Barron's College Admissions Selectivity Ratings Across Six Decades

1972 to 2014 data files contain Barron's college admissions competitiveness selectivity ratings for postsecondary institutions. The dataset includes institutional identifiers like HEGIS FICE ID, IPEDS UNITID, and OPEID codes, along with city and state location data. It corresponds to the entry years for cohorts in major NCES longitudinal studies.

Use Cases

• Analyze trends in Barron's selectivity ratings across the 1972, 1982, 1992, 2004, 2008, and 2014 snapshots for longitudinal research.
• Link institutional data using HEGIS FICE ID, IPEDS UNITID, or OPEID codes to other higher education datasets.
• Map the geographic distribution of institutions by selectivity tier using the included city and state fields.
• Study the relationship between institutional selectivity and student outcomes by merging with NCES longitudinal study data.

Strengths

• Provides six decades of historical selectivity ratings from a recognized source (Barron's).
• Includes multiple standard institutional identifiers (HEGIS FICE ID, IPEDS UNITID, OPEID) for reliable data linkage.
• Covers postsecondary institutions relevant to six major NCES longitudinal study cohorts.

Limitations

• Data is provided as six separate Excel worksheets, requiring manual consolidation for time-series analysis.
• The dataset is static and does not include ratings for years between the listed snapshots (e.g., 1993-2003).
• No row count or detailed column schema is provided, limiting assessment of completeness.

Provenance

Source

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and Barron's.

Collection Method

Compilation of Barron's published college admissions competitiveness selectivity ratings.

Time Range

1972, 1982, 1992, 2004, 2008, 2014.

Freshness

Last updated in August 2023, but the underlying data covers years up to 2014.

Geography

United States (inferred from city and state fields and NCES scope).