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Education Statistics Quarterly
Vol 5, Issue 2, Topic: Postsecondary Education
Postsecondary Institutions in the United States: Fall 2001 and Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 2000–01
By: Laura G. Knapp, Janice E. Kelly, Roy W. Whitmore, Shiying Wu, and Lorraine M. Gallego
 
This article was originally published as the Summary of the E.D. Tabs report of the same name. The universe data are from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).
 
 

This report presents findings from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) fall 2001 data collection, which included institutional characteristics data for the 2001–02 academic year and completions data covering the period July 1, 2000, through June 30, 2001. These data were collected through the IPEDS web-based data collection system.

IPEDS collects data from postsecondary institutions in the United States (the 50 states and the District of Columbia) and its outlying areas.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.

Participation in IPEDS was a requirement for the 6,458 institutions in the United States and the 157 in the outlying areas that participated in Title IV federal student financial aid programs such as Pell Grants or Stafford Loans during the 2001–02 academic year.2 In addition, institutions that do not participate in Title IV programs are offered the opportunity to participate in the IPEDS data collection.

Tabulations in this report present selected data items collected from the 6,615 Title IV institutions in fall 2001. Additional detailed information is available through the various IPEDS web tools.3 Institutions provided institutional characteristics and price data for the 2001–02 academic year and completions data (degrees and other formal awards conferred) during the 2000–01 academic year. This report presents data for all Title IV institutions.

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NCES and other researchers use data from the Institutional Characteristics component of IPEDS 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, accreditation, calendar system, admission requirements, student charges, and basic enrollment information.

Institutions were classified as degree-granting if they awarded at least one associate's or higher degree in academic year 2000–01. Of the 6,458 Title IV institutions in the United States, 4,197 institutions, or 65 percent of all U.S. Title IV institutions, granted a degree during this period (table A).

Institutions may be further classified by their control and level. Among the Title IV degree-granting institutions located in the United States, 59 percent offered a bachelor's or higher degree, while 41 percent offered an associate's as the highest degree (figure 1). Considering Title IV institutions in the United States that award certificates only (non-degree-granting), 76 percent offered certificates for completing programs of less than 2 years' duration, another 22 percent offered certificates requiring at least 2 but less than 4 years of study, and 1 percent offered certificates at the postbaccalaureate level or higher.

Further examination of the Title IV degree-granting institutions located in the United States indicates that 41 percent were public institutions, 40 percent were private not-for-profit institutions, and 19 percent were private for-profit institutions. Of the non-degree-granting Title IV institutions located in the United States, 17 percent were public institutions, 12 percent were private not-for-profit institutions, and 71 percent were private for-profit institutions.


Table A. Title IV institutions, by geographic area, control of institution, degree-granting status, and level of institution: United States and outlying areas, academic year 2001–02
Total Degree-granting status and level of institution Total United States Outlying areas
Total Public Private Total Public Private
Not-for-profit Total For-profit Not-for-profit For-profit
All institutions 6,615 6,458 2,099 1,941 2,418 157 30 49 78
4 years and above 2,578 2,520 629 1,567 324 58 17 35 6
At least 2 but less than 4 years 2,240 2,213 1,165 269 779 27 13 2 12
Less than 2 years 1,797 1,725 305 105 1,315 72 0 12 60
Degree-granting 4,279 4,197 1,713 1,676 808 82 30 37 15
4 years and above 2,545 2,487 628 1,541 318 58 17 35 6
At least 2 but less than 4 years 1,734 1,710 1,085 135 490 24 13 2 9
Less than 2 years
Non-degree-granting 2,336 2,261 386 265 1,610 75 0 12 63
4 years and above 33 33 1 26 6 0 0 0 0
At least 2 but less than 4 years 506 503 80 134 289 3 0 0 3
Less than 2 years 1,797 1,725 305 105 1,315 72 0 12 60

†Not applicable.

NOTE: Data are not imputed. The item response rates for all cells on this table are 100 percent. Outlying areas 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 2001.



Figure 1. Title IV institutions, by degree-granting status and level and control of institution: United States, academic year 2001–02
Figure 1. Title IV institutions, by degree-granting status and level and control of institution: United States, academic year 2001-02
NOTE: 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 2001.

