Help – Census Enrollment
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Explore the sections below to learn more about census data in SIRIS, as well as our two census Dashboards, Census All Enrollment and Census Autumn Enrollment.
Still puzzled by something? Email us at siris-support@lists.stanford.edu.
Table of Contents
General Information about Census Enrollment data:
- What it is?
- What is the history of census data, how has it changed over time?
When should I use census data vs. regular enrollment data?
Census All Enrollment Dashboard vs. Census Autumn Enrollment Dashboard
Which headcount should I use? (includes visual and some examples of how headcounts work)
General Information about Census Enrollment data
What is census data: A quarterly snapshot of the student population. Census data is particularly useful for comparisons over time, as it represents a stable, consistent, official view of Stanford’s student population. Students are counted in different ways in the census; the numbers will vary depending on which count is used. To learn more about census counts, see the Which headcount should I use? section.
When: The census is taken about a week after students have confirmed their study plans (mid to late October in autumn).
Available years: The Census Autumn Enrollment Dashboard has data from the academic year 2002-2003 to the most recently available census year. The Census All Enrollment Dashboard has data from the academic year 2012-2013 to the most recently available census year.
Who: The Census Autumn Enrollment Dashboard includes active, degree-seeking students who are registered as of the census date and not on leave. The Census All Enrollment Dashboard includes non-degree-seeking students as well. To learn more about the differences between the two dashboards, see the Census All Enrollment Dashboard vs. Census Autumn Enrollment Dashboard section.
What is census data used for?
Census data is used for required reporting to the Federal Government; it is also used for a wide range of external reporting requests and surveys (e.g. Common Data Set, US News & World Report), as well as internal records (Stanford Facts, Internal Statistics Book, etc.).
The timing of the autumn census
The Federal Government asks institutions of higher learning to take an autumn census as close to Oct. 15th as possible. For accuracy, Stanford waits to take the autumn census until after the Final Study List deadline date (when students must finalize their enrollments for the term), and after the subsequent “Term Cancel” process is run by the Registrar’s Office (which removes students who have chosen not to attend fall quarter). The exact date of the Census is recorded (in an Ad Hoc field) within SIRIS. It is typically the 9th day after the Final Study List deadline; the Final Study List deadline is generally on a Friday, and the census date is as of the Sunday one week and two days later. In the past, the availability of the census data could be several days past the actual snapshot; with the new system, we hope the data can be available within a couple of days of the actual snapshot, or about 11 days after the Final Study List deadline.
Why it is difficult to "augment" census data
There are some aspects of student records where we can go back in time and check information or even add information that was true as of the census date. For instance, we have added in what subplans students were in on the census date, which was not captured in the original census data. We could also potentially go back and add the missing “half” of coterm students, though we have not done that yet. (Only one side of a coterm student is included in the “PS1” era below; both sides are captured in the PS2 era.)
However some aspects of student records get overwritten in PeopleSoft, so for those aspects, we have to rely on what was captured by the census process:
- We can’t recapture the basic population – who was term enrolled on the census date, other than what was captured at the time, because that information gets overwritten in PeopleSoft. For instance, if a student withdraws after the census date, you would not be able to tell they were “not withdrawn” on the census date. We can’t go back and start capturing census data on every quarter, for instance.
- We can’t recapture biodemo or citizenship data as of the census date, other than what was captured at the time, because PeopleSoft only maintains current info – past info is overwritten.
History of census data
This can be relevant because history reflects what kind of information is available. The most recent years have more information, but you have to know how to pull it out properly (e.g. only take one quarter at a time or you will get inflated results).
| Era | In SIRIS? | Dates | Process | Original Result | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSI | no | 1987 through 2000-2001 | a complex manual process involving SPIRES, probably SAS | text files, converted and merged into a single table in DSS | We have not yet made these years available, because significant bridging work would need to be done to convert NSI departments and majors and make sure they match up properly to the PeopleSoft ones. In theory, it would be possible though, if there’s enough demand for it. |
| PS0 – transition year | no | 2001-2002 | a complex manual process involving Brio Query tool, Excel, SAS | text files, converted and merged into a single table in DSS | The transition to PeopleSoft took more than one year. The very first year of being in PeopleSoft, the data is not that complete/consistent, so we opted not to include it in this release of census data. |
| PS1 – first 10 years | yes | 2002-2003 through 2011-2012 | a complex manual process involving Brio Query tool, Excel, SAS | text files, converted and merged into a single table in DSS | Only rows that would be counted in the census were included in the file |
| PS2 – second era | yes | 2012-2013 through now | a mostly automated process involving views & Informatica PowerCenter | single table in DSS | Census file includes all student/plans for students not withdrawn and active on the census date, but only certain ones are tagged for inclusion in the various headcounts. Also, census started being taken every quarter, and the census started having advance runs for error-checking. |
When should I use census enrollment data vs. regular enrollment data?
