40 0.3

Men 13,499 27 0.2 6,515 0 0.0 1,644 0 0.0 5,340 27 0.5

Women 15,583 13 0.1 5,374 0 0.0 3,977 0 0.0 6,232 13 0.2

Bachelor’s degrees 1,439,264 2,104 0.1 932,443 1,153 0.1 457,963 938 0.2 48,858 13 #

Men 613,000 666 0.1 399,462 447 0.1 188,220 210 0.1 25,318 9 #

Women 826,264 1,438 0.2 532,981 706 0.1 269,743 728 0.3 23,540 4 #

Postbaccalaureate certificates 19,957 1 # 7,009 0 0.0 11,909 1 # 1,039 0 0.0

Men 6,886 0 0.0 2,279 0 0.0 4,280 0 0.0 327 0 0.0

Women 13,071 1 # 4,730 0 0.0 7,629 1 # 712 0 0.0

Master’s degrees 574,618 495 0.1 291,505 384 0.1 248,031 111 # 35,082 0 0.0

Men 233,590 242 0.1 117,439 229 0.2 102,384 13 # 13,767 0 0.0

Women 341,028 253 0.1 174,066 155 0.1 145,647 98 0.1 21,315 0 0.0

Post-master’s certificates 13,615 0 0.0 7,141 0 0.0 6,394 0 0.0 80 0 0.0

Men 4,345 0 0.0 2,140 0 0.0 2,172 0 0.0 33 0 0.0

Women 9,270 0 0.0 5,001 0 0.0 4,222 0 0.0 47 0 0.0

Doctor’s degrees 52,631 6 # 31,743 6 # 19,552 0 0.0 1,336 0 0.0

Men 26,973 5 # 17,024 5 # 9,497 0 0.0 452 0 0.0

Women 25,658 1 # 14,719 1 # 10,055 0 0.0 884 0 0.0

First-professional degrees2 87,289 115 0.1 35,768 0 0.0 51,259 115 0.2 262 0 0.0

Men 43,849 44 0.1 17,175 0 0.0 26,540 44 0.2 134 0 0.0

Women 43,440 71 0.2 18,593 0 0.0 24,719 71 0.3 128 0 0.0

First-professional certificates 927 0 0.0 355 0 0.0 572 0 0.0 0 0 †

Men 546 0 0.0 207 0 0.0 339 0 0.0 0 0 †

Women 381 0 0.0 148 0 0.0 233 0 0.0 0 0 †

† Not applicable. 

# Rounds to zero. 

1 Includes 34 associate’s degrees awarded by three institutions that were 2-year institutions in the reporting year (2004-05) but became less-than-2-year 

institutions in the collection year (2005-06). 

2 First-professional degrees are awarded after completion of the academic requirements to begin practice in the following professions: chiropractic (D.C. 

or D.C.M.); dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.); law (L.L.B. or J.D.); medicine (M.D.); optometry (O.D.); osteopathic medicine (D.O.); pharmacy (Pharm.D.); 

podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.); theology (M.Div., M.H.L., B.D. or Ordination); or veterinary medicine (D.V.M.). 

NOTE: Table is restricted to U.S. institutions only. For institutions in other jurisdictions, No awards were imputed. Detail may not sum to totals because of 

rounding. Due to natural disaster, 20 institutions were unable to respond to this survey; their data were imputed, and they are represented in this table. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2005, 

Completions component. 

A-10
Appendix B: 

Glossary of IPEDS Terms 

academic program: An instructional program leading toward a certificate or an associate’s, 

bachelor’s, master’s, doctor’s, or first-professional degree or resulting in credits that can be applied 

to one of these awards. 

associate’s degree: An award that normally requires at least 2 but less than 4 years of full-time 

equivalent college work. 

bachelor’s degree: An award (baccalaureate or equivalent degree, as determined by the Secretary, 

U.S. Department of Education) that normally requires at least 4 but not more than 5 years of full-time 

equivalent college-level work. This includes all bachelor’s degrees conferred in a 5-year cooperative 

(work-study) program. A cooperative plan provides for alternate class attendance and employment in 

business, industry, or government; thus, it allows students to combine actual work experience with 

their college studies. It also includes bachelor’s degrees in which the normal 4 years of work are 

completed in 3 years. 

board charges: Charges assessed students for an academic year for meals. 

certificate: A formal award certifying the satisfactory completion of a postsecondary education 

program. 

child institution: An institution that has its data reported by another institution, known as the parent 

institution. 

Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP): A taxonomic coding scheme for secondary and 

postsecondary instructional programs. It is intended to facilitate the organization, collection, and 

reporting of program data using classifications that capture the majority of reportable data. The CIP 

is the accepted federal government statistical standard on instructional program classifications and is 

used in a variety of education information surveys and databases. 

collection year: The academic year in which IPEDS data were collected. Most Institutional 

Characteristics, Salaries, Fall Staff, Enrollment, and Employees by Assigned Position data are 

collected for the current year; Completions, Student Financial Aid, and Finance data collections 

cover the prior year. 

Completions: One of nine components in IPEDS. This component collects data annually from all 

Title IV institutions on the number of recognized certificate or degree completions in postsecondary 

education programs by level (associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, doctor’s, and first-professional). 

control (of institution): A classification of whether an institution is operated by publicly elected or 

appointed officials (public control) or by privately elected or appointed officials and derives its major 

source of funds from private sources (private control, either not-for-profit or for-profit). 

coordinator: The person responsible for Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 

survey related coordination activities for a specified group of schools within a state. This person may 

have certain viewing, verifying, and locking privileges on the data collection system. 

degree: An award conferred by a college, university, or other postsecondary education institution as 

official recognition for the successful completion of a program of studies. 

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degree-granting institution: An institution offering an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, doctor’s, or 

first-professional degree. 

doctor’s degree: The highest award a student can earn for graduate study. The doctor’s degree 

classification includes such degrees as Doctor of Education, Doctor of Juridical Science, Doctor of 

Public Health, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree in any field such as agronomy, food technology, 

education, engineering, public administration, ophthalmology, or radiology. 

donor: A responding institution whose values are assigned to the imputee. 

first-professional certificate (post-degree): An award that requires completion of an organized 

program of study designed for persons who have completed the first-professional degree. Examples 

could be refresher courses or additional units of study in a specialty or subspecialty. 

first-professional degree: An award that requires completion of a program that meets all of the 

following criteria: (1) completion of the academic requirements to begin practice in the profession; 

(2) at least 2 years of college work prior to entering the program; and (3) a total of at least 6 

academic years of college work to complete the degree program, including prior required college 

work plus the length of the professional program itself. First-professional degrees may be awarded in 

the following 10 fields: 

Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.) Osteopathic medicine (D.O.) 

Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.) Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) 

Law (L.L.B. or J.D.) Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.) 

Medicine (M.D.) Theology (M.Div., M.H.L., B.D., or Ordination) 

Optometry (O.D.) Veterinary medicine (D.V.M.) 

four-year institution: A postsecondary institution that offers programs of at least 4 years duration or 

one that offers programs at or above the baccalaureate level. Includes schools that offer 

postbaccalaureate certificates only or those that offer graduate programs only. Also includes freestanding medical, law, or other first-professional schools. 

imputee: A nonresponding institution that has its values imputed. 

institutional affiliation: A classification that indicates whether a private not-for-profit institution is 

associated with a religious group or denomination. Private not-for-profit institutions may be either 

independent or religiously affiliated. 

Institutional Characteristics: One of the nine components of IPEDS. The annual Institutional 

Characteristics (IC) component is the core of the IPEDS system is and is required of all currently 

operating Title IV postsecondary institutions in the United States and its outlying areas. As the 

control file for the entire IPEDS system, IC constitutes the sampling frame for all other NCES 

surveys of postsecondary institutions. It also helps determine the specific IPEDS screens that are 

shown to each institution. This component collects the basic institutional data that are necessary to 

sort and analyze not only the IC database, but also all other IPEDS databases. IC data are collected 

for the academic year, which generally extends from September of one calendar year to June of the 

following year. Specific data elements currently collected for each institution include institution 

name, address, telephone number, control or affiliation, calendar system, levels of degrees and 

awards offered, types of programs, application information, and student services. The IC component 

also collects pricing information including tuition and required fees, room and board charges, books 

and supplies, and other expenses for release on IPEDS COOL. 

