Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2024-25 through 2026-27

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2024-25 2025-26 through 2026-27

Admissions (ADM)

OMB No. 1850-0582 v. 33

Submitted by:

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

Institute of Education Sciences

U.S. Department of Education

Admissions Package 2024-25 2025-26 through 2026-27 Data Collections

Contents

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2024-25 2025-26 through 2026-27 1

Admissions Package 2024-25 2025-26 through 2026-27 Data Collections 2

Admissions Screens 2025-26 through 2026-27 14

Admissions Instructions 2025-26 through 2026-27 21

Admissions FAQs 2025-26 through 2026-27 26

Changes for 2024-25

(no longer applicable)

General
Gender Unknown or Another Gender	Revised the Gender Unknown or Another Gender than Provided Categories questions for clarity.
Admissions Considerations	Added notes at top of considerations page to clarify reporting.
Admission Considerations	Added clarification of term ‘Considered’ on the screen and in the instructions.
FAQs	Clarified FAQ #12 related to reporting of legacy status.

Data reporting type abbreviations

Throughout these forms, the type of data reported or provided in each field is indicated with an abbreviation. The table below provides information about these abbreviations.

CB	Checkbox option. More than one option can be selected.
CV	Calculated value. IPEDS calculates the information based on the data provided.
N/A	Not applicable.
PY	Prior year value. IPEDS preloads the information for the institution (when available).
RB	Radio button option. Only one of the options can be selected.
RV	Reported value. All reported values in IPEDS are numerical.

(no longer applicable)

Admissions Screens 2024-25

Overview

Admissions Overview

Welcome to the IPEDS Admissions (ADM) survey component. The primary purpose of ADM is to collect basic information about the undergraduate selection process for entering first-time, degree/certificate-seeking students in the fall term. This includes information about admissions considerations, admissions yields, and SAT and ACT test scores (if test scores are used in admissions decisions). The ADM survey component is collected only from institutions that do not have an open admissions policy for entering first-time students, which is captured on the IC survey component.

Data Reporting Reminders:

• Report data to accurately reflect the time period corresponding with the IPEDS survey component, even if such reporting is seemingly inconsistent with prior-year reporting.

• Institutions that have scores based on the old (2016) SAT score range should convert scores using the College Board concordance tables.

• Institutions operating on a traditional academic year calendar (semester, trimester, quarter, or 4-1-4) report admissions as of the institution's official fall reporting date or October 15. Institutions operating on an "other academic calendar”, a calendar that differs by program, or that enrolls students on a continuous basis (referred to as program reporters) report admissions as students who enroll any time during the period of August 1 through October 31.

• ADM is only applicable to first-time students; DO NOT include other students (i.e., transfer-in students) in the number of applicants, number of admits, and number (of admitted) that enrolled. Only include levels (full-time, part-time) that you indicated were offered in the IC. If you made an error in the IC, please call the IPEDS Help Desk.

Changes in reporting

The following changes were implemented for the 2024-25 data collection period:

• Revised the Gender Unknown or Another Gender than Provided Categories questions for clarity.

• Added notes at top of considerations page to clarify reporting.

• Added clarification of term ‘Considered’ on the screen and in the instructions.

• Clarified FAQ #12 related to reporting of legacy status.

If you have questions about completing this survey, please contact the IPEDS Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568.

Admissions Considerations

Select the option that best describes how your institution used any of the following data in its selection process for the Fall 2025 student cohorts indicated. The options are:

• Required to be considered for admission (not applicable for legacy status)

• Not required for admission, but considered if submitted

• Not considered for admission, even if submitted

Considered means that an institution includes an item in the package that is reviewed by admissions officers during the review process and the item may factor into a decision for admission.

Admission Considerations	Required to be considered for admission	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted	Not considered for admission, even if submitted
Secondary school GPA	RB	RB	RB
Secondary school rank	RB	RB	RB
Secondary school record	RB	RB	RB
Completion of college-preparatory program	RB	RB	RB
Recommendations	RB	RB	RB
Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)	RB	RB	RB
Work experience	RB	RB	RB
Personal statement or essay	RB	RB	RB
Legacy status	N/A	RB	RB
Admission test scores Select options based on whether scores are required for admissions, not placement once admitted.	Required to be considered for admission	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)
SAT/ACT	RB	RB	RB
Other Test (ATB, Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.) Note: If this is the only requirement other than a diploma or equivalent, and few students are not admitted due to this test, your institution is open admission. Please contact the Help Desk to correct your response to this question.	RB	RB	RB
English Proficiency Test (for applicable students)	RB	RB	RB

You may use the box below to provide additional context for the data you have reported above. Context notes will be posted on the College Navigator website. Therefore, you should write all context notes using proper grammar (e.g., complete sentences with punctuation) and common language that can be easily understood by students and parents (e.g., spell out acronyms).

OPEN ENTRY CONTEXT BOX

Selection Process Applicants, Admits, and Enrolled

2. Provide the number of first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students who applied, who were admitted, and who enrolled (either full- or part-time) at your institution for Fall 2024. Include early decision, early action, and students who began studies during the summer prior to Fall 2024.

Remember that this question applies only to first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates. Do not include any other students in these totals. Report admitted students who enrolled in the summer ONLY IF they remained enrolled into the fall.

Only include levels that you indicated were offered in the IC survey component. If you made an error in IC, please remember to fix the error next year.

The ‘Sex unknown’ category will be determined by subtracting (men + women + another gender) from the Total.  

 

Is your institution able to report another gender for the Fall 2024? If you indicate ‘No, my institution is not able to report another gender,’ leave the cells in the rows for ‘Another gender’ blank (i.e., do not report 0). If you indicate ‘No, some cells will have a value of less than 5 students,’ your institution collects data on another gender, but some cells will have a value of less than 5 students, do not report the data and leave the cells in the rows for ‘Another gender’ blank. If you indicate ‘Yes’, but no students identified as another gender, please enter ‘0’. 

Is your institution able to report another gender?
RB	No, my institution is not able to report another gender (do not report)
RB	No, some cells will have a value of less than 5 students (do not report)
RB	Yes

	Men	Women	Another gender	Total	Gender Sex Unknown
Number of applicants	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV
Number of admissions	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV
Number (of admitted) that enrolled full-time	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV
Number (of admitted) that enrolled part-time	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV
Total enrolled full-time and part-time	CV	CV	CV	CV	CV
Percent of admissions enrolled full-time and part-time	CV	CV	CV	CV	CV

You may use the box below to provide additional context for the data you have reported above. Context notes will be posted on the College Navigator website. Therefore, you should write all context notes using proper grammar (e.g., complete sentences with punctuation) and common language that can be easily understood by students and parents (e.g., spell out acronyms).

