PNPI Explorer Glossary of Terms

150% Time

A time period equal to one and a half times (150%) the normal period of time to complete a program. This applies to students who completed a credential within six years (if enrolled at a four-year institution) or three years (if enrolled at a two-year institution). Source: IPEDS

Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI)

A category of minority-serving institutions, institutions are eligible for AANAPISI designation if they have Asian and Pacific Islander undergraduate enrollment equal to or greater than 10% of all students. Source: U.S. Department of Education

Books and Supplies

The average cost of books and supplies for a typical student for an entire academic year (or program). Do not include unusual costs for specific student groups (e.g., engineering or art majors) unless they constitute the majority of students at the institution. Source: IPEDS

Civilian Labor Force

All non-institutionalized civilians who are either employed or unemployed. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Cohort Default Rate (CDR)

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. Source: College Scorecard

College Scorecard

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. Source: College Scorecard

Completer

A student who receives a degree, diploma, certificate, or other recognized postsecondary credential. To be considered a completer, the degree/award must actually be conferred. Source: IPEDS

Completion Rate

The share of first-time, full-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates who completed a credential within six years (if enrolled in a four-year program) or three years (if enrolled in a two-year program). Source: IPEDS

Congressional District

A region represented by a U.S. Congressperson, 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. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Cost of Attendance

The amount of tuition and fees; food and housing; books, course materials, supplies, and equipment; and other expenses that a full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking student can expect to pay to go to college for an academic year. Costs reported to IPEDS by the institution are those amounts used by the financial aid office to determine a student’s financial need for the academic year, which is typically nine months. Source: IPEDS

Curated Report

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. Source: PNPI

Custom Report

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. Source: PNPI

Data Year

The data year displayed at the bottom of the PNPI Explorer represents the year for which the most recent data were released. For instance, a data year of “2022” indicates that all data refer to the 2021-2022 academic year. If more than one data year is represented in a report, this is denoted at the bottom of the report. Source: PNPI

Default (Repayment)

A status that a loan is placed in if the borrower has failed to make a payment when due for the number of days allowed by applicable regulations, or if the borrower violates other terms and conditions of their promissory note. Borrowers who default on federal education loans lose eligibility for further federal student aid, will have their default reported to national credit bureaus, and may have their wages garnished or tax refunds offset by the government. For most federal student loans, default occurs when a payment has not been made in more than 270 days. Borrowers may be eligible to exit default through loan rehabilitation, loan consolidation, or entering a repayment agreement. Source: Federal Student Aid Data Center

Deferment (Repayment)

A period during which a borrower is entitled to have payments of principal and interest on federal education loans postponed if he or she meets the eligibility criteria for the deferment. Examples of reasons that entitle a borrower to deferment include enrollment in postsecondary education on at least a half-time basis, unemployment, economic hardship, or qualifying active-duty military service. Federal loans in deferment may accrue interest depending on the type of loan. Subsidized federal loans do not accrue interest during deferment. Unsubsidized and PLUS federal loans continue to accrue interest during deferment. Source: Federal Student Aid Data Center

Delinquent (Repayment)

The first day after a student loan borrower misses a loan payment, the loan becomes past due, or delinquent. The loan account remains delinquent until the borrower repays the past-due amount or makes other arrangements, such as changing repayment plans or obtaining a deferment or forbearance. Source: Federal Student Aid Data Center

Direct Loans

The U.S. Department of Education administers federal student loans through the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program. In this program, the Department of Education serves as the lender and partners with third-party loan servicers to manage the loans. The program includes four main types of loans: Direct Subsidized Loans (for undergraduate students), Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Direct PLUS Loans (for graduate students and parents of dependent undergraduates), and Direct Consolidation Loans. Source: Federal Student Aid Data Center

Distance Education

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. Source: IPEDS

Earnings

Earnings are a subset of income. Specifically, earnings are wages or salaries from a job/employment, or income from self-employment. Other types of income not included in earnings include Social Security payments, interest and dividends, rental income, pensions, public assistance, and child support. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Educational Attainment

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. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Employed

Employed includes all civilians 16 years old and over who were either (1) “at work” — those who did any work at all during the week preceding their interview as paid employees, worked in their own business or profession, worked on their own farm, or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid workers on a family farm or in a family business; or (2) were “with a job but not at work” — those who did not work during the reference week but had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, industrial dispute, vacation, or other personal reasons. Excluded from the employed are people whose only activity consisted of work around the house or unpaid volunteer work for religious, charitable, and similar organizations; also excluded are people on active duty in the United States Armed Forces. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Employment Status

Employment status identifies those who (1) worked at any time during a specific week; (2) were on temporary layoff and available for work; (3) did not work during the reference week but had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent (excluding layoff); (4) did not work during the reference week but were looking for work during the last four weeks and were available to work during the reference week; and (5) were not in the labor force. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Federal Information Processing Series (FIPS) Code

