Article

Oversight of institutional data reporting

Jan. 14, 2021 · Authored by Adrienne Larmett, Katlyn Andrews

Higher education institutions regularly produce and publish data about their students, programs, operations and finances to meet compliance requirements, increase enrollment and/or encourage alumni/donor giving. This reporting, commonly known as institutional data reporting, is a comprehensive process of collecting, analyzing and interpreting, and submitting quantitative and qualitative data to select governmental entities (e.g., U.S. Department of Education, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System [IPEDS]), ranking bodies (e.g., U.S. News and World Report, Princeton Review) and accrediting associations (e.g., Middle States) to produce an accurate analysis of the institution.

Opportunities and risks in data reporting

Rankings data has been shown to have a correlation with an institution’s reputation and appeal. The more selective an institution appears in rankings publications, the more opportunity it has to attract applicants and tuition dollars. However, when an institution misreports its selectivity data (i.e., acceptance rates, class rank, test scores) or any data, whether intentionally or by error, it places the institution at risk for reputational damage, increased governmental inquiry and compliance requirements, and legal fines and penalties.

As the impact and fallout of misreporting can be significant, it is critical that institutions establish an effective infrastructure and oversight for institutional data reporting to address and mitigate the associated risks.