Every year, Institutional Research receives dozens of requests for data to be used in college surveys and guides. This includes U.S. News rankings, Princeton Review, College Board guides, Wintergreen Orchard House, and many more. All these requests take time and resources to complete and so the Common Data Set (CDS) was created in an effort to alleviate pressure and provide increased consistency in reporting.
The result has been a very broad and expansive set of data that has uses beyond college surveys and guides. Many questions about institutional data can be answered through this document. As such, Institutional Research is committed to making this document readily available to all constituents.
The CDS is comprised of 10 sections, each covering a different topic (see below). Additionally, the CDS contains a list of definitions used to complete the survey. These are critical as they may differ slightly from definitions used by the University System of Georgia, the federal government, and our own institutional preferences. Still, the CDS is full of valuable information.
A: General Information
B: Enrollment and Persistence
C: First-Time, First-Year (Freshman) Admission
D: Transfer Admission
E: Academic Offerings and Policies
F: Student Life
G: Annual Expenses
H: Financial Aid
I: Instructional Faculty and Class Size
J: Degrees Conferred