The Common Data Set
The Common Data Set, or CDS, should be an integral tool in your college research toolbox. The CDS is a “collaborative effort among data providers in the higher education community and publishers as represented by the College Board, Peterson’s, and U.S. News & World Report.” Almost all schools participate and use a common form to collect a set of information allowing you to compare apples to apples in an easy to use format without having to scour a college’s website to find each piece of information. To locate a college’s CDS google [college name] common data set. Most schools provide links to the last five years worth of reports.
Some examples of the data you can find:
Academic calendar - semester, quarter, trimester, 4-1-1 - Section A-4
Gender and racial/ethnicity data - Sections B-1 and B-2
Retention rate - Section B-22
Admissions factors - Section C-7
Transfer credit policies - Sections D12-D17
Requirements for graduation - Section E-1
Percentage of women who join sororities - Section F-1
Overall the CDS is divided into 10 sections, the specific questions asked can be found in this download. One important caveat, the data reported by the CDS is for the whole college/university, it is impossible to learn data for an individual school or department within a university from the CDS alone. For example, the overall acceptance rate to Chapman University is 72.5%, the acceptance rate for Dodge College of Film and Media Arts is 30-40%, the acceptance rate for the Film & Television Production major at Dodge is 8%, to find this information, you have to look at a school's website, and even then you're lucky if they post it as Dodge does here.
A — General Information: The type of college—private or public, single-gender or co-ed, degrees offered, and so on—and the college’s contact information.
B — Enrollment and Persistence: The number of students, broken down by various demographic categories, and how many of those students go on to complete their degrees.
C — First-Time, First-Year (Freshman) Admission: Applicant and admissions statistics that cover how many people applied, were accepted, and enrolled, as well as basic facts about the school’s admissions procedures, requirements, and standards.
D — Transfer Admission: Applicant and admissions statistics for students transferring to this college, including timing, requirements, and admissions rate.
E — Academic Offerings and Policies: Very brief checklist of the school’s special academic programs (such as an honors program or study abroad) as well as academic breadth required for graduation.
F — Student Life: Activity and housing options, as well as a breakdown of the student body by age, residency, and other factors.
G — Annual Expenses: How much it costs to attend each year, including figures for tuition, room and board, and required fees.
H — Financial Aid: What types of aid are available, how much students receive, student loans and debt, and the requirements for applying for and receiving aid.
I — Instructional Faculty and Class Size: The number of instructors (full- and part-time) and their characteristics, the size of the average class, and the overall ratio of students to faculty members.
J — Disciplinary Areas of Degrees Conferred: The most popular areas of study or majors, based on how many students end up graduating in each one.
Common Data Set Definitions: a very helpful list of all the terms used in the CDS and on college websites.
The CDS for a school is an extremely useful resource and one we often use as we gather information to build our college lists.
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