Archived Changes

Table 1. Proposed changes to the Institutional Characteristics survey component (includes Institutional Identification)
Move of Admissions screening question from IC to ADM	2025-26	NCES-initiated based on QC review; Survey alignment	Improvement
Removal of Academic Libraries Expenses screening question from IC	2025-26	NCES-initiated based on QC review; Retirement of Academic Libraries survey component	Improvement

Table 5. Proposed changes to the Student Financial Aid survey component
Change	Implementation year	Source	Estimated burden
Changed Section 1 of the SFA Survey to the collect the same student counts and aid amounts for categories of undergraduate students (all undergraduates, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates, non-degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates (calculated), and full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates). The following aid types, which were combined from previous collections, will be reported for these categories: Grant or scholarship aid from the federal government, state/local government, the institution, and other sources known to the institution (Do NOT include student loans) Grants or scholarships from the federal government, state/local government, or the institution (Do NOT include student loans) Grant or scholarship aid from other sources known to the institution (Do NOT include student loans) Federal grant and scholarship aid Federal Pell Grants Other federal grant and scholarship aid State/local government grant or scholarship aid (includes fellowships, waivers, and employee exemptions) Institutional grant or scholarship aid (includes fellowships, waivers, and employee exemptions) Loans to students Federal loans to students Other loans to students (including private loans)	2025-26	NCES-initiated based on QC review	Moderate, long term decrease due to simplified and consistent reporting
Clarified instructions for institutions to include Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant (IASG) awards in Federal Pell Grant student counts and award amounts reported to IPEDS due to a change mandated under the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources (FUTURE) Act.	2025-26	NCES-initiated based on review of legislation	Moderate
Clarification Post-9/11 GI Bill Benefits: A federal education benefit for veterans, who served on active duty after September 10, 2001, administered by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs that provides up to 36 months of education benefits at an approved institution for tuition and fees; books and supplies; and housing. The tuition and fees payment, which is the cost for an in-state student attending a public institution, is made directly to the postsecondary institution whereas payments for books and supplies and housing are sent directly to the student. Some benefits may be transferred to dependents. Do not include Yellow Ribbon Program institutional match.	2025-26	NCES-initiated based on QC review	None
Revised FAQ. Should Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant, or IASG funded under the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act be reported to IPEDS? Yes, IASG should be reported to IPEDS as federal grants, not scholarships. Beginning with the 2025-26 IPEDS data collection, IASG awarded should be included in Federal Pell Grant student counts and award amounts reported to IPEDS.	2025-26	NCES-initiated based on review of legislation	Moderate

Pursuant Executive Order (dated January 20, 2025), the term “gender” has been replaced with “sex,” the term “men” has been replaced with “male,” the term “women” has been replaced with “female,” and non-binary sex (i.e., Another Gender) will no longer be collected.

There are no additional changes for 2025-26.

Pursuant to Executive Order (dated January 20, 2025), the term “gender” has been replaced with “sex,” the term “men” has been replaced with “male,” the term “women” has been replaced with “female,” and non-binary sex (i.e., Another Gender) will no longer be collected.

The changes to ADM for 2025-26 are substantial and based on the TRP #64 on Modernizing the Admissions Component that took place in June 2021. The changes include collection of admission considerations data for transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking students, expansion of Part C to collect applicants, admits, and enrolled counts for transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking students, disaggregate applicants, admits, and enrolled counts by race/ethnicity, and full-time/part-time enrollment status, expansion of Part D to collect test score data for transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking students, and addition of the new Part E to collect data on Waitlist, Early Decision, and Early Action (if applicable). The data are being added to better understand institutional admission policies.

Screening Questions. Several screening questions are added to determine whether an institution has an open admission policy, whether an open admission institution uses an Ability to Benefit (ATB) or similar test beyond the high school diploma/equivalent, whether an institution has admission requirements for first-time and/or transfer-in students, whether admission requirements for both first-time students and transfer-in students are same. In addition, there are questions on whether an institution enrolled first-time and/or transfer-in students in Fall [ADM reporting period], and additional data on transfer credits (if applicable).

