CPE Data Guidelines - Appendix A - Terms and Definitions
General Definitions and Acronyms
American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO): A professional organization for personnel in college and university admissions, academic records, and enrollment services.
Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities (AIKCU): Represents Kentucky’s 19 nonprofit, non-tax supported, four-year colleges and universities accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
Academic Common Market: SREB cooperative agreement whereby an out-of-state student from an SREB state is charged in-state rate when enrolled in an eligible degree program. Program eligibility is based on program unavailability in the student’s home state along with the approval of the institution, the Council on Postsecondary Education, and the coordinating board of the student’s home state.
Campus: All property owned, leased, managed, or controlled by a postsecondary institution or its affiliates, including academic buildings, student housing, recreational facilities, officially recognized student organization residences, and adjacent public property like streets and sidewalks.
CPE Standardized Grade: A letter (category) used by CPE to group institutionally assigned end-of-term grades with similar values for reporting. These simplify interpretation and ensure consistent communication. See the CDB Guidelines for details.
Cohort: A cohort refers to a group of students that enter a particular degree program together and progress alongside one another until graduation, usually taking the same classes simultaneously.
Comma Separated Values (CSV): A text file format where values are separated by commas.
Department of Education (ED): The U.S. federal agency responsible for education policy, administering federal financial aid, collecting and analyzing education data, and ensuring equal access to education.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA): A federal law that gives parents rights over their children’s education records, including access and amendment. These rights transfer to students once they turn 18 or enter postsecondary education.
General Education Development (GED): A program that allows adults who did not graduate from high school to demonstrate high school-level academic skills through standardized tests.
Graduation Rate: The percentage of full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking students who complete their program within 150% of the standard program length.
Higher Education: Education beyond high school, typically at colleges or universities, leading to degrees, diplomas, or certificates.
Higher Education Act (HEA): Federal legislation passed in 1965 to strengthen U.S. colleges and universities and provide financial assistance to postsecondary students.
Institution: A school that offers higher education, such as a college or university.
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS): A set of annual surveys conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to collect data from postsecondary institutions participating in federal student aid programs.
Kentucky Adult Education (KYAE): A statewide program aimed at improving the education of adult Kentuckians who lack a high school diploma, have low literacy, or are learning English.
Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS): A state agency that collects and links data to evaluate Kentucky’s education and workforce systems. It maintains the Kentucky Longitudinal Data System (KLDS) and publishes reports on educational and labor outcomes.
Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE): The state agency responsible for coordinating improvements in Kentucky’s postsecondary education system under the Kentucky Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997.
Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA): A state agency that provides financial aid programs and planning resources to help students access and pay for college.
Kentucky Postsecondary Education Data System (KPEDS): CPE’s centralized system for collecting and managing standardized data from Kentucky’s public and participating independent colleges.
Matriculation: The official process of enrolling in a postsecondary institution.
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES): The primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education in the U.S. It operates within the Department of Education and publishes the CIP code list.
National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS): A nonprofit organization that supports strategic decision-making in higher education for U.S. and international institutions.
Operationalization: The detailed steps or criteria used to define and measure a metric consistently.
Performance Metric: A measurable value used to assess progress toward a specific policy or program objective.
Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP): A secure method for transmitting sensitive information. It is used by institutions to safely submit data to CPE.
Last Updated: 6/17/2025