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During the 2000–01 academic year, about 2.4 million degrees were awarded by Title IV degree-granting institutions located in the United States. Of the total number of degrees awarded, 24 percent were associate's degrees, 51 percent were bachelor's degrees, 19 percent were master's degrees, 2 percent were doctor's degrees, and 3 percent were first-professional degrees4 (table B).

Control of institutions

Public institutions awarded two-thirds (65 percent) of all degrees from Title IV degree-granting institutions in the United States during the 2000–01 academic year, while private not-for-profit institutions awarded 30 percent and private for-profit institutions accounted for the remaining 5 percent (table C). Public and private not-for-profit insti-tutions awarded more bachelor's degrees than any other type of degree. Bachelor's degrees accounted for 52 percent of all degrees awarded by public institutions and 56 percent of all degrees awarded by private not-for-profit institutions during 2000–01 (table B). Private for-profit institutions, on the other hand, were more likely to award associate's degrees. Associate's degrees accounted for 68 percent of the degrees awarded by private for-profit institutions during the 2000–01 academic year.

Public institutions awarded the majority of degrees at all levels, except at the first-professional level. They awarded 79 percent of associate's degrees, 65 percent of bachelor's degrees, 53 percent of master's degrees, and 63 percent of doctor's degrees (table C). The majority of first-professional degrees (59 percent) were awarded by private not-for-profit institutions, while public institutions awarded 41 percent of the degrees at this level.

Gender and race/ethnicity of recipients

Women earned more degrees than men in academic year 2000–01 (table C). Overall, about 58 percent of all degrees were awarded to women. Women earned more associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees than men in 2000–01. They received 60 percent of the associate's degrees, 57 percent of the bachelor's degrees, and 59 percent of the master's degrees. On the other hand, men earned more doctor's and first-professional degrees, 55 percent and 54 percent, respectively.

Over two-thirds (69 percent) of all degrees conferred during the 2000–01 academic year were awarded to White, non-Hispanic students; 22 percent were awarded to minority students; and 10 percent were awarded to nonresident aliens (5.2 percent) or individuals whose race/ethnicity was unknown (4.3 percent). The majority of degrees at each level were awarded to White, non-Hispanic students: 68 percent of associate's degrees, 72 percent of bachelor's degrees, 63 percent of master's degrees, 58 percent of doctor's degrees, and 71 percent of first-professional degrees.

The proportion of degrees awarded to minority students was highest at the associate's level, where they received 26 percent of these degrees. Minorities were also awarded 21 percent of bachelor's degrees, 17 percent of master's degrees, 14 percent of doctor's degrees, and 23 percent of first-professional degrees.

Although the proportion of degrees awarded to nonresident aliens varied by level, they received 13 percent of all master's degrees and 24 percent of all doctor's degrees, much higher proportions than any individual or specific group other than White, non-Hispanic.



Table B. Number and percentage of degrees conferred by Title IV degree-granting institutions, by control of institution and level of degree: United States, academic year 2000–01
Level of degree Total Public Private not-for-profit Private for-profit
Total, all degrees 2,416,123 1,575,799 727,949 112,375
Percent of total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Associate's degrees 578,865 456,487 45,711 76,667
Percent of total 24.0 29.0 6.3 68.2
Bachelor's degrees 1,244,171 812,438 408,701 23,032
Percent of total 51.5 51.6 56.1 20.5
Master's degrees 468,476 246,054 210,789 11,633
Percent of total 19.4 15.6 29.0 10.4
Doctor's degrees 44,904 28,187 15,920 797
Percent of total 1.9 1.8 2.2 0.7
First-professional degrees1 79,707 32,633 46,828 246
Percent of total 3.3 2.1 6.4 0.2

1First-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.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2001.



