Cross-cutting · The canonical glossary
Data Governance & Definitions
One canonical definition for every metric this office publishes — census dates, cohort-grain rules, suppression, and source models. Every dashboard and report links here rather than restating a definition, so two numbers can’t quietly disagree.
NWCCU 1.BFERPASingle source of truth
Definitions
How each headline metric is defined
These definitions are load-bearing: when a metric’s grain or source is ambiguous, two published numbers can quietly drift apart. This page fixes one canonical definition per metric so that cannot happen.
| Metric | Definition | Grain | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment headcount | Distinct students active as of the official census date | Student | Official enrollment records |
| Retention | Cohort members still enrolled one year later ÷ cohort members | Cohort (enrollment grain) | Official cohort retention records |
| Graduation (150%) | Cohort members graduating within 150% of published program length ÷ cohort members | Cohort | Official graduation-outcome records |
| Alumni count | Distinct graduates — a student earning multiple credentials counts once | Student | Official graduate records |
| Licensure pass rate | First-time / ultimate pass on the program’s national exam | Program · cohort | IR-compiled from accreditor reportsPlanned |
| Employment in field | Graduates employed in the field of study | Program · cohort | IR-compiled from accreditor reportsPlanned |
Cohort grain vs. enrollment grain
Per-cohort retention must be computed at enrollment grain, not student grain — otherwise “# Retained” can exceed “# Students” for a cohort. Graduation is a cohort-grain ratio: only students counted in the entering cohort appear in the numerator and denominator. All published figures align to these canonical definitions.
Small-cell suppression (FERPA)
Disaggregating per-program, per-cohort across several dimensions at a small graduate school produces cells with fewer than ten students. All public disaggregated dashboards suppress cells where n < 10, citing FERPA.
Census & "as-of" dates
The enrollment funnel refreshes four times a day; cohort and census models are point-in-time. Every published metric states its official snapshot date, so Fast Facts on the home page cannot silently disagree with the Fact Book.