Selection Process - Test Scores

3. Provide data for all students for whom a test score was used in the admissions decision for Fall 2024. Include new students admitted the summer prior to Fall 2024. If you report less than 5 students for any of the scores, do not report percentiles.

Institutions that use test scores for some students report the number of students for whom test scores were used.

	Number of enrolled students for whom an SAT score was used in the admissions decision	RV
	Percent of enrolled students for whom an SAT score was used in the admissions decision	RV
	Number of enrolled students for whom an ACT score was used in the admissions decision	RV
	Percent of enrolled students for whom an ACT score was used in the admissions decision	RV

Report the scores used in the admission decision, whether test scores are required or are only considered for admission. If you report less than 5 students for any of the scores, do not report percentiles.

Institutions that use test scores for some students report the percentile scores for the students for whom test scores were used.

		25th percentile	50th percentile (median)	75th percentile
	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing	RV	RV	RV
	SAT Math	RV	RV	RV
	ACT Composite	RV	RV	RV
	ACT English	RV	RV	RV
	ACT Math	RV	RV	RV

You may use the box below to provide additional context for the data you have reported above. Context notes will be posted on the College Navigator website. Therefore, you should write all context notes using proper grammar (e.g., complete sentences with punctuation) and common language that can be easily understood by students and parents (e.g., spell out acronyms).

OPEN ENTRY CONTEXT BOX

(no longer applicable)

Admissions Instructions 2024-25

Purpose of Admissions Survey

Changes in Reporting

General Instructions

Reporting Period for Admissions

Context Boxes

Coverage

Where to Get Help

Where the Data Will Appear

Reporting Directions

Purpose of Survey

The primary purpose of the IPEDS Admissions (ADM) component is to collect basic information about the undergraduate selection process for entering first-time, degree/certificate-seeking students in the fall term. This includes information about admissions considerations, admissions yields, and SAT and ACT test scores (if test scores are used in admissions decisions). The ADM survey component is collected only from institutions that do not have an open admissions policy for all or most entering first-time students, which is captured on the IC survey component.

Changes in reporting

The following changes were implemented for the 2024-25 data collection period: 

• Revised the Gender Unknown or Another Gender than Provided Categories questions for clarity.

• Added notes at top of considerations page to clarify reporting.  

• Added clarification of term ‘Considered’ in the instructions. 

• Clarified FAQ #12 related to reporting of legacy status. 

General Instructions

Reporting period covered

Institutions operating on a traditional academic year calendar (semester, trimester, quarter, or 4-1-4) report admissions data:

• For applicants and admitted students: Include all students who applied for enrollment or were admitted if they would have been considered first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students as of the institution's official fall reporting date, or October 15.

• For admitted students who enrolled: Include all students who were considered first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students as of the institution's official fall reporting date, or October 15.

Institutions operating on a calendar that differs by program or that enrolls students on a continuous basis (referred to as program reporters) report admissions data:

• For applicants and admitted students: Include all students who applied for enrollment or were admitted if they would have been considered first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students any time during the period of August 1 through October 31.

• For admitted students who enrolled: Include all students who were considered first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students any time during the period of August 1 through October 31.

Context Boxes

Context boxes are provided to allow institutions to provide more information regarding survey component items. Note that some context boxes are posted on the College Navigator website, which is the college search tool offered by NCES. NCES will review entries in these context boxes for applicability and appropriateness before posting them on the College Navigator website; institutions should check grammar and spelling of their entries.

Coverage

ADM is only applicable to first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students; do not include other students in the number of applicants, number of admits, and number (of admitted) that enrolled.

For the number (of admitted) that enrolled, include all students enrolled for credit after the official drop date. Exclude students who are not enrolled for credit.

For example, exclude:

• Students enrolled exclusively in courses that cannot be applied towards a recognized postsecondary credential

• Students enrolled only in ESL programs (programs comprised exclusively of ESL courses)

• Students enrolled exclusively in Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

• Students exclusively auditing classes

• Any student studying abroad (e.g., at a foreign university) if their enrollment at the 'home' institution serves as an administrative record

• Students enrolled in any branch campus located in a foreign country.

Only include levels (full-time, part-time) that you indicated were offered in the IC. If you made an error in the IC, please call the IPEDS Help Desk and correct your error.

Where to Get Help with Reporting

IPEDS Help Desk

Phone: (877) 225-2568
E-mail: ipedshelp@rti.org

Web Tutorials

You can consult the IPEDS website's Trainings & Outreach page which contains several tutorials on IPEDS data collection, a self-paced overview of IPEDS tools, and other valuable resources.

IPEDS Resource Page

The IPEDS website's Reporting Tools page contains frequently asked questions, a link to data tip sheets, tutorials, taxonomies, information centers (e.g., academic libraries, average net price, human resources, race/ethnicity, etc.), and other valuable information.

Where the Reported Data Will Appear

Data collected through IPEDS will be accessible at the institution and aggregate levels.

At the institution-level, data will appear in the:

• College Navigator website

• IPEDS Use the Data portal

• IPEDS Data Feedback Reports

• College Affordability and Transparency Center website

At the aggregate-level, data will appear in:

• IPEDS Data Explorer

• IPEDS Data Feedback Reports

• The Digest of Education Statistics

• The Condition of Education

Reporting Directions

Admission considerations

Select the option that best describes how your institution used any of the following data in its selection process for the Fall 2024 first-time student cohort. (If your institution has changed its admissions considerations for the next year’s first-time student cohort, you may indicate such changes in the context box immediately following this section).

Admission Considerations:

• Secondary school GPA

• Secondary school rank

• Secondary school record

• Completion of college-preparatory program

• Recommendations

• Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)

• Work experience

• Personal statement or Essay

• Legacy status

• Admission test scores

  • SAT/ACT

  • Other test (ATB, Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)

  • English Proficiency Test (for applicable students)

Options for how Considerations are used in admissions decisions:

• Required to be considered for admission (not applicable for legacy status)

• Not required for admission, but considered if submitted

  • For test scores, test optional institutions should select this option

• Not considered for admission, even if submitted

  • For test scores, test blind institutions should select this option

Considered means that an institution includes an item in the admission materials that are reviewed by admissions officers during the review process and the item may factor into a decision for admission.

Note: If ATB, Wonderlic, WISC-III (or similar) test is the only requirement other than a diploma or equivalent, and few students are not admitted due to this test, please call the IPEDS Help Desk so that your response to the screening question for this component can be corrected.

