Tracking Applicants Using National Student Clearinghouse and State Databases in Florida

1. Tracking Applicants Using National Student Clearinghouse and State Databases in Florida SAIR Conference San Antonio, TX Denise S. Gater & Carol Huang Office of Institutional Research October 13, 2003

2. Introduction • Process • Results • Data Issues • Conclusions • Future Research

3. Introduction • National competition for best students • Indicator of institutional quality • Used in rankings, accountability, benchmarking • Our focus on top students – • If we accept them and they do not attend, where are they enrolling?

4. The Process • Examined subsequent enrollment of students admitted by UF who did not enroll – • Prospective First-time Freshmen • Prospective Graduate Students • Prospective First-Professional Students • Law • Dentistry • Medicine • Pharmacy • Vet Medicine

5. The Process • Two Data Sources • National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) • State Databases in Florida • Official student data (Fall Semester) • Submitted by each institution in the state university system to the Florida Division of Colleges and Universities

6. What is NSC? • Initially formed to simplify enrollment verification for student loans, assisting both higher ed institutions and lenders in a complex process. • EnrollmentSearch – a service that institutional researchers can use to query the NSC database of 40 million postsecondary enrollment records.

7. What is NSC? • Institutions must sign an agreement that will allow sharing of their data • Data on prospective, current, and former students • > 2500 institutions (or 86% currently enrolled students) • Directory information (FERPA-compliant)

8. What is NSC? • Enrollment of prospective students at our peer institutions • Association of American Universities (AAU) • 49 Active (82%) • 6 Inactive (10%) • 5 blocked ( 8%)

9. Institutional Request File Layout

10. Sample NSC Report

11. NSC Response File Layout

12. Results-Prospective First-time Freshmen • Prospective First-time Freshmen with SAT >= 1100 (N = 4,402) • 3,650 (83%) found enrolled • Enrolled in 352 institutions • Enrolled in 47 states

13. Results – Prospective First-time Freshmen

14. Prospective First-time FreshmenTop Universities by SAT Range

15. Prospective First-time FreshmenTop Universities by Ethnicity

16. Results – Prospective Graduate Students(N = 2,950) • 1,171 (40%) found enrolled • Enrolled in more than 200 institutions • Enrolled in 46 states

17. Prospective Graduate StudentsBy Ethnicity

18. Prospective Graduate StudentsBy Top States

19. Prospective Graduate Students Top institutions of enrollment

20. ResultsProspective Law Students • 217 out of 303 enrolled • Enrolled in about 66 institutions • Enrolled in 24 states

21. Prospective Law StudentsBy Ethnicity

22. Prospective Law StudentsBy Top States

23. Prospective Law Students Top institutions of enrollment

24. Prospective First Professionals – Dentistry, Medicine, Pharmacy, & Vet Medicine

25. Data Issues • Registrars’ concerns • Timely submission of data • Student classification level needed • Students enrolled in non-degree programs • 1st Professional admits enrolled in non- professional programs

26. Data Issues • Response file • Institutional classifications • Subsequent enrollment dates

27. Conclusions • Rich data source for analyses • Results useful for recruitment and admission purposes • Positive experience with NSC • More institutions participating/sharing data

28. Future Research • Where do our baccalaureate graduates enroll in graduate school? • Where do our transfers-out enroll? • Examination of prospective graduate students by GRE/GMAT, etc.

29. Questions? or Comments?

30. Tracking Applicants Using National Student Clearinghouse and State Databases in Florida www.ir.ufl.edu/sair 2003 SAIR, San Antonio, TX Denise Gater Carol Huang University of Florida