• Introduction
• Characteristics of Enrolled Students
• Characteristics of Students at Degree-Granting and Non-Degree-Granting Institutions
• Residence and Migration of First-Time Degree/Certificate-Seeking Undergraduate Students
• Full-Time, First-Time Degree/Certificate-Seeking Undergraduate Financial Aid Recipients
• Revenues of Degree-Granting Institutions
• Graduation Rates

This report is one of a series that presents findings from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Results of the spring 2003 data collection are included and display enrollment data for fall 2002, student financial aid data for the 2001–02 academic year (July 1, 2001, through June 30, 2002), financial statistics for fiscal year 2002, and graduation rate information for students beginning college in 1996 at 4-year institutions and in 1999 at less-than-4-year institutions. These data were collected through the IPEDS web-based data collection system.

IPEDS began collecting data in 1985 from all postsecondary institutions in the United States (the 50 states and the District of Columbia) and other areas.¹ Prior to that, institutions of higher education provided data through the Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), which began in 1966. IPEDS defines a postsecondary institution as an organization that is open to the public and has as its primary mission the provision of postsecondary education or training beyond the high school level. This includes institutions that offer academic, vocational, and continuing professional education programs and excludes institutions that offer only avocational (leisure) and adult basic education programs.

Since 1992, participation in IPEDS has been required for all postsecondary institutions and central or system offices that participate in the major student aid programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act, such as Pell Grants or Stafford Loans.² During the 2002–03 academic year, 6,508 institutions and 80 central or system offices were required to participate in IPEDS. Two of these institutions closed after the 2002–03 collection cycle began; thus 6,506 institutions were expected to participate in the spring 2003 collection. Not all institutions are required to complete each survey; for example, Student Financial Aid (SFA) and Graduation Rates (GRS) are only required of institutions that have a cohort of full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduate-level students. Overall response rates for the four component surveys conducted in spring 2003 were quite high, ranging from 97.2 percent for Finance (F) to 99.2 percent for Enrollment (EF).

Tabulations in this report present selected data items collected from the 6,506 Title IV institutions in spring 2003. Additional detailed information is available through the various IPEDS web tools, such as the Peer Analysis System. ³ All institutions were asked to provide Enrollment and Finance data. In addition, institutions admitting full-time, first-time undergraduate-level students were asked to submit Student Financial Aid and Graduation Rates data. Graduation Rates data are included for the first time in this publication.

In fall 2002, Title IV institutions enrolled 17.3 million students. Of these, 86.2 percent were enrolled in undergraduate programs, 11.9 percent were enrolled in graduate programs, and 1.9 percent were enrolled in first-professional programs (table A). The majority of students, 60.6 percent, were enrolled full time, while 39.4 percent were enrolled part time.

Women accounted for 56.9 percent of all students enrolled in Title IV institutions in fall 2002. White, non-Hispanic students constituted 61.3 percent, while 11.3 percent were Black, non-Hispanic, 10.8 percent were Hispanic, 5.8 percent were Asian or Pacific Islander, and only 1 percent were American Indian or Alaska Native. The remaining enrollment in Title IV institutions was made up of students whose race/ethnicity was unknown and of nonresident aliens (6.4 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively).

Table A. Enrollment in Title IV institutions, by student level, attendance status, gender, and race/ethnicity: United States and other areas, fall 2002

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. The other 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), Spring 2003.

In both degree-granting and non-degree-granting institutions, a majority of students attended school full time (59.9 percent and 77.1 percent, respectively); likewise, a majority of the students were women (56.6 percent and 66.3 percent, respectively). However, the proportion of students attending degree-granting or non-degree-granting institutions differed by race/ethnicity. table B shows that 62.5 percent of the students attending degree-granting institutions were White, non-Hispanic, 27.3 percent were other than White, and the remainder were either students whose race/ethnicity was unknown (6.5 percent) or nonresident aliens (3.5 percent). At non-degree-granting institutions, 48.1 percent of students were White, non-Hispanic, while 44.1 percent were other than White, 6.8 percent were students whose race/ethnicity was unknown, and 1.0 percent were nonresident aliens.

Table B. Enrollment in Title IV institutions, by degree-granting status, level and control of institution, attendance status, gender, and race/ethnicity: United States, fall 2002

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), Spring 2003.

