IPEDS Postsecondary Institution Data for 2017-18

The 2017-18 IPEDS Access Database contains annual survey data from approximately 6,400 U.S. colleges, universities, and technical institutions. It is a relational database with metadata tables, variable descriptions, and value labels for categorical variables, compiled by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics.

Use Cases

• Analyze institutional characteristics and trends across the 6,400 participating postsecondary entities using relational data tables.
• Leverage metadata tables and variable descriptions to understand and standardize categorical variables with value codes and labels.
• Join relational data tables to create composite profiles of colleges and universities for benchmarking studies.

Strengths

• Covers approximately 6,400 U.S. postsecondary institutions, providing broad sector coverage.
• Includes comprehensive metadata tables with variable titles, descriptions, types, and value labels for categorical data.
• Data is provided in a relational Microsoft Access format, facilitating table joins and integrated analysis for the 2017-18 collection year.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, column counts, and sample data are unavailable for review.
• The data is provided in a proprietary Microsoft Access format, which requires specific software to access and analyze.
• The dataset is static for the 2017-18 year and may not reflect current institutional status.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Collection Method

Annual interrelated surveys conducted by NCES.

Time Range

2017-18 collection year.

Freshness

Data is from the 2017-18 collection year; the metadata was last updated in November 2024.

Geography

United States.