Selection Process

Applicants/admitted/enrolled students

Provide the number of men, women, another gender, and total first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students who applied, who were admitted, and who enrolled (either full- or part-time) at your institution for Fall 2024. Include information for all first-time students for whom admissions criteria (other than a school diploma) were required. If your institution is not able to report another gender, please select 'No', my institution is not able to report another gender' to the question and leave the cells in the 'Another gender' row blank (do not input 0s). If you institution collects data on another gender, but some cells will have a value of less than 5 students, please select 'No, some cells will have a value of less than 5 students,' do not report the data and leave the cells in the rows for 'Another gender' blank. If you indicate 'Yes', but no students identified as another gender, please enter '0' in the appropriate row(s).

Since the total may include students who did not provide sex data, the detail need not sum to the total.

You should not report admissions data for any level that you did not report as an offering on the Enrollment levels question in Institutional Characteristics survey component. For example, if you indicated that you do not enroll part-time, first-time students leave those boxes blank.

Number of applicants

Applicants should include only those students who fulfilled all requirements for consideration for admission and who have been notified of one of the following actions: admission, non-admission, placement on a wait list, or application withdrawn (by applicant or institution). Admitted applicants (admissions) should include wait-listed students who were subsequently offered admission.

Number of admissions

Include all students who were offered admission to your institution. This would include:

• early decision students who were notified of an admissions decision prior to the regular notification date and who agreed to accept;

• early action students who were notified of an admission decision prior to the regular notification date with no commitment to accept; and

• admitted students who began studies during the summer prior to Fall 2024.

Number (of admitted) that enrolled

Remember that this question is only applicable to first-time students; do not include other students in these totals. Include students enrolled in the fall term who attended college for the first time in the prior summer session. Also include students who entered with advanced standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school).

Selection process

Test scores

If test scores are required for admission for first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students, provide the number and percentage of enrolled students submitting SAT and/or ACT scores, as well as the 25th, 50th (median), and 75th percentile scores for each test. If you report less than 5 students for any of the scores, do not report percentiles.

Number and percent of enrolled students that submitted test scores

Provide data for Fall 2024. Include information for ALL enrolled, degree/certificate-seeking, first-time (freshman) students for whom test scores were required. Include new students admitted the summer prior to Fall 2024.

Test Scores

Provide data for Fall 2024. Report the scores used in the admission decision, whether test scores are required or are only considered for admission. If you report less than 5 students for any of the scores, do not report percentiles. Institutions that use test scores for some students report the percentile scores for the students for whom test scores were used.

• If students submitted both SAT and ACT scores, but only SAT scores were considered for admission, only report the SAT scores (and vice versa).

• If students submitted both SAT and ACT scores, and both SAT and ACT scores were considered for admission, report both scores.

• If a student submitted two sets of scores for a single test, report this information according to how you use the data. For example:

  • If you consider the highest scores from either submission, use the highest combination of scores (e.g., verbal from one submission, math from the other).

  • If you average the scores, use the average to report the scores.

SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and math scores should be reported based on the (2016) SAT score range 200-800. Institutions that have scores based on the old (2015) SAT score range should convert scores using the College Board concordance tables (more information about converting scores using concordance tables is available at https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/educators/higher-ed/scoring-changes/concordance).

Do not convert test scores (e.g., do NOT convert an ACT score into a SAT score); scores must be reported separately.

Do not include partial test scores (e.g., mathematics scores but not verbal scores for a category of students) or combine other standardized test results (such as TOEFL) in this item.

Do not report scores if you cannot convert from old score to new score using the concordance tables.

(no longer applicable)

Admissions FAQs 2024-25

General

1)

When reporting admitted students, do I include early admits?

Yes, include all students who were offered admission to your institution. This would include early decision students who were notified of an admission decision prior to the regular notification date and who agreed to accept; early action students who were notified of an admission decision prior to the regular notification date with no commitment to accept; and the admitted students who began studies during the summer prior to the fall reporting period.

2)

Why can’t I report Admissions data for transfer students?

Admissions requirements for transfer students are often different from the requirements for first-time students. In order to make the data useful to students, it is important that you not report data for transfer students. 

3)

What do I do about students that were considered for admission, even though they did not submit all application materials?

Institutions should report applicants based on the IPEDS glossary definition. If an institution’s formal application review process considers students for admission, even in the event when not all application materials are submitted, and a formal admission decision is made based on the information provided (e.g., admitted, not admitted, waitlisted), students can be included in the reported applicant count. If a student is automatically not admitted because they do not submit all application materials (i.e., an incomplete application file does not allow a student to be considered for admission), the student should not be included in the applicant count.

Institutions are reminded that reporting data accurately to IPEDS is statutorily mandated. Artificially inflating the number of applicants by counting students who are not given full consideration for admission because they do not submit all application materials is an example of not reporting accurately to IPEDS.

4)

Some students send us both ACT and SAT scores. How should we report the data for these students?

Report both scores to IPEDS. This may mean that the total number of students reported in test scores is greater than the total number of admitted students.

5)

My institution does not use ACT scores for admission, so if a student submits an ACT score we convert it to an SAT score. Can I report that converted score to IPEDS so that it doesn’t look like we accept ACT scores?

No. There is no approved methodology for converting test scores, so any conversion would render the data unusable.

6)

How do I report to IPEDS when my institution uses the highest of multiple test scores to evaluate students for admission?

Report to IPEDS the test score that is used to make the admissions decision. This may include a mix of scores from tests taken at different times. 

7)

How do I report to IPEDS when my institution averages multiple test scores to evaluate students for admission?

Report to IPEDS the averaged test score that is used to make the admissions decision.

8)

How do I report English Proficiency Test or other standardized test scores (other than ACT and SAT)?

For IPEDS purposes, English Proficiency Test scores and other standardized test scores (other than ACT and SAT) are not reported. 

9)

Should my institution, which is participating as a U.S. Department of Education experimental site, include experimental site participants in IPEDS Admissions (ADM)?

No, exclude experimental site participants from reporting.

10)

How do I treat students who enrolled in the summer prior to fall enrollment?

The ADM survey component collects enrollment counts for first-time students in the fall term, which consists mostly of recent high school graduates. Report first-time students, even if they have prior summer session enrollment preceding the fall term or prior dual enrollment while in high school, in the ADM survey component as they are considered first-time for IPEDS reporting purposes. Note that ADM enrollment counts should closely mirror the first-time enrollment counts captured in the Fall Enrollment (EF) survey component.

11)

How should I report admissions considerations if my institution has a “test-optional” or “test-blind” admission policy?