The spring 2003 IPEDS collection included enrollment by state of residence⁵ for all students (both full time and part time) who were considered first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates (referred to here as "first-time undergraduates") in fall 2002. table C includes the percentage of a state's enrollment of first-time undergraduates in Title IV degree-granting institutions who were residents of other states. The District of Columbia had the highest percentage of first-time undergraduates coming from other states (89.2 percent). Three states also had more than half of their undergraduates coming from other states: New Hampshire (51.3 percent), Rhode Island (59.4 percent), and Vermont (62.9 percent). Four states—Alaska, California, New Jersey, and Texas—had less than 10 percent of their first-time undergraduate students coming from other states (8.3 percent, 8.6 percent, 8.4 percent, and 9.3 percent, respectively). In fall 2002, 16.5 percent of the 2.6 million first-time undergraduates attended a Title IV degree-granting institution outside of their home state of residence.⁶

Table C also includes the percentage of first-time undergraduate students who left their state of residence to attend a Title IV degree-granting institution in a different state. This percentage varied considerably by state, ranging from a low of 6.0 percent in Mississippi to a high of 67.7 percent in the District of Columbia. Other states with less than 10 percent of their first-time undergraduates leaving to attend schools in other states were Alabama (9.6 percent), Arizona (9.0 percent), California (7.2 percent), Florida (9.8 percent), Louisiana (9.0 percent), Michigan (9.4 percent), North Carolina (8.6 percent), Oklahoma (9.9 percent), Texas (8.8 percent), and Utah (7.1 percent). Besides the District of Columbia, only Vermont sent more than half of its first-time undergraduates (53.2 percent) elsewhere to attend college.

Table C. Migration patterns of first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students enrolled in Title IV degree-granting institutions, by state: Fall 2002

²Of all first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate student residents of the state, the percentage who enrolled out-of-state.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Spring 2003.

IPEDS collects information on a cohort of full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates who receive financial aid.⁷ In academic year 2001–02, there were 2 million full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students in the cohort in Title IV degree-granting institutions located in the United States (table D). About 72.3 percent of these students received financial aid during the 2001–02 academic year. The proportion of the cohort that received financial aid varied by institution level and control. About 58.6 percent of undergraduates at public 2-year institutions and 72.9 percent of undergraduates at public 4-year institutions received financial aid, while larger proportions received aid at private institutions. About 82.7 percent of undergraduates at private not-for-profit 4-year institutions and 87.9 percent at private not-for-profit 2-year institutions received aid. Private for-profit 4-year institutions reported that 78.1 percent of their full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking students received aid, while private for-profit 2-year institutions reported that 87.2 percent received aid in academic year 2001–02.

Proportions of undergraduates receiving financial aid did not change dramatically between 2000–01 and 2001–02. Overall, the percentage of undergraduates receiving financial aid rose from 70.3 percent in 2000–01 to 72.3 percent in 2001–02.

In addition to aggregate numbers of financial aid recipients, data were collected on four specific types of financial aid: federal grants, state and local government grants, institutional grants, and student loans. On average, 46.0 percent of financial aid recipients received one or more federal grants during the 2001–02 academic year (table E). This percentage varied somewhat by institutional control. Nearly 67.5 percent of undergraduate aid recipients attending private for-profit institutions received federal grants, compared to 46.6 percent attending public institutions and 34.8 percent of those attending private not-for-profit institutions.

The proportions of undergraduates receiving each type of aid varied by institutional control. A higher percentage of undergraduate aid recipients attending public institutions received state and local grants than those attending private not-for-profit or private for-profit institutions (51.9 percent compared to 39.3 percent and 20.0 percent, respectively). Aid recipients at 4-year private not-for-profit institutions were more likely to receive institutional grants (84.0 percent) than aid recipients at other types of institutions—42.3 percent at 4-year public institutions and 13.4 percent at 4-year private for-profit institutions. Undergraduate aid recipients at private for-profit institutions were more likely than those attending public or private not-for-profit institutions to borrow money to attend college; 83.4 percent of aid recipients at private for-profit institutions had student loans, compared to 46.1 percent at public institutions and 69.0 percent at private not-for-profit institutions.

