The U.S. Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) employs various categories to classify postsecondary institutions. This supplemental note outlines the different categories used in varying combinations in indicators 10, 11, 24, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, and 45.

Basic IPEDS Classifications

The term postsecondary institutions is the category used to refer to institutions with formal instructional programs and a curriculum designed primarily for students who have completed the requirements for a high school diploma or its equivalent. This includes programs whose purpose is academic, vocational, or continuing professional education, and excludes vocational and adult basic education programs. For many analyses, however, comparing all institutions from across this broad universe of postsecondary institutions would not be appropriate. Thus, postsecondary institutions are placed in one of three levels, based on the highest award offered at the institution:

• 4-year-and-above institutions: Institutions or branches that offer programs of at least 4 years' duration or that offer programs at or above the baccalaureate level. These institutions award a 4-year degree or higher in one or more programs, or award a post-baccalaureate, post-master's, or post-first-professional certificate. Includes schools that offer post-baccalaureate certificates only or those that offer graduate programs only. Also includes freestanding medical, law, or other first-professional schools.
• 2-year but less-than-4-year institutions: Institutions or branches but that offer programs of at least 2 but less than 4 years' duration below the baccalaureate level and confer a 2-year formal award (certificate, diploma, or associate's degree), or institutions that have a 2-year program creditable toward a baccalaureate degree. Includes occupational and vocational schools with programs of at least 1,800 hours and academic institutions with programs of less than 4 years.
• Less-than-2-year institutions: Institutions or branches that offer programs of less than 2 years' duration below the baccalaureate level. Includes occupational and vocational schools with programs that do not exceed 1,800 contact hours.

Postsecondary institutions are further divided according to these criteria: type of financial control, degree-granting versus non-degree-granting, and Title IV-participating versus non-Title IV-participating.

IPEDS also classifies institutions at each of the three levels of institutions by type of financial control:

• Public institutions: Institutions whose programs and activities are operated by publicly elected or appointed school officials and which is supported largely by public funds.
• Private not-for-profit institutions: Institutions in which the individual(s) or agency in control receives no compensation, other than wages, rent, or other expenses for the assumption of risk. These include both independent not-for-profit schools and those affiliated with a religious organization.
• Private for-profit institutions: Institutions in which the individual(s) or agency in control receives compensation other than wages, rent, or other expenses for the assumption of risk (e.g., proprietary schools).

Thus, IPEDS divides the universe of postsecondary institutions into nine different "sectors," each comprising a combination of the institution level and the control of the institution. In some sectors (for example, private for-profit 4-year institutions), the number of institutions is small relative to other sectors.

Institutions in any of these nine sectors can be degree- or non-degree-granting, classified by whether or not they offer students a formal award such as a degree or certificate:

• Degree-granting institutions offer associate's, bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and/or first-professional degrees that a state agency recognizes or authorizes.
• Non-degree-granting institutions offer other kinds of credentials and exist at all three levels.

The number of 4-year-and-above non-degree-granting institutions is small compared with the total number of non-degree granting institutions.

Institutions in any of these nine sectors can also be Title IV-participating or not. For an institution to participate in federal Title IV Higher Education Act, Part C, financial aid programs, it must offer a program of study at least 300 clock hours in length; have accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; have been in business for at least 2 years; and have a Title IV participation agreement with the U.S. Department of Education. All indicators in this volume using IPEDS data present only Title IV-participating institutions. For more information on the Higher Education Act, see http://www.ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea08/index.html.

In some indicators based on IPEDS data, 4-year-andabove degree-granting institutions are further classified according to the highest degree awarded:

• Doctoral institutions award at least 20 doctoral degrees per year.
• Master's institutions award at least 20 master's degrees per year.

The remaining institutions are considered to be other 4-year institutions. The number of degrees awarded by an institution in a given year is obtained for each institution from data published in the IPEDS "Completions Survey" (IPEDS-C).

Indicators 10, 24, 39, 40, 42, 43, and 45 include 2-year (short for 2-year but less-than-4-year) institutions in their analyses.

Indicators 10, 11, 24, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, and 45 include 4-year-and-above degree-granting institutions in their analyses.