PNPI Explorer Glossary < Return to Data & Methodology

PNPI Explorer Glossary of Terms

From IPEDS: The average cost of books and supplies for a typical student for an entire academic year (or program). Do not include unusual costs for special groups of students (e.g., engineering or art majors), unless they constitute the majority of students at the institution.
From the College Scorecard: Cohort default rates are produced annually as an institutional accountability metric; institutions with high default rates may lose access to federal financial aid. The three-year cohort default rate (CDR3) represents a snapshot in time. For example, FY 2016 rates were calculated using the cohort of borrowers who entered repayment on their federal student loans between October 1, 2015 and September 30, 2016, and who defaulted before September 30, 2018. The rate represents the share of borrowers who entered repayment in one fiscal year and defaulted on at least one of their loans by the next fiscal year.
A database managed by the U.S. Department of Education that combines publicly available information from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, the Federal Student Aid Data Center, and restricted use information from the National Student Loan Data System and the U.S. Treasury Department. The Scorecard provides institution- and program- level information on several higher education metrics.
The share of first-time, full-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates who completed a credential within six years (if enrolled at a four-year institution) or three years (if enrolled at a two-year institution).
A region represented by a U.S. congress person, apportioned based on population counts updated with each decennial census. The districts in the PNPI Explorer represent the most recent congressional districts available from the Google Civic Information API, cross-referenced with older districts in IPEDS and manually validated for discrepancies.
The sum of tuition & fees, books & supplies, and living expenses for all full-time, first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates who receive Title IV aid.
A report pre-populated with metrics in key higher education areas. The metrics and categories were selected based on our own expertise and through the advice from an expert technical review committee.
A report that allows user customization, either through the selection of metrics in a report similar in structure to curated reports, or through a Comparison Tool or Trend Explorer.
From FSA: When a borrower fails to repay their student loan according to the terms agreed to in the promissory note. For most federal student loans, default occurs when a payment has not been made in more than 270 days.
The U.S. Department of Education's federal student loan program is the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program. Under this program, the U.S. Department of Education is the lender who then works with third-party loan servicers. This program includes Direct Subsidized Loans (for undergraduate borrowers), Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Direct PLUS Loans (for graduate students and parents of dependent undergraduate students), and Direct Consolidation Loans.
From IPEDS: Education that uses one or more technologies to deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor and to support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor synchronously or asynchronously. Technologies used for instruction may include the following: Internet; one-way or two-way transmissions through open broadcasts, closed circuit, cable, microwave, broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite or wireless communication devices; audio conferencing; and video cassette, DVDs, and CD-ROMs, if the cassette, DVDs, and CD-ROMs are used in a course in conjunction with the technologies listed above.
From the U.S. Census Bureau: Educational attainment refers to the highest level of education that an individual has completed. Attainment estimates from the Census include the entire U.S. population aged 25 or older.
For undergraduates, a full-time student is one who is enrolled for 12 or more semester credits, or 12 or more quarter credits, or 24 or more clock hours a week each term. For graduate students, a full-time student is one who is enrolled for 9 or more semester credits, or 9 or more quarter credits, or a student involved in thesis or dissertation preparation that is considered full time by the institution.
FTE is an estimate that combines full-time student enrollment with a weighted estimate of part-time student enrollment. The weighted estimate is determined by multiplying the fall enrollment by different factors depending on institutional sector. The specific factors for undergraduates are: public four-year institutions (0.403543); private non- and for-profit four-year institutions (0.392857); public two-year institutions (0.335737); all other institutions (0.397058). For graduate students: public four-year (0.361702); private non- and for-profit four-year institutions (0.382059).
A common cohort used in IPEDS reporting. Includes students who: are enrolled in a 4- or 5-year bachelor's degree program, an associate's degree program, or a vocational or technical program; are enrolled in courses for credit recognized by the institution as seeking a degree, certificate, or other formal award; have no prior postsecondary experience attending any institution for the first time at the undergraduate level; and are enrolled for 12 or more semester credits, 12 or more quarter credits, or 24 or more clock hours a week each term.