If your institution has a test-optional admission policy (i.e., applicants for admission may decide whether to submit standardized test scores and they may be admitted with or without submitting such scores), select the “Not required for admission, but considered if submitted” option for the “SAT/ACT” consideration in Section 1 (Admissions Considerations).

If your institution has a test-blind admission policy (i.e., test scores are not considered in admissions decisions, even if an applicant submits test scores), select the “Not considered for admission, even if submitted” option for the “SAT/ACT” consideration in Section 1 (Admissions Considerations).

12)

How should I report for the ‘legacy status’ admissions consideration?

If your institution includes the answer to any application questions about where relatives of an applicant completed college in the materials that admissions offices review in making admissions decisions, considers legacy status in making admissions decisions, select “Not required for admission, but considered if submitted.” If your institution does not consider legacy status (or it is not applicable to your institution), select “Not considered for admission, even if submitted.” Considered means that an institution includes an item in the package that is reviewed by admissions officers during the review process and the item may factor into a decision for admission.

13)

Which students should be included in ‘another gender’?

Students who self-identify as having a single binary gender identity (i.e., men or woman) should be reported in the appropriate binary gender category. Students who self-identify as having a gender identity that does not fall into either of the mutually exclusive binary categories provided (i.e., men or women) should be reported in the “another gender” category. Institutions are not limited to the options available for IPEDS reporting purposes and should determine the best way for their institution to collect and aggregate this information.
For some students, it may be challenging to place them in either a binary category or another gender. For example, for students that indicate they are transgender and provide a binary gender, institutions may ask the student whether they identify as transgender or as the binary gender they selected. If they identify as transgender, they would be reported in another gender. If they identify as a binary gender, they should be placed in the appropriate binary gender category.

14)

Which students should be included in ‘gender unknown’?

Institutions should report all students who do not self-report a gender (i.e., missing data) as ‘gender unknown’. 
Students that selected a binary gender or another gender than the binary ‘men’ and ‘women’ category should not be included in gender unknown.

15)

Should our institution resurvey students if we previously only collected binary gender categories?

Institutions can resurvey students so that they can report an accurate number of students in the ‘another gender’ category. Institutions that cannot report the ‘another gender’ category can indicate they are not able to report these students using the radio buttons at the top of the screen. It is expected that institutions should be able to provide a count of ‘gender unknown’.

16)

Our institution uses the Common App to identify student gender, and the Common App only collected male and female. How should we report gender?

Currently, the Common App only allows students to select male or female. Starting with the 2023-24 application cycle, the Common App will also allow ‘Gender X or another legal sex’ (more information can be found at https://www.commonapp.org/blog/common-app-update-gender-identity-questions-college-application). Institutions can resurvey students or indicate that they cannot currently report ‘another gender’.

17)

Should incarcerated students be included in ADM reporting?

Include all first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students.

Admissions Screens 2025-26 through 2026-27

Overview

Admissions Overview

Welcome to the IPEDS Admissions (ADM) survey component. The primary purpose of ADM is to collect basic information about the undergraduate selection process for entering students in the fall term. This includes information about admissions policies and considerations, admissions yields, and SAT and ACT test scores (if test scores are used in admissions decisions).

Data Reporting Reminders:

• Report data to accurately reflect the time period corresponding with the IPEDS survey component, even if such reporting is seemingly inconsistent with prior-year reporting.

• Institutions operating on a traditional academic year calendar (semester, trimester, quarter, or 4-1-4) report admissions as of the institution's official fall reporting date or October 15. Institutions operating on an "other academic calendar”, a calendar that differs by program, or that enrolls students on a continuous basis (referred to as program reporters) report admissions as students who enroll any time during the period of August 1 through October 31.

Changes in reporting:

The following changes were implemented for the 2025-26 data collection period:

• Added Part A – Screening Questions

• Expanded Part B to collect admissions considerations information for transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking students at institutions that do not have an open admission policy and for students in program(s) with admissions requirements at institutions that are primarily open admission but have at least one program that is not open admission (if applicable).

• Added two admissions considerations for transfer-in students in Part B (if applicable).

• Expanded Part C to collect applicants, admits, and enrolled counts for transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking students at institutions that do not have an open admission policy and for students in program(s) with admissions requirements at institutions that are primarily open admission but have at least one program that is not open admission (if applicable).

• Expanded Part C to disaggregate applicants, admits, and enrolled counts by race/ethnicity and full-time/part-time enrollment status.

• Expanded Part D to collect test score information for transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking students at institutions that do not have an open admission policy (if applicable).

• Added Part E – Waitlist, Early Decision, and Early Action (if applicable).

If you have questions about completing this survey, please contact the IPEDS Help Desk at 1-877-225-2568.

Part A. Screening Questions

1. For the Fall 2025 admission cycle, did your institution have an open admission policy under which virtually all students that completed a high school diploma (or received a GED/other equivalent) were admitted for all or most entering undergraduate-level programs? Institutions that require only an Ability to Benefit (ATB) or similar test beyond the high school diploma/equivalent, and only reject a very small number of students based on the test, are also considered open admission. If your institution has one or more programs with admissions requirements, you should select ‘no’ to this question.
Data reported to the Admissions survey component will vary based on response to this question.
RB	Yes, all undergraduate-level programs at the institution are open admission.
RB	No, all or nearly all undergraduate-level programs at the institution have admission requirements (i.e., all or nearly all entering students are evaluated against admission criteria to be granted admission to the institution).
RB	No, only one or a few undergraduate-level programs at the institution have admission requirements (i.e., all or nearly all programs are open admission; only students applying to a limited number of programs are evaluated against admission criteria to be granted admission to the institution).

2. Does your institution use an Ability to Benefit (ATB) or similar test beyond the high school diploma/equivalent? [Open Admission institutions only]

RB	Yes, please indicate test(s) used.
	CB	Wonderlic Basic Skills Test (WBST)
	CB	Combined English Language Skills Assessment (CELSA)
	CB	ACCUPLACER
	CB	Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS)
	CB	Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Assessment
	CB	Other
RB	No

3. For which entering degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate student type(s) does your institution have admissions requirements? [Institutions that are not open admission]

	CB	First-time students
	CB	Transfer-in students

4. If your institution has admission requirements for both first-time students and transfer-in students, are these requirements the same? [Institutions that are not open admission; if applicable based on Question #3]

RB	Yes
RB	No

5. Did your institution enroll first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students in Fall 2025? If no, you will not report admissions data for first-time students. [Institutions that are not open admission; if applicable based on Question #3]

RB	Yes
RB	No

6. Did your institution enroll transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students in Fall 2025? If no, you will not report admissions data for transfer-in students. [Institutions that are not open admission; if applicable based on Question #3]

RB	Yes
	CB	Students may transfer credits earned from coursework completed at another postsecondary institution (e.g., college, university).
	CB	Students must complete a minimum number of credit or clock hours to enter as a transfer-in student.
		Report the minimum number of credit or clock hours	RV	RB	Credit hours
				RB	Clock hours
RB	No

Part B. Admissions Considerations [Institutions that are not open admission]

Select the option that best describes how your institution used any of the following data in its selection process for the Fall 2025 student cohorts indicated. The options are:

• Required to be considered for admission (not applicable for legacy status)

• Not required for admission, but considered if submitted

• Not considered for admission, even if submitted

Considered means that an institution includes an item in the package that is reviewed by admissions officers during the review process and the item may factor into a decision for admission.