A standardized system of numeric coding for geographic areas originally issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. FIPS codes are assigned for a variety of geographic entities, including American Indian and Alaska Native Areas, Hawaiian homelands, congressional districts, counties, county subdivisions, metropolitan areas, places, and states. The purpose of using FIPS codes is to improve data use and avoid unnecessary duplication and incompatibility in the collection, processing, and dissemination of data. NIST discontinued FIPS codes in 2005. Still, the Census Bureau continues to maintain and issue codes for the geographic entities, calling them Federal Information Processing Series (FIPS) codes, using the same acronym. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Federal Student Aid (FSA) Data Center

The Federal Student Aid (FSA) Data Center is a centralized source of information related to federal student aid. Data include information around FSA applicants, recipients, and disbursements. Source: Federal Student Aid Data Center

Forbearance (Repayment)

A period during which a borrower may temporarily stop making loan payments, temporarily make smaller payments, or extend the time for making payments. A borrower who does not meet the eligibility requirements for a deferment may, at the discretion of the loan holder, receive a forbearance if the borrower is temporarily unable to make loan payments for reasons including, but not limited to, financial hardship or illness. Borrowers are also entitled to receive forbearance if they meet certain regulatory eligibility criteria. Federal loans in forbearance continue to accrue interest throughout the forbearance. Source: Federal Student Aid Data Center

Full-Time Student

For undergraduates, a full-time student 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 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. Source: IPEDS

Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)

The full-time equivalent (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 sector-specific factors outlined by IPEDS before adding these values to full-time enrollment headcounts. Source: IPEDS

Full-Time, First-Time, Degree/Certificate-Seeking Undergraduates

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. Source: IPEDS

Fully Discharged (Repayment)

The term applied when the balance due on a federal education loan is canceled. Reasons for discharge of a loan include the borrower’s death (or the death of the student on whose behalf a parent obtained a Direct PLUS Loan or Federal PLUS Loan), the borrower’s total and permanent disability (as defined in the Department’s regulations), school closure, and certain other conditions as specified in the Department’s regulations. Source: Federal Student Aid Data Center

Gender

While IPEDS has historically allowed schools to report gender in three categories, the category of “another gender” is seldom used. Because of this, the PNPI Explorer displays only men and women. Source: IPEDS

Grad PLUS

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. Source: Federal Student Aid Data Center

Graduate Student

A student who holds a bachelor’s degree or above and is taking courses at the postbaccalaureate level. These students may or may not be enrolled in graduate programs. Source: IPEDS

Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)

A category of minority-serving institutions, institutions are eligible for HSI designation if they have Hispanic full-time undergraduate enrollment equal to or greater than 25% of all students. Source: U.S. Department of Education

Historically Black College or University (HBCU)

A category of minority-serving institutions, HBCUs are institutions that were established before 1964 with the principal mission of educating Black Americans. These institutions were founded and developed in an environment of legal segregation to provide Black Americans access to higher education. Source: U.S. Department of Education

Home Ownership

A measure of the number of respondents who live in a home that they own. When a householder lives in a home they own, it is considered owner-occupied, whether or not it is mortgaged. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Home Ownership Percentage

Home Ownership Percentage is calculated by taking the number of owner-occupied homes in the area divided by the total number of occupied homes in the area. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Household Income

Includes pretax cash income of the householder and all other people 15 years old and older in the household, whether or not they are related to the householder. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

In-District Student

A student who is a legal resident of the locality in which he/she attends school and thus may be entitled to reduced tuition charges if offered by the institution. Source: IPEDS

In-State Student

A student who is a legal resident of the state in which he/she attends school and thus may be entitled to reduced tuition charges if offered by the institution. Source: IPEDS

In Progress (Repayment)

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. Source: U.S. Department of Education

Industry (Workforce)

Industry data describes the type of business conducted by a person’s employing organization. These data are derived from a combination of write-in and check box questions, which are auto-coded and clerically coded by Census Bureau staff, using the Census Industry Code List developed for Census Bureau household surveys. Beginning in 2023, this system comprises 266 codes, including military, and is organized into 20 sectors for people employed in the last five years. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Institutional Grant Aid

The sum of institutional grants and scholarships from private sources that use restricted-expendable net assets of the institution, grants and scholarships from the unrestricted net assets of the institution, the institutional matching portion of federal, state, or local grants, and athletic scholarships. Source: IPEDS

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

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. Source: IPEDS

Median Earnings

Median earnings divides the earnings distribution into two equal groups: one with earnings above the median and the other with earnings below. The median is the value found in the middle of the data set. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Median Household Income

The point that divides the household income distribution in half, with one-half above the median and the other below. The median is based on the income distribution of all households, including those with no income. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Minority-Serving Institution (MSI)

Colleges and universities across the United States and U.S. Territories enrolling significant percentages of racially minoritized undergraduate students or created with the explicit purpose of serving specific populations of racially minoritized students under various programs as designated in federal law. Source: U.S. Department of Education

Net Price

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. Source: IPEDS

Non-Completer

A student who does not receive a degree, diploma, certificate, or other recognized postsecondary credential. There are many reasons why a student may not complete. These reasons include, but are not limited to, students transferring away from an institution, failing to reenroll, or withdrawing from classes. Source: IPEDS