A federal Direct Loan made under the PLUS program to a graduate or professional student enrolled at least half-time at an eligible school in a program leading to a graduate or professional degree who does not have an adverse credit history and who meets the general eligibility requirements for federal student aid.
Student loan borrowers in the two-year repayment cohort who are making regular payments and the sum of all outstanding loan balances is less than the sum of the original loan balances and none of the other status categories apply.
The sum of institutional grants and scholarships from private sources that use restricted-expendable net assets of the institution, grants and scholarships from unrestricted net assets of the institution, the institutional matching portion of federal, state, or local grants, and athletic scholarships.
A system of interrelated surveys conducted annually by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. The Higher Education Act requires that institutions that participate in federal student aid programs report data on enrollments, program completions, graduation rates, faculty and staff, finances, institutional prices, and student financial aid.
Net price is generated by subtracting grant aid from all non-private sources from the total cost of attendance. These data come from the IPEDS student financial aid survey and are available for first-time, full-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates who pay in-state or in-district tuition and were awarded grant or scholarship aid from federal, state, or local governments, or the institution.
A student who is not a citizen or national of the United States and who is in this country on a visa or temporary basis and does not have the right to remain indefinitely. It is a legal visa status used by U.S. institutions to identify international or foreign students for IPEDS.
The amount of outstanding balance (interest and principal) on a given loan. Direct Loans (non-PLUS) and Parent PLUS Loan balances are provided in the Explorer.
Student loan borrowers in the two-year repayment cohort who have all of their considered loans repaid in full.
A loan type included in the PLUS section of the Direct Loan program available to the parents of dependent undergraduate students.
A first-dollar need-based federal grant awarded to undergraduate students who have exceptional financial need and who have not earned a bachelor's, graduate, or professional degree; in some cases, students enrolled in a postbaccalaureate teacher certification program may also receive it. The lifetime eligibility of a Pell Grant is limited to 12 semesters.
Financial appropriations awarded to institutions by state governments. For the metric included in the PNPI Explorer, we only look at appropriations awarded to public institutions (and thus the "per FTE" denominator only includes public institution enrollment).
On-campus room and board represent charges for an academic year for rooming accommodations for a typical student sharing a room with one other student. Other fees are amounts necessary to cover expenses such as laundry, transportation, entertainment, and furnishings estimated by the financial aid office. Off-campus estimated expenses are based on students not living at home with a parent or guardian.
A Subsidized Direct Loan is a federal loan available to undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need. The amount one can borrow is determined by the institution and cannot exceed one's financial need. Subsidized loans also do not accrue interest while the borrower is enrolled at least half-time, for the first six months after leaving school, or during a period of deferment.
The PNPI Topline is a report type that combines metrics from the Explorer's other five Curated Report types: Enrollment & Access; College Cost; Completion & Attainment; Federal Student Debt; and Federal Student Loan Repayment.
The published charges for attendance at an institution. In-district tuition & fees are charged to those students residing in the locality in which they attend school; these may be lower than in-state fees offered by the institution. In-state tuition & fees are charged to those students who meet the state's or institution's residency requirements. Out-of-state tuition & fees are charged to those students who do not meet the state's or institution's residency requirements.
The tuition discount rate is calculated by dividing the total institutional aid provided to students by the gross tuition revenue of the institution.
The status of a federal student loan borrower two years after separating from the institution (either graduating or withdrawing).
A tool provided by the U.S. Census Bureau that allows for a user to input a zip code and determine the corresponding (current) congressional district.
An Unsubsidized Direct Loan is a federal loan available to both undergraduate and graduate students without the need to demonstrate financial need. The maximum amount allowed for these loans is determined by the institution based on cost of attendance and other financial aid received. The borrower is responsible for accrued interest for the duration of the loan, including while enrolled.