Screen below will show for each applicable student type (based on responses to screening questions).

• First-time students [institutions that indicate they have admission criteria for first-time students and enrolled first-time students during reporting period]

• Transfer-in students [institutions that indicate they have admission criteria for transfer-in students and enrolled transfer-in students during reporting period]

Applicable student type [First-time students, Transfer-in students]
Admission Considerations	Required to be considered for admission	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted	Not considered for admission, even if submitted
Secondary school GPA	RB	RB	RB
Secondary school rank	RB	RB	RB
Secondary school record	RB	RB	RB
Completion of college-preparatory program	RB	RB	RB
College/other postsecondary GPA [transfer-in students only]	RB	RB	RB
College/other postsecondary transcripts [transfer-in students only]	RB	RB	RB
Recommendations	RB	RB	RB
Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)	RB	RB	RB
Work experience	RB	RB	RB
Personal statement or essay	RB	RB	RB
Legacy status	N/A	RB	RB
Admission test scores Select options based on whether scores are required for admissions, not placement once admitted.	Required to be considered for admission	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)
SAT/ACT	RB	RB	RB
Other Test (ATB, Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.) Note: If this is the only requirement other than a diploma or equivalent, and few students are not admitted due to this test, your institution is open admission. Please contact the Help Desk to correct your response to this question.	RB	RB	RB
English Proficiency Test (for applicable students)	RB	RB	RB

You may use the box below to provide additional context for the data you have reported above. Context notes will be posted on the College Navigator website. Therefore, you should write all context notes using proper grammar (e.g., complete sentences with punctuation) and common language that can be easily understood by students and parents (e.g., spell out acronyms).

OPEN ENTRY CONTEXT BOX

Part C. Applicants, Admits, and Enrolled

Provide the number of first-time and/or transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students who applied, who were admitted, and who enrolled (either full- or part-time) at your institution in Fall 2025. Include early decision, early action, and students who began studies during the summer prior to Fall 2025.

Report admitted students who enrolled in the summer ONLY IF they remained enrolled into the fall.

Only include levels that you indicated were offered in the IC survey component. If you made an error in IC, please remember to fix the error next year.

The ‘sex unknown’ category will be determined by subtracting (men + women) from the Total.  

Screen below will show for each applicable student type (based on responses to screening questions).

• First-time students [institutions that indicate they have admission criteria for first-time students and enrolled first-time students during reporting period]

• Transfer students [institutions that indicate they have admission criteria for transfer-in students and enrolled transfer-in students during reporting period]

Women (Include ‘sex unknown’ students allocated to this category)

	Applicable student type [First-time students, Transfer-in students]
	Applicants	Admits	Enrolled
			Full-time	Part-time	Total enrolled	Percent enrolled
U.S. Nonresident	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Hispanic/Latino	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
American Indian or Alaska Native	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Asian	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Black or African American	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
White	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Two or More Races	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Race and Ethnicity Unknown	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Total women	CV	CV	CV	CV	CV	CV
Total women prior year	PY	PY	PY	PY	PY	PY

Men (Include and ‘sex unknown’ students allocated to this category)

	Applicable student type [First-time students, Transfer-in students]
	Applicants	Admits	Enrolled
			Full-time	Part-time	Total enrolled	Percent enrolled
U.S. Nonresident	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Hispanic/Latino	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
American Indian or Alaska Native	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Asian	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Black or African American	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
White	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Two or More Races	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Race and Ethnicity Unknown	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Total men	CV	CV	CV	CV	CV	CV
Total men prior year	PY	PY	PY	PY	PY	PY

Total

	Applicable student type [First-time students, Transfer-in students]
	Applicants	Admits	Enrolled
			Full-time	Part-time	Total enrolled	Percent enrolled
U.S. Nonresident	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Hispanic/Latino	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
American Indian or Alaska Native	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Asian	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Black or African American	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
White	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Two or More Races	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Race and Ethnicity Unknown	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Total	CV	CV	CV	CV	CV	CV
Total	PY	PY	PY	PY	PY	PY

Sex

	Applicable student type [First-time students, Transfer-in students]
	Applicants	Admits	Enrolled
			Full-time	Part-time	Total enrolled	Percent enrolled
Sex unknown (i.e. sex information is not known or not collected)	RV	RV	RV	RV	CV	CV
Total of Sex unknown prior year	PY	PY	PY	PY	PY	PY

Part D. Test Scores

Provide data for all students for whom a test score was used in the admissions decision for Fall 2025. Include entering students admitted the summer prior to Fall 2025. If you report less than 5 students for any of the scores, do not report percentiles.

Institutions that use test scores for admissions decisions for some students report the number of students for whom test scores were used.

Screen below will show for each applicable student type (based on responses to screening questions).

• First-time students

• Transfer-in students

First-time students		Number of students
	Number of enrolled first-time students for whom an SAT score was used in the admissions decision	RV
	Percent of enrolled first-time students for whom an SAT score was used in the admissions decision	CV
	Number of enrolled first-time students for whom an ACT score was used in the admissions decision	RV
	Percent of enrolled first-time students for whom an ACT score was used in the admissions decision	CV
Transfer-in students
	Number of enrolled transfer-in students for whom an SAT score was used in the admissions decision	RV
	Percent of enrolled transfer-in students for whom an SAT score was used in the admissions decision	CV
	Number of enrolled transfer-in students for whom an ACT score was used in the admissions decision	RV
	Percent of enrolled transfer-in students for whom an ACT score was used in the admissions decision	CV

Report the scores used in the admission decision, whether test scores are required or are only considered for admission. If you report less than 5 students for any of the scores, do not report percentiles.

Institutions that use test scores for admissions decisions for some students report the percentile scores for the students for whom test scores were used.

