16. Disaggregate data about admissions, retention, graduation, and outcomes in higher education.

Admissions 09.18.24

Here’s what the federal government can do:

  • The U.S. Department of Education should collect, conduct, and disseminate disaggregated admissions data by race, ethnicity, sex,[i] national origin, and disability.

Admissions offices should assess and report higher education data, in a publicly and easily accessible manner, and evaluate whether their admissions practices are creating more barriers in the enrollment process for historically underrepresented students.

While IPEDS collects important data on the admission and enrollment of students, the U.S. Department of Education and higher education institutions should collect and report the following data:

  • A. Whether an institution of higher education offers early decision and early action.
  • B. The number of early decision and early action applications received and admitted.
  • C. The number of early decision and early action applicants admitted.
  • D. The number of early decision and early action admits enrolled.
  • E. Percentage of admittance from early decision, early action, and regular decision.
  • F. Whether an institution of higher education offers legacy preferences.
  • G. The number of legacy applications received.
  • H. The number of legacy applicants admitted.
  • I. The number of legacy admits enrolled.
  • J. The number of students admitted by high school type (public, private, and homeschool).
  • K. The number of students enrolled by high school type (public, private, and homeschool).
  • L. The number of athletes admitted and enrolled.
  • M. Data for B-D and G-L disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, national origin, and disability.[ii]
  • N. Enrollment data for D, I, K, and L disaggregated by Pell status.
  • O. Retention data, graduation rates, and outcome measures for students with disabilities.

[i]Collection of sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics (SOGI-SC) data is necessary to better understand opportunity barriers in higher education. Collecting and reporting SOGI-SC data presents privacy concerns when it comes to protecting LGBTQIA+ students from being outed or exposed to unnecessary surveillance. For reference see: The National Women’s Law Center. Letter to Secretary Cardona and Coordinator Mullan. August 12, 2022. https://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/NWLC-Comment_FAFSA-Form-Demographic-Survey.pdf and GLSEN and the National Women’s Law Center. Letter to Secretary Cardona and Coordinator Mullan, October 16, 2023. https://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023-FAFSA-Comment.pdf.

[ii]Defined as students who have formally registered with the institution’s disability services office.