Benchmarking Resources
Benchmarking serves to help the university assess its performance, identify areas for improvement, and establish best practices by comparing its practices against that of other comparable or aspirational peers. Benchmarking data can inform strategic planning and resource allocation decisions, helping the institution to make more informed choices about its future direction and priorities. In addition to participating in Data Exchanges and Repositories where the University of South Carolina Aiken both downloads data on peers to assess relative standing on various metrics and submits its data for use by others, the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Research, and Compliance monitors and when required downloads data from numerous online reources, libraries, research centers, and institutes. National trends and research studies can inform the institution on developing and evolving practices in higher education.
The Education Trust's College Results
The College Results is an interactive, user-friendly web tool designed and hosted by the Education Trust to provide policymakers, the public, and researchers with information for nearly every four-year university in the country. The online tool allows users to examine colleges' graduation rates, and see how those rates have changed over time; Compare graduation rates of similar colleges serving similar students; and learn about colleges' track records in graduating diverse groups of students.
State Higher Education Executive Officers Association
The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association advances public policies and academic practices that enable students to attain education beyond high school. The association collects data and publishes research reports and studies of national significance. Starting in Fiscal Year 2022, SHEEO has been collecting and publishing the Grapevine Report on State Fiscal Suuport for Higher Education. The annual study includes an examination of trends in state fiscal support for higher education factoring in inflation and enrollment metrics.
Grapevine Archive
From 1961 to 2022, the Grapevine report has provided access to general fund appropriations for universities, colleges, community colleges, and higher education agencies for each of the 50 states. Grapevine data are presented in their raw form and are not adjusted for inflation. Grapevine was produced by Illinois State University’s Center for the Study of Education Policy.
The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education
The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, the research arm of the Council for Opportunity in Education, conducts and disseminates research and policy analyses. The Institute publishes studies on topics ranging from access and affordability to student success and retention.
Institutional Effectiveness, Research, and Compliance Virtual Library
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Research and Compliance at the University of South Carolina Aiken maintains a Virtual Library of articles, newsletters, data files, and publications to aid in research and benchmarking. Access is restricted to research personnel within the office.
