HEDS Member Data Exchange Opportunites
HEDS facilitates the collection, analysis, and sharing of institutional data from our member institutions. HEDS creates spreadsheets that allow members to easily generate custom comparison groups from among the participating institutions. These data exchanges are not mandatory, but reports on data that HEDS institutions have opted to share are only available to those who shared their data. In short, sharing is voluntary but required for access to the data.
We revise and update HEDS data exchanges as the needs of our members change. The window for participating in each data exchange can vary from year to year, so we provide broad estimates below. When a data exchange is officially open, we will note the actual dates for participating. New members who join HEDS after an exchange has closed for the year can still have their data added to the report. Simply contact us and let us know which closed exchange(s) you want to submit data for.
All data in these exchanges are confidential and protected by our Statement of Understandings.
Common Data Set (CDS)
Open now through June 27, 2025.
The Common Data Set (CDS) Initiative is a collaborative effort among data providers in the higher education community and publishers – as represented by the College Board, Peterson’s, and U.S. News & World Report – to develop a set of standards and definitions of data items for their various surveys.
Collection Method: We collect the same file that members submit to participating college guide publishers.
Participation Window: Early winter – May
Report: Our report will provide comparisons on several of the data points from the CDS, including current financial aid information, SAT and ACT scores for the current first-year class, composition of the current first-year class, student-to-faculty ratios, and more.
Report Delivery Date: We begin releasing reports after we have data from 10 participating institutions and update weekly to bi-weekly after that. You can expect the final report within a couple of weeks of the collection window closing.
First Destinations
We collect data on undergraduate student outcomes within six months of graduation, including employment, continuing education, service, and salary. This exchange uses data definitions adapted from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
Collection Method: HEDS will send you a simple Excel template to fill out. You can use the same data you submit to NACE to complete the template.
Participation Window: Early March – May 31.
Report: Our report will provide comparisons between participating institutions on primary activity type, degree type, mean salary, and more.
Report Delivery Date: We begin releasing reports after we have data from 10 participating institutions and update weekly to bi-weekly after that. You can expect the final report within a couple of weeks of the collection window closing – mid-June. We aim to provide the report to you well before NACE releases its report in the fall.
Number of Deposits
Open now through August 31, 2025.
This data exchange provides you with snapshots of first-year, transfer, and other student deposits on pre-set dates – May 1, June 1, July 1, and August 1 – which allows participating institutions to see how their total student deposits compare as the summer progresses.
Collection Method: We collect data in a Google Sheet that is easy for you to fill in and provides immediate access to comparison data.
Participation Window: May 2 – August 31
Report: Our report will provide comparisons between participating institutions on total deposits, deadlines, and deferred enrollments by student type.
Report Delivery Date: You will have immediate access to comparison data in the Google Sheet, but at the end of each month, you will receive an updated Excel comparison tool. We will send the final report at the beginning of September.
Retention and Graduation Rates
This exchange provides you with comparisons of retention and graduation rates for all students and broken out by race/ethnicity, by gender, and for Pell Recipients. For first-time, full-time students, we use a “survival model” of retention, which looks at what percentage of the last three year’s cohorts are still enrolled in the current fall term. For full-time transfer students, there is a 1-year retention rate comparison.
Collection Method: We collect data in a Google Sheet that is easy for you to fill in and provides immediate access to comparison data.
Participation Window: late-September – December
Report: Our report will allow you to compare your first to second year, first to third year, and first to fourth year retention rates, as well as 4-year and 6-year graduation rates for first-time, full-time students and one-year retention rates for transfer students to those at other participating institutions.
Report Delivery Date: You will have immediate access to comparison data in the Google Sheet. After the exchange closes, we will create an Excel Comparison Tool with dynamic filtering options for custom comparisons. We will send the final report two weeks after the exchange closes.