Table C. Degrees conferred by Title IV institutions, by level of degree, control of institution, gender, and race/ethnicity: United States, academic year 2000–01
Control of institution, gender, and race/ethnicity
Total degrees
Associate's degrees
Bachelor's degrees
Number Percent of total Number Percent of total Number Percent of total
All institutions
2,416,123 100.0 578,865 100.0 1,244,171 100.0
Control of institution
  Public
1,575,799 65.2 456,487 78.9 812,438 65.3
  Private not-for-profit
727,949 30.1 45,711 7.9 408,701 32.8
  Private for-profit
112,375 4.7 76,667 13.2 23,032 1.9
Gender
  Men
1,025,426 42.4 231,645 40.0 531,840 42.7
  Women
1,390,697 57.6 347,220 60.0 712,331 57.3
Race/ethnicity
  White, non-Hispanic
1,664,805 68.9 396,403 68.5 890,077 71.5
  Black, non-Hispanic
211,044 8.7 61,600 10.6 106,775 8.6
  Hispanic
154,687 6.4 55,230 9.5 74,493 6.0
  Asian/Pacific Islander
136,700 5.7 27,418 4.7 75,595 6.1
  American Indian/Alaska Native
18,062 0.7 6,392 1.1 8,683 0.7
  Race/ethnicity unknown
104,983 4.3 20,261 3.5 48,737 3.9
Nonresident alien
125,842 5.2 11,561 2.0 39,811 3.2
Control of institution, gender, and race/ethnicity
Master's degrees
Doctor's degrees
First-professional degrees1
Number Percent of total Number Percent of total Number Percent of total
All institutions
468,476 100.0 44,904 100.0 79,707 100.0
Control of institution
  Public
246,054 52.5 28,187 62.8 32,633 40.9
  Private not-for-profit
210,789 45.0 15,920 35.5 46,828 58.8
  Private for-profit
11,633 2.5 797 1.8 246 0.3
Gender
  Men
194,351 41.5 24,728 55.1 42,862 53.8
  Women
274,125 58.5 20,176 44.9 36,845 46.2
Race/ethnicity
  White, non-Hispanic
296,108 63.2 25,865 57.6 56,352 70.7
  Black, non-Hispanic
35,364 7.5 2,091 4.7 5,214 6.5
  Hispanic
19,879 4.2 1,430 3.2 3,655 4.6
  Asian/Pacific Islander
22,272 4.8 2,440 5.4 8,975 11.3
  American Indian/Alaska Native
2,293 0.5 170 0.4 524 0.7
  Race/ethnicity unknown
31,136 6.6 1,945 4.3 2,904 3.6
Nonresident alien
61,424 13.1 10,963 24.4 2,083 2.6

1First-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.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2001.



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The overall increase in tuition and fees charged by institutions between 1996–97 and 2001–02 varied by student level and state residency status (table D). Note that these are average institutional charges; the numbers do not reflect average amounts paid by students because charges are not weighted by enrollment nor is financial aid taken into consideration.5 Undergraduate tuition and required fees at public 4-year institutions rose 26 percent between 1996–97 and 2001–02 for in-state students and 25 percent for out-of-state students. Between 1996–97 and 2001–02, graduate tuition and required fees at public institutions rose 30 percent for in-state students and 27 percent for out-of-state students.

Among 4-year institutions, private for-profit institutions reported the largest increases in tuition and required fees. At 4-year private not-for-profit institutions, tuition and fees charged to both undergraduates and graduates rose during this period (37 percent and 31 percent, respectively).

Increases at public 2-year institutions were lowest during the period; charges to in-state students increased 18 percent, while charges to those attending out-of-state rose 20 percent. Private not-for-profit 2-year institutions increased their tuition and required fees between 1996–97 and 2001–02 more than any other type of institution—61 percent, while tuition at 2-year private for-profit institutions increased 40 percent.



Table D. Changes in average charges by institutions for tuition and required fees to full-time, full-year students at Title IV degree-granting institutions, by student level, residency, and year of tuition and required fees: United States, academic years 1996–97 and 2001–02
Student level, residency, and year of tuition and required fees Tuition and required fees: 4-year and above institutions
Public Private
Not-for-profit For-profit
Undergraduate
  In-state
    1996-97
$2,947
    2001-02
$3,705
Percent change
26
All other
    1996-97
$7,578 $9,985 $7,835
    2001-02
$9,441 $13,631 $10,809
Percent change
25 37 38
Graduate
  In-state
    1996-97
$3,282
    2001-02
$4,252
Percent change
30
All other
    1996-97
$7,567 $7,934 $8,320
    2001-02
$9,596 $10,416 $12,097
Percent change
27 31 45
Private Student level, residency, and year of tuition and required fees Tuition and required fees: At least 2-year but less
than 4-year institutions
Public Private
Not-for-profit For-profit
Undergraduate
  In-state
    1996-97
$1,601
    2001-02
$1,890
Percent change
18
All other
    1996-97
$3,722 $5,032 $6,911
    2001-02
$4,482 $8,095 $9,699
Percent change
20 61 40

†Not applicable.