Table D. Full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students enrolled and those who received financial aid in Title IV degree-granting institutions, by control and level of institution: United States, academic years 2000–01 and 2001–02

²The numbers shown reflect those institutions that reported having financial aid recipients in academic year 2001–02.

NOTE: Student financial aid data are not imputed. The item response rates for all cells on this table range from 91.8 percent to 99.6 percent.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Spring 2002 and Spring 2003.

Table E. Types and average amounts of financial aid received by full-time, first-time undergraduate students in Title IV degree-granting institutions, by control and level of institution: United States, academic year 2001–02

²Student loans include only loans made directly to students; federal loans to parents (PLUS) and other loans made directly to parents are not included.

NOTE: Student financial aid data are not imputed. The item response rates for all cells on this table range from 97.0 percent to 99.6 percent. The numbers shown reflect only those institutions that reported the number of recipients by types of financial aid and the average amounts received.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Spring 2003.

The Finance component of the spring 2003 IPEDS collected information on the revenues and expenditures of Title IV institutions during fiscal year 2002. Revenue data were collected by source of revenue, such as tuition and fees and government appropriations, while expenditure data were collected by purpose of expenditure, including instruction, research, and public service.

Figure A shows the proportion of revenue generated by tuition and fees for each level and control of institution. Private not-for-profit 4-year institutions received 39.6 percent of their revenues from tuition and fees, while private not-for-profit 2-year institutions received over half (57.3 percent) of their revenues from tuition and fees. Private for-profit institutions received virtually all of their revenues from tuition and fees, with private for-profit 4-year institutions receiving 89.6 percent and private for-profit 2-year institutions receiving 84.8 percent of their revenues from tuition and fees. Public institutions received a smaller proportion of their revenues from tuition and fees, 14.7 percent for 4-year institutions and 17.0 percent for 2-year institutions.

Figure A. Tuition and fees revenues as a proportion of total revenues of Title IV degree-granting institutions, by level and control of institution: United States, fiscal year 2002


SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Spring 2003.

In the spring 2003 IPEDS collection, the Graduation Rates component was required for the first time from 4-year institutions. Please refer to the Methodology section (in the full report) for a description of how graduation rates are calculated for this report. Graduation rates data were collected for students who entered 4-year institutions between September 1, 1996, and August 31, 1997. For less-than-4-year institutions, graduation rates data were collected for students who entered between September 1, 1999, and August 31, 2000. Graduation rates at 4-year institutions were somewhat higher than at less-than-4-year institutions (54.4 percent and 39.9 percent, respectively) (table F). Considering institution control, private not-for-profit 4-year institutions had higher graduation rates (62.4 percent) than either public or private for-profit 4-year institutions (50.6 percent and 43.6 percent, respectively). However, with a graduation rate of 65.2 percent, private for-profit less-than-4-year institutions surpassed both public and private not-for-profit less-than-4-year institutions (26.9 percent and 51.1 percent, respectively). Considering racial/ethnic groups attending 4-year institutions, Asians/Pacific Islanders had the highest graduation rate, at 62.6 percent, and American Indians/Alaska Natives had the lowest graduation rate, at 36.7 percent.

Table F. Graduation rates at Title IV institutions, by level and control of institution, gender, and race/ethnicity: United States, cohort years 1996 and 1999

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Spring 2003.

¹The other areas surveyed in IPEDS are American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Marshall Islands, the Northern Marianas, Palau, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

²Institutions participating in Title IV programs are accredited by an agency or organization recognized by the Secretary, 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.

³See http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds.

⁴Degree-granting institutions are those that grant associate's, bachelor's, master's, doctor's, or first-professional degrees. Non-degree-granting institutions award only certificates of completion at any level; these institutions are primarily occupational/vocational schools that award certificates in such programs as cosmetology, nursing, mechanics, aviation systems, computer and information sciences, dental assistant, and law enforcement.

⁵The state identified by the student as his/her permanent address at the time of application to the institution. This may be the legal residence of a parent or guardian or the state in which the student has a driver's license or is registered to vote. It is not necessarily the state in which the student's high school is located.

⁶Data are from compendium table 19 in the full report.

⁷Financial aid, as used here, includes federal grants, state and local grants, institutional grants, and student loans (that pass through the financial aid office); PLUS loans and other loans made directly to parents or students are not included.