First-time students		25th percentile	50th percentile (median)	75th percentile
SAT
	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing	RV	RV	RV
	SAT Math	RV	RV	RV
ACT
	ACT Composite	RV	RV	RV
	ACT English	RV	RV	RV
	ACT Math	RV	RV	RV
Transfer-in students
SAT
	SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing	RV	RV	RV
	SAT Math	RV	RV	RV
ACT
	ACT Composite	RV	RV	RV
	ACT English	RV	RV	RV
	ACT Math	RV	RV	RV

You may use the box below to provide additional context for the data you have reported above. Context notes will be posted on the College Navigator website. Therefore, you should write all context notes using proper grammar (e.g., complete sentences with punctuation) and common language that can be easily understood by students and parents (e.g., spell out acronyms).

OPEN ENTRY CONTEXT BOX

Part E. Waitlist, Early Decision, and Early Action [institutions that indicate they have admission criteria for first-time students and enrolled first-time students during reporting period]

Waitlist

For Fall 2025, did your institution maintain a waitlist for first-time students? A waitlist is a list of applicants who met admission requirements but were only to be admitted if space became available. [Applicable to first-time students at institutions that are not open admission]

RB	Yes. If so, check below if your waitlist is ranked.
	CB	Waitlist is ranked. Indicate whether students are notified of their place on the list, as well as the number of applicants placed on the listed and admitted, accepted, and enrolled.
		RB	Students are notified of their place on the list.
		RB	Students are NOT notified of their place on the list.
		Number of applicants placed on waiting list		RV
		Number of applicants from waiting list admitted		RV
		Number of applicants from waiting list that accepted		RV
		Number of applicants from waiting list that enrolled		RV
RB	No

Early Decision

For Fall 2025, did your institution permit first-time students to apply and be notified of an admission decision in advance of the regular notification date if the student commits to attending if accepted (Early Decision)? [Applicable to first-time students at institutions that are not open admission]

RB	Yes
	Number of applicants received for Early Decision	RV
	Number of applicants admitted for Early Decision	RV
	Number of applicants admitted for Early Decision that subsequently enrolled	RV
RB	No

Early Action

For Fall 2025, did your institution permit first-time students to apply and be notified of an admission decision in advance of the regular notification date that did not require the student to commit to attending if accepted (Early Action)? [Applicable to first-time students at institutions that are not open admission]

RB	Yes
	Number of applicants received for Early Action	RV
	Number of applicants admitted for Early Action	RV
	Number of applicants admitted for Early Action that subsequently enrolled	RV
RB	No

Admissions Instructions 2025-26 through 2026-27

Purpose of Admissions Survey

Changes in Reporting

General Instructions

Reporting Period for Admissions

Context Boxes

Coverage

Where to Get Help

Where the Data Will Appear

Reporting Directions

Purpose of Survey

The primary purpose of the IPEDS Admissions (ADM) component is to collect basic information about the undergraduate selection process for entering students in the fall term. This includes information about admissions policies and considerations, admissions yields, and SAT and ACT test scores (if test scores are used in admissions decisions). The ADM survey component is collected only from institutions that do not have an open admissions policy for all or most entering students, which is captured on the IC survey component.

Changes in reporting

The following changes were implemented for the 2025-26 data collection period:

• Added Part A – Screening Questions

• Expanded Part B to collect admissions considerations information for transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking students at institutions that do not have an open admission policy and for students in program(s) with admissions requirements at institutions that are primarily open admission but have at least one program that is not open admission (if applicable).

• Added two admissions considerations for transfer-in students in Part B (if applicable).

• Expanded Part C to collect applicants, admits, and enrolled counts for transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking students at institutions that do not have an open admission policy and for students in program(s) with admissions requirements at institutions that are primarily open admission but have at least one program that is not open admission (if applicable).

• Expanded Part C to disaggregate applicants, admits, and enrolled counts by race/ethnicity and full-time/part-time enrollment status.

• Expanded Part D to collect test score information for transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking students at institutions that do not have an open admission policy (if applicable).

• Added Part E – Waitlist, Early Decision, and Early Action (if applicable).

• Revised “gender” to “sex” where applicable.

• Removed question collecting student headcounts of Another Gender.

General Instructions

Reporting period covered

Institutions operating on a traditional academic year calendar (semester, trimester, quarter, or 4-1-4) report admissions data:

• For applicants and admitted students: Include all students who applied for enrollment or were admitted if they would have been considered first-time and/or transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students as of the institution's official fall reporting date, or October 15.

• For admitted students who enrolled: Include all students who were considered first-time and/or transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students as of the institution's official fall reporting date, or October 15.

Institutions operating on a calendar that differs by program or that enrolls students on a continuous basis (referred to as program reporters) report admissions data:

• For applicants and admitted students: Include all students who applied for enrollment or were admitted if they would have been considered first-time and/or transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students any time during the period of August 1 through October 31.

• For admitted students who enrolled: Include all students who were considered first-time and/or transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students any time during the period of August 1 through October 31.

Context Boxes

Context boxes are provided to allow institutions to provide more information regarding survey component items. Note that some context boxes are posted on the College Navigator website, which is the college search tool offered by NCES. NCES will review entries in these context boxes for applicability and appropriateness before posting them on the College Navigator website; institutions should check grammar and spelling of their entries.

Coverage

ADM is only applicable to entering first-time and transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students who were evaluated against admission criteria to be granted admission to the institution.

• For institutions at which all or nearly all undergraduate-level programs at the institution have admission requirements, the ADM survey component reflects all or nearly all entering first-time and transfer-in students who applied for Fall 2025 admission.

• For institutions at which only one or a few undergraduate-level programs at the institution have admission requirements, the ADM survey component reflects only the subset of first-time and transfer-in students applying to the limited number of programs that have admission requirements (i.e., applicants to programs that are not open admission).

For the number (of admitted) that enrolled, include all students enrolled for credit after the official drop date. Exclude students who are not enrolled for credit.

For example, exclude:

• Students enrolled exclusively in courses that cannot be applied towards a recognized postsecondary credential

• Students enrolled only in ESL programs (programs comprised exclusively of ESL courses)

• Students enrolled exclusively in Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

• Students exclusively auditing classes

• Any student studying abroad (e.g., at a foreign university) if their enrollment at the 'home' institution serves as an administrative record

• Students enrolled in any branch campus located in a foreign country.

Only include levels (full-time, part-time) that you indicated were offered in the IC. If you made an error in the IC, please call the IPEDS Help Desk and correct your error.