Admission Considerations. Expanded Part B to collect admissions considerations information for transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking students at institutions that do not have an open admission policy and for students in program(s) with admissions requirements at institutions that are primarily open admission but have at least one program that is not open admission (if applicable).

Applicants, Admits, and Enrolled. Expanded Part C to collect applicants, admits, and enrolled counts for transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking students at institutions that do not have an open admission policy and for students in program(s) with admissions requirements at institutions that are primarily open admission but have at least one program that is not open admission (if applicable). In addition, expanded Part C to disaggregate applicants, admits, and enrolled counts by race/ethnicity and full-time/part-time enrollment status.

Test Scores. Expanded Part D to collect test score information for transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking students at institutions that do not have an open admission policy (if applicable).

New Part E. Added Part E – Waitlist, Early Decision, and Early Action (if applicable). This part asks questions about institutional admissions policies related to waitlists, early decision, and early action. These policies are important factors in equitable access to institutions.

Table 9. Proposed changes to the Admissions survey component

Change

Implementation year

Source

Estimated burden

Screening Questions

Part A. Screening Questions

1. For the Fall 2025 admission cycle, did your institution have an open admission policy under which virtually all students that completed a high school diploma (or received a GED/other equivalent) were admitted for all or most entering undergraduate-level programs? Institutions that require only an Ability to Benefit (ATB) or similar test beyond the high school diploma/equivalent, and only reject a very small number of students based on the test, are also considered open admission. If your institution has one or more programs with admissions requirements, you should select ‘no’ to this question.
Data reported to the Admissions survey component will vary based on response to this question.
RB		Yes, all undergraduate-level programs at the institution are open admission.
RB		No, all or nearly all undergraduate-level programs at the institution have admission requirements (i.e., all or nearly all entering students are evaluated against admission criteria to be granted admission to the institution).
RB		No, only one or a few undergraduate-level programs at the institution have admission requirements (i.e., all or nearly all programs are open admission; only students applying to a limited number of programs are evaluation against admission criteria to be granted admission to the institution).

2. Does your institution use an Ability to Benefit (ATB) or similar test beyond the high school diploma/equivalent? [Open Admission institutions only]

RB	Yes, please indicate test(s) used.
	CB	Wonderlic Basic Skills Test (WBST)
	CB	Combined English Language Skills Assessment (CELSA)
	CB	ACCUPLACER
	CB	Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS)
	CB	Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Assessment
	CB	Other
RB	No

3. For which entering degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate student type(s) does your institution have admissions requirements? [Institutions that are not open admission]

		CB		First-time students
		CB		Transfer-in students

4. If your institution has admission requirements for both first-time students and transfer-in students, are these requirements the same? [Institutions that are not open admission; if applicable based on Question #3]

RB	Yes
RB	No

5. Did your institution enroll first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students in Fall 2025? If no, you will not report admissions data for first-time students. [Institutions that are not open admission; if applicable based on Question #3]

RB	Yes
RB	No

6. Did your institution enroll transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students in Fall 2025? If no, you will not report admissions data for transfer-in students. [Institutions that are not open admission; if applicable based on Question #3]

Yes

Students may transfer credits earned from coursework completed at another postsecondary institution (e.g., college, university).

Students must complete a minimum number of credit or clock hours to enter as a transfer-in student.

