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The Common Data Set (CDS) is a product of the Common Data Set Initiative, "a collaborative effort among data providers in the higher education community and publishers as represented by the College Board, Peterson's, and U.S. News & World Report ." [1] The stated goal is to provide accurate and timely data to students and their families while decreasing the workload of administrators. In producing their popular publications and rankings, these publishers "ask the same core questions" of institutions using the Common Data Set to define those questions and their responses. [2] These data are also used in public accountability efforts such as the Voluntary System of Accountability's College Portrait. [3]
Each year the Common Data Set initiative makes small changes to the "survey" submitted for every contributing college and university to complete. While the resulting database of all responses is not available for download, individual colleges and universities typically publish their individual responses on their own website.
These individual responses can provide valuable information for students applying to a particular college or university. For example, section C7 - "Relative Importance of Common Academic and Non-Academic Admission Criteria" – indicates the admission process for that college places on items like "Class Rank", "GPA", and "Extra-Curricular Activities". Another example is Sections C9 to C12, which give a statistical breakdown of SAT/ACT scores, class rank, and GPA for the current freshman class. This can be a good indicator, especially for the more selective colleges and universities, of the typical scores needed for admission. Sections on "Tuition and Fees" and "Financial Aid" can help potential applicants to understand the typical costs and potential aid they might receive based on the current freshman class statistics.
The CDS annual survey includes the following major sections, identified by major sections (A–J) and subsections (0, 1, 3, ...):
A college-preparatory school is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily designed to prepare students for higher education.
Bright Futures is a scholarship program in the state of Florida. It is funded by the Florida Lottery and was first started in 1997.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form completed by current and prospective college students in the United States to determine their eligibility for student financial aid.
Student financial aid in the United States is funding that is available exclusively to students attending a post-secondary educational institution in the United States. This funding is used to assist in covering the many costs incurred in the pursuit of post-secondary education. Financial aid is available from federal and state governments, educational institutions, and private organizations. It can be awarded in the form of grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships. In order to apply for federal financial aid, students must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
In the United States, dual enrollment (DE), also called concurrent enrollment, programs allow students to be enrolled in two separate, academically related institutions. Generally, it refers to high school students taking college or university courses. Less commonly, it may refer to any individual who is participating in two related programs.
The HOPE Program created in 1993 under the supervision of Georgia Governor Zell Miller, is Georgia's scholarship and grant program that rewards students with financial assistance in degree, diploma, and certificate programs at eligible Georgia public and private colleges and universities, and public technical colleges. HOPE is funded entirely by revenue from the Georgia Lottery and is administered by the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC).
Enrollment Management is a term that is used frequently in higher education to describe well-planned strategies and tactics to shape the enrollment of an institution and meet established goals. Plainly stated, enrollment management is an organizational concept and a systematic set of activities designed to enable educational institutions to exert more influence over their student enrollments.
Need-blind admission in the United States refers to a college admission policy that does not take into account an applicant's financial status when deciding whether to accept them. This approach typically results in a higher percentage of accepted students who require financial assistance and often necessitates that the institution has a substantial endowment or other funding sources to support the policy. Institutions which participated in an antitrust exemption granted by Congress were required by law to be need-blind, a requirement which remained in effect until September 30, 2022. An institution may be need-blind in any given year by policy or by circumstances.
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the United States and to a certain extent in Canada, but in the vast majority of countries in the world they are rare or non-existent.
In the United States, higher education is an optional stage of formal learning following secondary education. It is also referred as post-secondary education, third-stage, third-level, or tertiary education. It covers stages 5 to 8 on the International ISCED 2011 scale. It is delivered at 4,360 Title IV degree-granting institutions, known as colleges or universities. These may be public or private universities, research universities, liberal arts colleges, community colleges, or for-profit colleges. US higher education is loosely regulated by the government and by several third-party organizations. Attending college has been thought of as "a rite of passage" to which the American Dream is deeply embedded.