Where to Get Help with Reporting

IPEDS Help Desk

Phone: (877) 225-2568
E-mail: ipedshelp@rti.org

Web Tutorials

You can consult the IPEDS website's Trainings & Outreach page which contains several tutorials on IPEDS data collection, a self-paced overview of IPEDS tools, and other valuable resources.

IPEDS Resource Page

The IPEDS website's Reporting Tools page contains frequently asked questions, a link to data tip sheets, tutorials, taxonomies, information centers (e.g., academic libraries, average net price, human resources, race/ethnicity, etc.), and other valuable information.

Where the Reported Data Will Appear

Data collected through IPEDS will be accessible at the institution and aggregate levels.

At the institution-level, data will appear in the:

• College Navigator website

• IPEDS Use the Data portal

• IPEDS Data Feedback Reports

• College Affordability and Transparency Center website

At the aggregate-level, data will appear in:

• IPEDS Data Explorer

• IPEDS Data Feedback Reports

• The Digest of Education Statistics

• The Condition of Education

Reporting Directions

Part A. Screening Questions

1. Indicate ‘Yes, all programs at the institution are open admission,’ if your institution had an open admission policy for virtually all students that completed a high school diploma (or received a GED/other equivalent) and were admitted for all or most entering undergraduate-level programs. Institutions that require only an Ability to Benefit (ATB) or similar test beyond the high school diploma/equivalent, and only reject a very small number of students based on the test, are also considered open admission. If your institution has one or more programs with admission requirements, you should select ‘No, at least one program at the institution is not open admission. The questions in the survey component will vary based on your response to this question.

2. [Applicable to Open Admission institutions only] Indicate whether your institution use an Ability to Benefit (ATB) or similar test beyond the high school diploma/equivalent. If ‘Yes,’ check all tests that apply and/or ‘Other.’

3. [Applicable to Non-Open Admission institutions only] Indicate whether your institution has admissions requirements for first-time entering degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students and/or transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students.

4. [Applicable to Non-Open Admission institutions only] If your institution has admission requirements for both first-time and transfer-in students, indicate whether the admissions requirements are the same.

5. [Applicable to Non-Open Admission institutions only] Indicate whether your institution has admissions requirements for first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students and your institutions enrolled these students in Fall 2025. If so, you will report admissions data on first-time students.

6. [Applicable to Non-Open Admission institutions only] If your institution has admissions requirements for transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students and your institutions enrolled these students in Fall 2025, you will need to indicate whether ‘Students may transfer credits earned from coursework completed at another postsecondary institution’ and/or ‘Students must complete a minimum number of credit or clock hours to enter as a transfer-in student.’ If you selected that ‘Students must complete a minimum number of credit or clock hours to enter as a transfer-in student,’ you will need to report the minimum number of credit or clock hours. If you indicated that your institution did not enroll transfer-in students, you will not report admissions data for transfer-in students.

Part B. Admission considerations

Select the option that best describes how your institution used any of the following data in its selection process for the Fall 2025 student cohort.

Admission Considerations for First-time Students [Applicable to Non-Open Admission institutions only]:

• Secondary school GPA

• Secondary school rank

• Secondary school record

• Completion of college-preparatory program

• Recommendations

• Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)

• Work experience

• Personal statement or Essay

• Legacy status

• Admission test scores

  • SAT/ACT

  • Other test (ATB, Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)

  • English Proficiency Test (for applicable students)

Options for how Considerations are used in admissions decisions:

• Required to be considered for admission (not applicable for legacy status)

• Not required for admission, but considered if submitted

  • For test scores, test optional institutions should select this option

• Not considered for admission, even if submitted

  • For test scores, test blind institutions should select this option

Considered means that an institution includes an item in the package that is reviewed by admissions officers during the review process and the item may factor into a decision for admission.

Note: If ATB, Wonderlic, WISC-III (or similar) test is the only requirement other than a diploma or equivalent, and few students are not admitted due to this test, please call the IPEDS Help Desk so that your response to the screening question for this component can be corrected.

Admission Considerations for Transfer-in Students [Applicable to Non-Open Admission institutions only]:

• Secondary school GPA

• Secondary school rank

• Secondary school record

• Completion of college-preparatory program

• College/other postsecondary GPA

• College/other postsecondary transcripts

• Recommendations

• Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certificates of mastery, assessment instruments)

• Work experience

• Personal statement or Essay

• Legacy status

• Admission test scores

  • SAT/ACT

  • Other test (ATB, Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)

  • English Proficiency Test (for applicable students)

Options for how Considerations are used in admissions decisions:

• Required to be considered for admission (not applicable for legacy status)

• Not required for admission, but considered if submitted

  • For test scores, test optional institutions should select this option

• Not considered for admission, even if submitted

  • For test scores, test blind institutions should select this option

Considered means that an institution includes an item in the package that is reviewed by admissions officers during the review process and the item may factor into a decision for admission.

Note: If ATB, Wonderlic, WISC-III (or similar) test is the only requirement other than a diploma or equivalent, and few students are not admitted due to this test, please call the IPEDS Help Desk so that your response to the screening question for this component can be corrected.

Part C. Applicants, Admits, and Enrolled

Provide the number of men, women, and total first-time and/or transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students who applied, who were admitted, and who enrolled (either full- or part-time) at your institution for Fall 2025. Report admitted students who enrolled in the summer ONLY IF they remained enrolled into the fall.

The sex unknown category will be calculated by subtracting provided counts for ‘Men’ and ‘Women,’ from the total.

You should not report admissions data for any level that you did not report as an offering on the Enrollment levels question in Institutional Characteristics survey component. For example, if you indicated that you do not enroll part-time, first-time students leave those boxes blank.

Number of applicants

Applicants should include only those students who fulfilled all requirements for consideration for admission and who have been notified of one of the following actions: admission, non-admission, placement on a wait list, or application withdrawn (by applicant or institution). Admitted applicants (admissions) should include wait-listed students who were subsequently offered admission.

Number of admissions

Include all students who were offered admission to your institution. This would include:

• early decision students who were notified of an admissions decision prior to the regular notification date and who agreed to accept;

• early action students who were notified of an admission decision prior to the regular notification date with no commitment to accept; and

• admitted students who began studies during the summer prior to Fall 2025.

Number (of admitted) that enrolled

Include students enrolled in the fall term who attended college for the first time in the prior summer session. Also include students who entered with advanced standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school).

Part D. Test Scores

If test scores are required for admission for first-time and/or transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students, provide the number and percentage of enrolled students submitting SAT and/or ACT scores, as well as the 25th, 50th (median), and 75th percentile scores for each test. If you report less than 5 students for any of the scores, do not report percentiles.

