Common Data Terms & Definitions

Below are definitions for some terms that are frequenlty used with data and reporting. A longer list of terms and defintions can be viewed here. This file also includes other important information that is helpful for interpreting College of Engineering data.

Term	Definition
Academic Year	The period of time generally extending from August to May; usually equated to 2 semesters or trimesters, 3 quarters, or the period covered by a 4-1-4 calendar system. For UNL, the academic year is generally considered a fall and spring semester. When summer is included, the academic year is typically considered Fall, Spring, Summer.
Academic Year - Degrees Awarded	The period of time that covers a full calendar year used to calculate the number of degrees awarded by an institution in a year. For UNL, summer graduation is grouped with the following academic year, making the academic year for degrees awarded Summer, Fall, Spring.
Census Date	The date set by the university for the purpose of establishing official student counts. On this day, the institution takes a “snapshot” of all students' enrollment which becomes the “official enrollment” that is used for both state reporting and financial aid eligibility. For UNL, this is typically a week after the start of the term.
Cohort Type	Grouping factor based on whether a student is a first-time freshman, undergraduate transfer, graduate student, or other.
Ethnicity (also, Race/Ethnicity)	IPEDS mandated reporting ethnicity and race categories, includes the following categories: Nonresident Alien, Race and ethnicity unknown, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, White, Two or more races.
4-Year Graduation Rate	Refers to the proportion of students in each Fall cohort that complete their program within 4 years, the normal time. Depending on the purpose, graduation might be defined as graduating from the University of Nebraska System, from UNL, from the COE, or from a given major.
6-Year Graduation Rate	Refers to the proportion of students in each Fall cohort that complete their program within 6 years, 150% of normal time (see Fall cohort & Completers within 150% of normal time). Depending on the purpose, graduation might be defined as graduating from the University of Nebraska System, from UNL, from the COE, or from a given major.
Headcount [Unique / Distinct]	The total number of students enrolled at a given point in time; each student is only counted once. This is sometimes referred to as the 'Unduplicated count' of students.
Parent Education	Indicates whether the student is a first-generation college student. At UNL this is defined as whether a student has at least one parent who has earned a bachelor's degree.
Retention Rate	A measure of the rate at which students persist in their educational program at an institution, expressed as a percentage. For UNL, this is typically the percentage of first-time bachelors (or equivalent) degree-seeking undergraduates from the previous fall who are again enrolled in the current fall. Depending on the purpose, retention might be defined as retention to the UNL, to COE, or to a given major.
Student Credit Hours (also, SCH)	Used as an index of a faculty member’s teaching hours, although its traditional purpose is to measure a student’s progress toward a degree. The total SCH for a course are arrived by multiplying the number of students by the number of credit hours. When aggregating at the department or college level, there are three different ways to calculate SCH: according to faculty's department, according to the department associated with the course prefix, or according to students' majors.
Under-Represented Minority Student (also, URM Student)	Outside of STEM fields, this is defined as a student of one the following race categories: American Indian or Alaskan Native; Asian; Black, Non-Hispanic; Hispanic; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. In COE we usually follow the NSF definition, which is a student of one the following race categories: American Indian or Alaskan Native; Black, Non-Hispanic; Hispanic; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.
DFW Rate	A measure of the rate at which students receive a grade of 'D' or 'F' or withdraw from the course, expressed as a percentage. In some cases 'C-' grades are grouped with DFW's because a grade of 'C-' does not meet program minimum requirements.