Non-Resident

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. Source: IPEDS

Normal Time to Completion

The amount of time necessary for a student to complete all requirements for a degree or certificate according to the institution’s catalog. This is typically 4 years (8 semesters or trimesters, or 12 quarters, excluding summer sessions) for a bachelor’s degree in a standard term-based institution; 2 years (4 semesters or trimesters, or 6 quarters, excluding summer sessions) for an associate’s degree in a standard term-based institution; and the various scheduled times for certificate programs. Source: IPEDS

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)

The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS, pronounced Nakes) was developed under the direction and guidance of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as the standard for use by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the collection, tabulation, presentation, and analysis of statistical data describing the U.S. economy. Use of the standard provides uniformity and comparability in the presentation of these statistical data. NAICS is based on a production-oriented concept, grouping establishments into industries based on similarity in the processes used to produce goods or services. Source: U.S. Department of Labor

Not in Labor Force

Not in labor force includes all people 16 years old and over who are not classified as members of the labor force. This category consists mainly of students, housewives, retired workers, seasonal workers interviewed in an off-season who were not looking for work, institutionalized people, and people doing only incidental unpaid family work (less than 15 hours during the reference week). Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Outstanding Loan Balance

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. Source: Federal Student Aid Data Center

Paid in Full (Repayment)

Student loan borrowers in the two-year repayment cohort who have all of their considered loans repaid in full. Source: Federal Student Aid Data Center

Parent PLUS

A loan type included in the PLUS section of the Direct Loan program available to the parents of dependent undergraduate students. Direct PLUS loans can help pay for education expenses not covered by other financial aid. To receive a parent PLUS loan, you must be the biological or adoptive parent (or in some cases, the stepparent) of a dependent undergraduate student enrolled at least half-time at an eligible school, not have an adverse credit history (unless you meet certain additional requirements); and meet the general eligibility requirements for federal student aid. Source: Federal Student Aid Data Center

Pell Grant

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. Source: IPEDS

Predominantly Black Institution (PBI)

A category of minority-serving institutions, institutions are eligible for PBI designation if they have Black student enrollment equal to or greater than 40% of all students, with at least 1,000 undergraduate students, and meets the additional requirements list in the PBI statute. Source: U.S. Department of Education

Public State Appropriations

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). Source: IPEDS

Race

A category of social identity based on people’s self-identification with one or more socially defined racial groups. These categories reflect social and historical understandings of race rather than biological or genetic differences. Categories describe U.S. citizens and other eligible non-citizens. Category groups are: Hispanic or Latino (of any race), American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN), Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (NHPI), White, Two or more races, or Non-Resident. Source: IPEDS

Room, Board, and Other Fees

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. Source: College Scorecard

Sector

Institutional categories resulting from dividing institutions of higher education according to control (private/public) and level (4-year/2-year). The PNPI Explorer uses four such categories: public 2-year, public 4-year, for-profit, and non-profit. Source: IPEDS

Student Debt

The federal student loan debt accumulated by a student. Source: College Scorecard

Subsidized Direct Loan

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. Source: Federal Student Aid Data Center

Topline Report

The PNPI Topline is a report type that combines metrics from the Explorer’s other six Curated Report types: Enrollment & Access; College Cost; Completion & Attainment; Federal Student Debt; Federal Student Loan Repayment; and Workforce. Source: PNPI

Tribal College or University

A category of minority-serving institutions, TCUs are institutions of higher education formally controlled, sanctioned, or chartered by the governing body of a Native American tribe or tribes where Native American culture, language, and tradition are fostered. Source: U.S. Department of Education

Tuition and Fees

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. Source: IPEDS

Tuition Discount Rate

The tuition discount rate is calculated by dividing the total institutional aid provided to students by the gross tuition revenue of the institution. Source: Federal Student Aid Data Center

Two-Year Repayment Status

The status of a federal student loan borrower two years after separating from the institution (either graduating or withdrawing). Source: Federal Student Aid Data Center

U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey

An ongoing survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, which collects detailed social, economic, housing, and demographic information from a sample of households across the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Topics covered include education, employment, income, housing, and transportation. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

U.S. Census Bureau's My Congressional District Finder

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. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

U.S. Territory

An unincorporated United States jurisdiction that is neither a part of a state nor a Federal district. While 13 such areas are currently recognized, the PNPI Explorer provides data only for American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Undergraduate Student

A student who is taking courses at the baccalaureate or below the baccalaureate level. These students may or may not be enrolled in undergraduate programs. Source: IPEDS

Unemployed

All civilians 16 years old and over are classified as unemployed if they (1) were neither “at work” nor “with a job but not at work” during the reference week, and (2) were actively looking for work during the last 4 weeks, and (3) were available to accept a job. Also included as unemployed are civilians who did not work at all during the reference week, were waiting to be called back to a job from which they had been laid off, and were available for work except for temporary illness. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Unemployment Rate

Represents the number of unemployed people as a percentage of the civilian labor force. Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Unsubsidized Direct Loan

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. Source: Federal Student Aid Data Center