USI's Office of Planning, Research, & Assessment: Data Glossary

Data Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A, B

Academic Year: The academic year begins with the fall semester and concludes at the end of the third summer term. For example, the 2005-2006 academic year is comprised of the Fall 2005 semester, the Spring 2006 semester, and the three 2006 summer terms.

Alumni: Anyone who has attended or graduated from USI and includes all former students regardless of whether or not we have a current address on file.

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C, D

Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Code: The CIP code represents a nationally used, common taxonomy for the classification of higher education degree programs. The CIP classification describes content of the programs at three levels with each providing varying levels of detail.

Classroom Head Count: The actual number of individual students enrolled as of the 5th day of classes during the fall semester.

Courses Taught: The actual number of courses scheduled with students enrolled as of the 5th day of classes during the fall semester.

Credit Hour: Credit assigned to courses or course equivalent learning that is part of an organized and specified program leading to a graduate, baccalaureate, or associate degree. One (1) college credit is based on the learning expected from the equivalent of fifteen (15) fifty-minute periods of classroom instruction; with credits for such things as laboratory instruction, internships, and clinical experience determined by the institution based on the proportion of direct instruction to the laboratory exercise, internship hours, clinical practice hours.

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E, F

Faculty: A person appointed to a position defined by the Trustees as faculty; categories include Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, and Instructor.

Fiscal Year: A twelve-month period running from July 1 through the following June 30.

Full-time Status:
Undergraduate Student - An undergraduate student taking a minimum of 12 credit hours during the fall semester. For financial aid purposes, an undergraduate student must register for at least 27 credit hours to be considered full-time.
Graduate Student - A graduate student taking a combination of 12 or more graduate and undergraduate credit hours, or 9 graduate level only credit hours, during the fall semester. For financial aid purposes, a graduate student must register for at least 24 credit hours to be considered full-time.
Faculty - A faculty member who is employed full-time and teaching a minimum of 12 credit hours of instruction per semester, including those with release time for non-instructional activities.

First-Time, Full-Time Freshman: A student attending for the first time at the undergraduate level and taking a minimum of 12 hours in the fall semester. Includes student enrolled in the fall term who attended college for the first time in the prior summer term. Also includes student who entered with advanced standing (college credits before graduation from high school).

Full-Time Equivalency (FTE):
Students - Under the semester system, the factors for calculating the number of student FTEs generated are as follows:
     Fall and Spring Terms - 15 undergraduate student credit hours equal 1 FTE;
     12 graduate student credit hours equal 1 FTE.
     Summer Terms - 10 undergraduate student credit hours equal 1 FTE;
     8 graduate student credit hours equal 1 FTE
Employee - A numerical designator for an appointment based on 100% for full time. An FTE for a full-time employee is 1.00. (Two people, each serving in half-time faculty positions, would equal, together, one FTE position.)

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G, H, I

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS): IPEDS is the core postsecondary education data collection program in the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). It was designed to help NCES meet is mandate to report full and complete statistics on the condition of postsecondary education in the United States. It is a single, comprehensive data collection system developed to encompass all institutions and organizations whose primary purpose is to provide postsecondary education. The IPEDS system is built around a series of interrelated surveys to collect institution-level data in such areas as enrollment, program completions, faculty and staff, and financing.

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J, K, L

M, N, O

Major Field of Study: Students are classified as majors according to their selection of a primary field of study.

Non-resident Alien: A person who is not a citizen or national of the United States and who is in this country on visa or temporary basis and does not have the right to remain indefinitely.

Operating Budget: An expenditure plan developed for each fiscal year. The plan must conform to the annual allocation / appropriation and list estimated expenditures by budget category for the year.

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P, Q, R

S, T

Sabbatical Leave: Special leave granted to faculty or administrators for one (full pay) or two semesters (half pay) for the purpose of advanced study, research, travel, restoration of health and vigor, professional writing, or other activity that will enable the applicant to serve the university more effectively.

Semester Credit Hours: The number of credit hours generated as of the 5th day of classes during the fall semester. Semester credit hours are calculated as the # of credit hours assigned to a course multiplied by the classroom head enrollment.

Student Classification Level: Students are classified on the basis of semester hours earned earned as follows:
FR1 - First Semester Freshman; 0 - 16 hours
FR2 - Second Semester Freshman; 17 - 31 hours
SO1 - First Semester Sophomore; 32 - 47 hours
SO2 - Second Semester Sophomore; 48 - 62 hours
JR1 - First Semester Junior; 63 - 78 hours
JR2 - Second Semester Junior; 79 - 93 hours
SR1 - First Semester Senior; 94 - 109 hours
SR2 - Second Semester Senior; 110+ hours

Student Course Loads (full-time course load):
Undergraduate - Fall, Spring: 12 credit hours; Summer:4 credit hours
Graduate - Fall, Spring: 9 credit hours; Summer: 3 credit hours

Student Credit Hours: A measure which is equal to the product of the number of students enrolled in a course section multiplied by the number of credit hours for the course section. Student credit hours for the the University receives funding by the state are call State Fundable Student Credit Hours (SFSCH). Not all SCH are fundable - for instance, credit hours produced by fee waivers and by students enrolled for audit are not state fundable
     Lower Level SCH - Hours generated by courses numbered 299 and below.
     Upper Level SCH - Hours generated by courses numbered 300 - 499.
     Graduate Level SCH - Hours generated by courses numbered 500 and above.

Student Headcount Enrollment: The actual number of individual students enrolled at a specific time regardless of whether the students are attending full-time or part-time. At USI, the official classroom head count is taken on the 5th day of classes during the fall semester.

Tenure: The condition attained by a faculty member through highly competent scholarly activities which assures the faculty member security of employment and immunity from reprisals or threats due to an intellectual position or belief which may be unpopular, and which guarantees annual reappointment for that faculty member until voluntary resignation, retirement, or removal for adequate cause.

Transfer Student: student enrolling at USI for the first time but who is known to have previously attended another postsecondary institution.

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U, V, W, X, Y, Z

Undergraduate Student / Faculty Ratio: The number of undergraduate students per faculty member, within a department, college or across the university.

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