Report the minimum number of credit or clock hours

Credit hours

Clock hours

2025-26

TRP #64

Minimal

Admissions Considerations – adding for transfer-in students

Applicable student type [First-time students, Transfer-in students]
Admission Considerations	Required to be considered for admission	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted	Not considered for admission, even if submitted
Secondary school GPA	RB	RB	RB
Secondary school rank	RB	RB	RB
Secondary school record	RB	RB	RB
Completion of college-preparatory program	RB	RB	RB
College/other postsecondary GPA [transfer-in students only]	RB	RB	RB
College/other postsecondary transcripts [transfer-in students only]	RB	RB	RB
Recommendations	RB	RB	RB
Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)	RB	RB	RB
Work experience	RB	RB	RB
Personal statement or essay	RB	RB	RB
Legacy status	N/A	RB	RB
Admission test scores Select options based on whether scores are required for admissions, not placement once admitted.	Required to be considered for admission	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)
SAT/ACT	RB	RB	RB
Other Test (ATB, Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)	RB	RB	RB
Note: If this is the only requirement other than a diploma or equivalent, and few students are not admitted due to this test, your institution is open admission. Please contact the Help Desk to correct your response to this question.	RB	RB	RB
English Proficiency Test (for applicable students)	RB	RB	RB

2025-26

TRP #64

Minimal

Applicants, Admits, and Enrolled – adding race/ethnicity

This screen collected for ‘Male’ and ‘Female’ and a ‘Total’ is calculated(Include ‘sex unknown’ students allocated to this category)

Applicable student type [First-time students, Transfer-in students]

Applicants

Admits

Enrolled

Full-time

Part-time

Total enrolled

Percent enrolled

U.S. Nonresident

Hispanic/Latino

American Indian or Alaska Native

Asian

Black or African American

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

White

Two or More Races

Race and Ethnicity Unknown

Total women

Total women prior year

Sex

Applicable student type [First-time students, Transfer-in students]

Applicants

Admits

Enrolled

Full-time

Part-time

Total enrolled

Percent enrolled

Grand total

Sex unknown (i.e., sex information is not known or not collected)

2025-26

TRP #64

Moderate

Test Score

Part D. Test Scores

Provide data for all students for whom a test score was used in the admissions decision for Fall 2025. Include new entering students admitted the summer prior to Fall 2025. If you report less than 5 students for any of the scores, do not report percentiles.

Institutions that use test scores for admissions decisions for some students report the number of students for whom test scores were used.

Screen below will show for each applicable student type (based on responses to screening questions).

First-time students
Transfer-in students

2025-26

TRP #64

Minimal to Moderate

Waitlist, Early Decision, and Early Action

Part E. Waitlist, Early Decision, and Early Action [institutions that indicate they have admission criteria for first-time students and enrolled first-time students during reporting period]

Waitlist

For Fall 2025, did your institution maintain a waitlist for first-time students? A waitlist is a list of applicants who met admission requirements but were only to be admitted if space became available. [Applicable to first-time students at institutions that are not open admission]

Yes. If so, check below if your waitlist is ranked.

Waitlist is ranked. Indicate whether students are notified of their place on the list, as well as the number of applicants placed on the listed and admitted, accepted, and enrolled.

Students are notified of their place on the list.

Students are NOT notified of their place on the list.

Number of applicants placed on waiting list

Number of applicants from waiting list admitted

Number of applicants from waiting list that accepted

Number of applicants from waiting list that enrolled

Early Decision

For Fall 2025, did your institution permit first-time students to apply and be notified of an admission decision in advance of the regular notification date if the student commits to attending if accepted (Early Decision)? [Applicable to first-time students at institutions that are not open admission]

RB	Yes
	Number of applicants received for Early Decision	RV
	Number of applicants admitted for Early Decision	RV
	Number of applicants admitted for Early Decision that subsequently enrolled	RV
RB	No

Early Action

For Fall 2025, did your institution permit first-time students to apply and be notified of an admission decision in advance of the regular notification date that did not require the student to commit to attending if accepted (Early Action)? [Applicable to first-time students at institutions that are not open admission]

RB	Yes
	Number of applicants received for Early Action	RV
	Number of applicants admitted for Early Action	RV
	Number of applicants admitted for Early Action that subsequently enrolled	RV
RB	No

2025-26

TRP #64; Feedback received during the 60-day public comment period

Moderate

Archived Changes

Changes to the IPEDS Data Collection starting in 2025-26

Fall 2025 Collection

Winter 2025-26 Collection

Spring 2026 Collection