Number and percent of enrolled students that submitted test scores

Provide data for Fall 2025. Include information for ALL enrolled, degree/certificate-seeking, first-time (freshman) and transfer-in students for whom test scores were required. Include new students admitted the summer prior to Fall 2025.

Report the scores used in the admission decision, whether test scores are required or are only considered for admission. If you report less than 5 students for any of the scores, do not report percentiles. Institutions that use test scores for some students report the percentile scores for the students for whom test scores were used.

• If students submitted both SAT and ACT scores, but only SAT scores were considered for admission, only report the SAT scores (and vice versa).

• If students submitted both SAT and ACT scores, and both SAT and ACT scores were considered for admission, report both scores.

• If a student submitted two sets of scores for a single test, report this information according to how you use the data. For example:

  • If you consider the highest scores from either submission, use the highest combination of scores (e.g., verbal from one submission, math from the other).

  • If you average the scores, use the average to report the scores.

SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and math scores should be reported based on the (2016) SAT score range 200-800. Institutions that have scores based on the old (2015) SAT score range should convert scores using the College Board concordance tables (more information about converting scores using concordance tables is available at https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/educators/higher-ed/scoring-changes/concordance).

Do not convert test scores (e.g., do NOT convert an ACT score into a SAT score); scores must be reported separately.

Do not include partial test scores (e.g., mathematics scores but not verbal scores for a category of students) or combine other standardized test results (such as TOEFL) in this item.

Do not report scores if you cannot convert from old score to new score using the concordance tables.

Part E. Waitlist, Early Decision, and Early Action [applicable to first-time students at institutions that are not open admission]

Waitlist: Indicate whether your institution maintained a waitlist for first-time students for Fall 2025. If your institution maintained a list of applicants who met admission requirements but were only to be admitted if space became available, select ‘Yes’, otherwise select ‘No’. and check whether the waitlist is ranked; and whether students are notified of their place on the list. In addition, report the number of applicants placed on waiting list and the number of applicants from the waiting list admitted., accepted, and enrolled.

Early Decision: Indicate whether your institution permitted first-time students to apply and be notified of an admission decision in advance of the regular notification date if the student commits to attending if accepted. If ‘Yes,’ report the number of applicants received and admitted for Early Decision, along with the number of these admits that subsequently enrolled.

Early Action: Indicate whether your institution permitted first-time students to apply and be notified of an admission decision in advance of the regular notification date that did not require the student to commit to attending if accepted. If ‘Yes,’ report the number of applicants received and admitted for Early Action, along with the number of these admits that subsequently enrolled.

Admissions FAQs 2025-26 through 2026-27

General

1)

When reporting admitted students, do I include early admits?

Yes, include all students who were offered admission to your institution. This would include early decision students who were notified of an admission decision prior to the regular notification date and who agreed to accept; early action students who were notified of an admission decision prior to the regular notification date with no commitment to accept; and the admitted students who began studies during the summer prior to the fall reporting period.

2)

What do I do about students that were considered for admission, even though they did not submit all application materials?

Institutions should report applicants based on the IPEDS glossary definition. If an institution’s formal application review process considers students for admission, even in the event when not all application materials are submitted, and a formal admission decision is made based on the information provided (e.g., admitted, not admitted, waitlisted), students can be included in the reported applicant count. If a student is automatically not admitted because they do not submit all application materials (i.e., an incomplete application file does not allow a student to be considered for admission), the student should not be included in the applicant count.

Institutions are reminded that reporting data accurately to IPEDS is statutorily mandated. Artificially inflating the number of applicants by counting students who are not given full consideration for admission because they do not submit all application materials is an example of not reporting accurately to IPEDS.

3)

Some students send us both ACT and SAT scores. How should we report the data for these students?

Report both scores to IPEDS. This may mean that the total number of students reported in test scores is greater than the total number of admitted students.

4)

My institution does not use ACT scores for admission, so if a student submits an ACT score we convert it to an SAT score. Can I report that converted score to IPEDS so that it doesn’t look like we accept ACT scores?

No. There is no approved methodology for converting test scores, so any conversion would render the data unusable.

5)

How do I report to IPEDS when my institution uses the highest of multiple test scores to evaluate students for admission?

Report to IPEDS the test score that is used to make the admissions decision. This may include a mix of scores from tests taken at different times. 

6)

How do I report to IPEDS when my institution averages multiple test scores to evaluate students for admission?

Report to IPEDS the averaged test score that is used to make the admissions decision.

7)

How do I report English Proficiency Test or other standardized test scores (other than ACT and SAT)?

For IPEDS purposes, English Proficiency Test scores and other standardized test scores (other than ACT and SAT) are not reported. 

8)

Should my institution, which is participating as a U.S. Department of Education experimental site, include experimental site participants in IPEDS Admissions (ADM)?

No, exclude experimental site participants from reporting.

9)

How do I treat students who enrolled in the summer prior to fall enrollment?

The ADM survey component collects enrollment counts for entering first-time and/or transfer-in students in the fall term. Report entering first-time and/or transfer-in students, even if they have prior summer session enrollment preceding the fall term or prior dual enrollment while in high school, in the ADM survey component as they are considered entering in the fall term for IPEDS reporting purposes. Note that ADM enrollment counts should closely mirror the first-time and transfer-in enrollment counts captured in the Fall Enrollment (EF) survey component for institutions at which all or nearly all undergraduate-level programs at the institution have admission requirements.

10)

How should I report admissions considerations if my institution has a “test-optional” or “test-blind” admission policy?

If your institution has a test-optional admission policy (i.e., applicants for admission may decide whether to submit standardized test scores and they may be admitted with or without submitting such scores), select the “Not required for admission, but considered if submitted” option for the “SAT/ACT” consideration in Part B (Admissions Considerations).

If your institution has a test-blind admission policy (i.e., test scores are not considered in admissions decisions, even if an applicant submits test scores), select the “Not considered for admission, even if submitted” option for the “SAT/ACT” consideration in Part B (Admissions Considerations.

11)

How should I report for the ‘legacy status’ admissions consideration?

If your institution includes the answer to any application questions about where relatives of an applicant completed college in the materials that admissions offices review in making admissions decisions, select “Not required for admission, but considered if submitted.” If your institution does not consider legacy status (or it is not applicable to your institution), select “Not considered for admission, even if submitted.” Considered means that an institution includes an item in the package that is reviewed by admissions officers during the review process and the item may factor into a decision for admission.

12)

Should incarcerated students be included in ADM reporting?

Include all entering first-time and/or transfer-in degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students.