College admissions in the United States refers to the process of applying for entrance to institutions of higher education for undergraduate study at one of the nation's colleges or universities. For those who intend to attend college immediately after high school, the college search usually begins in the eleventh grade with most activity taking place during the twelfth grade. Applications to many schools are due in October of senior year for Early Decision or Early Action or in December of their senior year for Regular Decision, though the timeline may vary depending on the universities, some having an earlier deadline due to the fact that the admissions process may weigh in more on transcripts. Students at top high schools may often begin the process during their tenth grade or earlier. There are considerable numbers of students who transfer from one college to another, as well as adults older than high school age who apply to college.
Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) is a public community college in Gardner, Massachusetts. Established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1963, it features an open admissions policy for the majority of its academic programs. MWCC offers more than 70 academic programs that allow students to earn either an associate of science degree (A.S.), associate of arts degree (A.A.), or a certificate.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) is a system of interrelated surveys conducted annually by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a part of the Institute for Education Sciences within the United States Department of Education. IPEDS consists of twelve interrelated survey components that are collected over three collection periods each year as described in the Data Collection and Dissemination Cycle. The completion of all IPEDS surveys is mandatory for all institutions that participate in, or are applicants for participation in, any federal financial assistance program authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.
College transfer is the anticipated movement students consider between education providers and the related institutional processes supporting those secondary and post-secondary learners who actually do move with completed coursework or training that may be applicable to a degree pathway and published requirements.
Strategic Enrollment Management [SEM] is a crucial element of planning for new growth at a university or college as it concerns both academic program growth and facilities needs. Emerging as a response to fluctuations in student markets and increasing pressure on recruitment strategies in higher education, SEM focuses on achieving student success throughout their entire life cycle with an institution while increasing enrollment numbers and stabilizing institutional revenues. SEM strategies accomplish the fulfillment of an institution's mission and student experience goals by strategically planning enrollments through recruiting, retaining and graduating specific cohorts of students followed by targeted practices to build a lifelong affinity with the institution among alums. In addition to a focus on student achievement, SEM also fundamentally understands the student as holding the role of a learner in addition to a customer and citizen of the global community.
Higher education in Alberta refers to the post secondary education system for the province of Alberta. The Ministry of Advanced Education in Alberta oversees educational delivery through universities, publicly funded colleges, technical institutions, and private colleges. These institutions offer a variety of academic and vocational pursuits. Students have access to post-secondary options through most regions of Alberta, and a developed articulation system allows for increased student mobility.
In the United States, community colleges are primarily two-year public institutions of tertiary education. Community colleges offer undergraduate education in the form of an associate degree. In addition community colleges also offer remedial education, GEDs, high school diplomas, technical diplomas and academic certificates, and in rare cases, a limited number of 4-year bachelor's degrees. After graduating from a community college, some students transfer to a four-year college or university to continue their studies leading to a bachelor's degree. Community college is tuition-free for selected students in 47 states, often under the name College Promise. Most community college instructors have advanced degrees but serve as part-time low wage employees.
Transfer admissions in the United States refers to college students changing universities during their college years. While estimates of transfer activity vary considerably, the consensus view is that it is substantial and increasing, although media coverage of student transfers is generally less than coverage of the high school to college transition. A common transfer path is students moving from two-year community colleges to four-year institutions, although there is also considerable movement between four-year institutions. Reasons for transferring include unhappiness with campus life, cost, and course and degree selection. There are no standardized rules nationwide for transfers, and requirements vary by college. However, many states have taken steps to make the transition easier and less problematic, particularly from community colleges to four-year schools within the state, by various methods including school-to-school credit arrangements called articulation agreements. While many state universities are constrained by budget cuts which have sometimes lessened the number of spots open to transfer students, there are reports that many private colleges are becoming more assertive in seeking transfer applicants. Nevertheless, the transfer process can be difficult, such that transfer applicants have been described as collegiate "academic nomads" who face various obstacles trying to make sure their credits transfer properly to their new school. Unlike admission from high school directly to college, there is less data nationwide about transfer admissions, although there are signs that this is changing.
Financial issues facing students in the United States include the rising cost of tuition, as well as ancillaries, such as room and board, textbook and coursework costs, personal expenses, and transportation.
The Delaware Student Excellence Equals Degree Program Scholarship is intended to provide free college tuition to Delaware residents seeking to earn an Associate degree at in-state colleges Delaware Tech and the University of Delaware. Any Delaware high school graduate after 2006 is eligible to apply given certain criteria.