INTEGRATED POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION DATA SYSTEM
Under Section 487(a)(17) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. §1094(a)(17) and the Department of Education's regulations at 34 C.F.R. §668.14(b)(19), institutions that participate or expect to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs 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 (IPEDS). IPEDS data submissions occur on a cyclic basis throughout the academic year and include surveys of Institutional Characteristics, Completions, and 12-Month Enrollment in the fall; Student Financial Aid, Graduation Rates, 200% Graduation Rates, and Admissions in the winter; and Fall Enrollment, Finance, Human Resources, and Academic Libraries in the Spring.
The data are submitted to the National Center for Education Statistics, which in turn are provided to the public through NCES’s College Navigator website. This website allows individuals to search for institutions, based on characteristics of the institution, and then compare the institution with others.
It is through NCES that institutions can run reports on key performance indicators using similar or aspirational peers to establish benchmarks. Such measures of relative standing on key indicators serve as a way through which the institution can gauge its quality and progress on strategic improvement efforts, and they serve as an indicator of USC Aiken’s commitment to openness and public accountability.
The following IPEDS reports provide to the public some indication of how well USC Aiken is doing in key areas relative to our National Peer group.