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in-district tuition: The tuition charged by the institution to those students residing in the locality in 

which they attend school. This may be a lower rate than in-state tuition if offered by the institution. 

in-state tuition: The tuition charged by institutions to those students who meet the state’s or 

institution’s residency requirements. 

keyholder: The person designated by an official institutional representative to have in their 

possession the necessary UserID and password to gain access to the Integrated Postsecondary 

Education Data System (IPEDS) data collection system to complete the survey. The keyholder is 

responsible for entering data and locking the site by each survey completion date. 

less-than-two-year institution: A postsecondary institution that offers programs of less than 2 years’ 

duration below the baccalaureate level. Includes occupational and vocational schools with programs 

that do not exceed 1800 contact hours. 

level (of institution): A classification of whether an institution’s longest programs are 4-year or 

higher (4-year), 2-but-less-than-4-year (2-year), or less-than-2-year. 

master’s degree: An award that requires the successful completion of a program of study of at least 

the full-time equivalent of 1 but not more than 2 academic years of work beyond the bachelor’s 

degree. 

non-degree-granting institution: An institution offering only postbaccalaureate, post-master’s, or 

first-professional certificates, or certificates or diplomas of 4 years or less. 

OPE: Office of Postsecondary Education. 

other expenses: The amount of money (estimated by the financial aid office) needed by a student to 

cover expenses other than tuition, fees, room, board, books and supplies, such as laundry, 

transportation, and entertainment. 

out-of-state tuition: The tuition charged by institutions to those students who do not meet the 

institution’s or state’s residency requirements. 

parent institution: An institution that reports data for another institution, known as the child 

institution. 

PEPS (Postsecondary Education Participation System): Database used by OPE to track all 

institutions eligible for Title IV federal student financial aid programs. 

postsecondary institution: An institution which has as its sole purpose, or one of its primary missions, 

the provision of postsecondary education. Postsecondary education is the provision of a formal 

instructional program whose curriculum is designed primarily for students beyond the compulsory 

age for high school. This includes programs whose purpose is academic, vocational, and continuing 

professional education, and excludes avocational and adult basic education programs. For IPEDS, 

these institutions must be open to the public. 

Program Participation Agreement (PPA): A written agreement between a postsecondary institution 

and the Secretary of Education. This agreement allows institutions to participate in any of the Title 

IV student assistance programs other than the State Student Incentive Grant (SSIG) and the National 

Early Intervention Scholarship and Partnership (NEISP) programs. The PPA conditions the initial 

and continued participation of an eligible institution in any Title IV program upon compliance with 

the General Provisions regulations, the individual program regulations, and any additional conditions 

B-3
specified in the program participation agreement that the Department of Education requires the 

institution to meet. Institutions with such an agreement are referred to as Title IV institutions. 

price of attendance: The amount of tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, and other 

expenses that a full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking student can expect to pay to go to 

college. Prices reported by the institutions are those amounts used by the financial aid office to 

determine student need. 

race/ethnicity: Categories used to describe groups to which individuals belong, identify with, or 

belong in the eyes of the community. The categories do not denote scientific definitions of 

anthropological origins. A person may be counted in only one group. The groups used to categorize 

U.S. citizens, resident aliens, and other eligible non-citizens are as follows: American Indian/Alaska 

Native; Asian/Pacific Islander; Black, non-Hispanic; Hispanic; White, non-Hispanic; and nonresident alien. 

required fees: Fixed sum charged to students for items not covered by tuition and required of such a 

large proportion of all students that the student who does not pay the charge is an exception. 

room charges: The charges for an academic year for rooming accommodations for a typical student 

sharing a room with one other student. 

sector: One of nine institutional categories resulting from dividing the universe according to control 

and level. Control categories are public, private not-for-profit, and private for-profit. Level categories 

are 4-year and higher (4 year), 2-but-less-than 4-year (2 year), and less than 2-year. For example: 

public 4-year institutions. 

student charges: Average amount for tuition and fees, room, and board charged to all students by the 

institution. Tuition and fees may vary by the level of student (undergraduate, graduate, or firstprofessional). 

Title IV institution: An institution that has a written agreement with the Secretary of Education that 

allows the institution to participate in any of the Title IV federal student financial assistance 

programs (other than the State Student Incentive Grant [SSIG] and the National Early Intervention 

Scholarship and Partnership [NEISP] programs). 

tuition: Amount of money charged to students for instructional services. Tuition may be charged per 

term, per course, or per credit. 

two-year institution: A postsecondary institution that offers programs of at least 2 but less than 4 

years’ duration. Includes occupational and vocational schools with programs of at least 1800 hours 

and academic institutions with programs of less than 4 years. Does not include bachelor’s degreegranting institutions where the baccalaureate program can be completed in 3 years. 

UserID: A series of numbers possibly with an alpha prefix that is created for a specific user to be able 

to access a system. For security purposes, each user is required to have a UserID and a password in 

order to access the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data collection system. 

B-4