NOTE: Tuition data are not imputed. The item response rates for all cells on this table range from 86.0 percent to 100.0 percent. For public institutions, "all other" reflects out-of-state tuition and fees. Tuition and required fees are average institutional charges, not average amounts paid by students (i.e., charges are not weighted by enrollment).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 1996 and Fall 2001.



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Price of attendance is an estimate of the total amount an incoming undergraduate student will be required to pay to attend college. This price includes tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board, and certain designated other expenses such as transportation. IPEDS collects price of attendance information for full-time, first-time, degree/certificate-seeking students from Title IV institutions. These estimates are the amounts provided by the institutions' financial aid offices and are used to determine a student's financial need.

Considering differences in price of attendance for full-time, first-time, degree/certificate-seeking students (referred to here as "undergraduates") by institutional control, 4-year private not-for-profit institutions were more expensive than either private for-profit or public institutions of the same level (table E). The average price of attendance for undergraduates attending 4-year private not-for-profit institutions in 2001–02 was $20,667. This was higher than the price of $18,978 for these same students at 4-year private for-profit institutions. Public institutions reported the lowest prices among 4-year institutions, $10,559 for in-state undergraduates and $16,285 for out-of-state undergraduates, during the 2001–02 academic year.

Two-year public institutions offered the lowest price of attendance overall during this same period, $8,020 to in-state students and $10,615 to out-of-state students. For the 2001–02 academic year, students attending private institutions paid higher prices. At private for-profit 2-year institutions, first-time students could expect to pay $16,802 on average, while their counterparts at private not-for-profit institutions paid $14,966.



Table E. Average price of attendance for full-time, first-time, degree/certificate-seeking students at Title IV degree-granting institutions, by control of institution, residency, and level of institution: United States, academic year 2001–02
Control of institution, residency, and level of institution On-campus price Off-campus (not with family) price Off-campus (with family) price
Public institutions
In-state
4 years and above
$11,721 $12,734 $7,222
At least 2 but less than 4 years
8,098 10,496 5,466
Out-of-state
4 years and above
17,447 18,459 12,948
At least 2 but less than 4 years
10,693 13,091 8,060
Private not-for-profit institutions
4 years and above
21,970 22,787 17,245
At least 2 but less than 4 years
15,406 17,780 11,711
Private for-profit institutions
4 years and above
20,889 20,703 15,341
At least 2 but less than 4 years
17,716 18,788 13,901

NOTE: Price data are not imputed. The item response rates for all cells on this table range from 86.6 percent to 100.0 percent. Price of attendance includes tuition and fees, room and board charges, books and supplies, and other expenses.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2001.



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Footnotes

1 Outlying areas include 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 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.

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

4 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.).

5 See also Choy and Berker (2003).

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Choy, S.P., and Berker, A.M. (2003). How Families of Low- and Middle-Income Undergraduates Pay for College: Full-Time Dependent Students in 1999–2000 (NCES 2003–162). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.

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Data source: The NCES Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 1996 and Fall 2001.

For technical information, see the complete report:

Knapp, L.G., Kelly, J.E., Whitmore, R.W., Wu, S., and Gallego, L.M. (2003). Postsecondary Institutions in the United States: Fall 2001 and Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 2000–01 (NCES 2003–158).

Author affiliations: L.G. Knapp, consultant; J.E. Kelly, R.W. Whitmore, S. Wu, and L.M. Gallego, RTI International.

For questions about content, contact Aurora D'Amico (aurora.d'amico@ed.gov).

To obtain the complete report (NCES 2003–158), visit the NCES Electronic Catalog (http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch).


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