Fingertip Facts

Fingertip Facts provides a brief overview of University student enrollment and demographic information by level, classification, and entry status. The primary function of Fingertip Facts is to provide preliminary enrollment information as early as possible in the semester. The data presented should not be considered official for any purpose. Please also note that previous years’ figures represent official certified data as of the census date.

Production

Fingertip Facts is published each fall, spring, and summer (Summer I and II combined, unduplicated) semesters. The report is based on preliminary data extracted from the student information system on the 1st, 5th, and 12th class day for fall and spring semesters and on 1st, 4th, and 15th class day data for the Summer I, II, and 10 Week sessions. The preliminary data contained within the report do not include any edit corrections and this report is never certified.

College- and Department-specific versions of this report are also distributed directly to Deans, Department Heads, and other departmental users via email (known as ‘burst reports’).

Upon completion of the Enrollment Profile report, Fingertip Facts is removed from the OISP website.

Approximate Availability

• Fall/Spring semesters – Approximately 2 business days after 1st, 5th, and 12th class days
• Summer sessions – Approximately 2 business days after 1st, 4th, and 15th class days

Available Editions

Enrollment Profile Report

Enrollment Profile report provides in-depth data of student enrollment by multiple variables. It is based on a data file that is a subset of the “OISP Student File”, which the office requests from SIMS. Student enrollment and demographics are presented by university, college, department and major as well as by level and classification. Special population information includes data for Top 10% students, First-Time in College students, Corps of Cadets, Blinn TEAM, and housing information. Geographic distribution data details county, state, and country feeder patterns.

Production

Enrollment Profile report is published each fall, spring, and summer (I and II combined, unduplicated) semesters. The report is made available soon after the beginning of each semester based on edited, but not yet certified, data extracted from SIMS on the 20th class day for fall and spring semesters and the 15th class day of the second session for the combined summer semester. The original production of the report will indicate clearly in red letters NOT CERTIFIED. After the data become certified, OISP will reproduce the Enrollment Profile and publish it on the website; very few changes, if any, should occur by certification time.

Approximate Availability

• Fall semester – October 15th
• Spring semester – March 15th
• Summer semester – August 15th

Available Editions

Common Data Set

The COMMON DATA SET (CDS) initiative is a collaboration effort among higher education data providers and publishers such as the College Board, Peterson’s, U.S. News & World Report and Wintergreen/Orchard House. The combined goal of this collaboration is to improve the quality and accuracy of information involved in a student’s transition into higher education as well as to reduce the reporting burden of data providers.

The CDS is a set of standards and definitions of data items rather than a survey instrument or set of data represented in a database. Each of the higher education surveys conducted by participating publishers incorporates items from the CDS as well as unique items proprietary to each publisher. Consequently, the publishers’ surveys differ in that they utilize varying numbers of items from the CDS.

For more information about this report, please refer to the OISP Report Primer.

Approximate Availability

This report is updated continually throughout the year as data from multiple sources become available.

Available Editions

Retention & Graduation Profile

Retention and Graduation Profile contains retention and graduation information for several undergraduate student populations (cohorts) at the university level, the college level, the departmental level, and the major level. The following frequently-requested cohorts are found in the report:

• First-Time In College (FTIC) – undergraduate degree seeking students who applied and enrolled in college for the first time (regardless of whether these students have acquired college level credit through testing, advanced placement or summer enrollment)
• First-Time in College Full-Time (FTFT) – those first-time in college students who enrolled for 12 or more hours during their first semester at TAMU
• Transfer students
• Blinn TEAM students

For each cohort the reports shows one- to six-year retention/graduation (as available), split by various demographic categories.

Retention and graduation are calculated for each student based solely on Universal Identification Number (UIN). OISP constantly attempts to improve the accuracy of this report by updating the changed UIN’s (as well as previously used SSN and SID fields).

Only fall semesters are considered for retention calculations, however graduation data is taken from all three commencements during that academic year (December, May, August)

Production

Retention and Graduation Profile for each fall semester is usually produced in the middle of the fall semester.  The report is based on certified student data from the OISP data warehouse.

Approximate Availability

• Fall semester – November 15th

Available Editions

Applied/Admitted/Enrolled Report

Applied/Admitted/Enrolled Report contains official University-level summaries of census-day data for the number of applications, admits, and enrolled students by ethnic categories for each of the following group:

• Total First-Time-In-College (FTIC)
• FTIC Top 10% of Texas Residents from Texas High Schools
• First Generation First-Time-In-College Students
• New Undergraduate Transfers
• First Time Graduates
• Summary Page by FTIC, Transfers, Readmits and First Time Graduates

Production

Applied/Admitted/Enrolled Report is published each fall semester. The report is made available after the official census day (12th class day) using data from the Admissions File and the Student File.

Approximate Availability

• Fall semester – October 15th

Available Editions