Use census data if
- You are reporting on historical trends over time
- You want/need to match official enrollment statistics
- You want/need stable numbers that aren’t going to change from day to day
Use regular plan/term enrollment data if
- You need an as-of-yesterday version of who is enrolled
- You have a very particular question that involves attributes/information not available in census data
Although sometimes in the last case, you can pull a census population into the regular subject area to pick up other attributes or information.
Census All Enrollment Dashboard vs. Census Autumn Enrollment Dashboard
Use the table below to pick the appropriate Census dashboard for your needs. For questions about any of the terms used in these dashboards, look them up in the Data Governance Center.
| Dashboard | Census All Enrollment Dashboard | Census Autumn Enrollment Dashboard |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended Use | General use, especially helpful for internal school/department use |
|
| Time Frame | 2012-13 to the present | 2002-03 to the present |
| Quarters | All four quarters | Autumn quarters only |
| Not Included in the Dashboard | Students not term enrolled, e.g. students on leave |
|
| Counts (see next section to learn more about headcounts) |
*not for publication |
|
Which headcount should I use?
These ways of counting students represent traditional ways of counting that have been used for several years. If there are variations or adjustments to these counts that would be of interest to you, let us know. Review the table below for a quick overview of the different counts, or scroll further to read detailed explanations of each count.
| For Publication | Internal Use Only |
|---|---|---|
Count by Selected Student Plans (Example: 4 students with 2 plans each would have a count range of 4 to 8) | School Student Count Use this for general purpose, published reporting. Counts undergraduate students in all major degree plans (plus coterms on UG tuition), and graduate students in their highest degree plan per school. This count is used for University budgeting. | Student Plan Count Most comprehensive count of all academic activity. Useful for identifying student plans excluded from other counts. Only count that includes:
Can be filtered to target specific subgroups as needed. |
Major Student Count Use when publishing and you need graduate students' complete range of degree plans. Note: Undergrads are counted identically in both School and Major Counts. | ||
Count by Student (Each student counted once, regardless of number of plans) | University Student Count Use to match official university totals from Stanford Facts or the Common Data Set. Each student counted once under a single plan. | Distinct Student Count Flexible count for custom reporting groups. Answer questions like: "Of all students pursuing one or more master's degrees, how many distinct students are there?" |
University Student Count
An unduplicated count of all individuals, with trumping logic to determine which affiliation is represented.
Trumping logic is used to determine which affiliation is used to represent a student when more than one affiliation exists; for instance, someone pursuing a JD and MD is counted by the MD only. Someone who is pursuing an undergraduate double major is counted by the first one in order alphabetically, by legacy major code. Coterm students are counted once, as either graduate or undergraduate students, depending on their coterm group status. For more information, including the trumping rules, see the Data Governance Center entry: University Student Headcount.
This count is especially useful for broad, university-wide statistics, such as how many graduate students are at Stanford?
School Student Headcount
Each undergraduate student is counted in all their degree plans (study field + degree), same as MAJOR count. Each graduate student is counted in their highest degree plan(s) per school; plans in different schools are all counted. Coterms also count only once, as under the University count.
Students who pursue “equal” degrees (e.g. two MA’s, two MS’s, two Ph.D.’s) within the same school, will be counted twice within the school because both are the “highest” degree for that student. The School headcount is the one that was used in previous census “Directory reports”. For more information, see the Data Governance Center entry: School Student Headcount.
This count can be used to get a more accurate, close-to-unduplicated count of grad students within a school, except that some coterm students will count only as an undergrad. A very few grad students may be counted twice (pursuing two equal degrees within the same school), mostly in H&S or Engineering. Note that the School count undercounts the number of grad students pursuing master’s degrees, as master’s/Ph.D. students are counted under the Ph.D. only, and it also undercounts how many School of Medicine students are pursuing PhDs for those doing both Ph.D./MD.
Major Student Headcount
All students are counted in all of their degree plans (study field + degree), except coterms count only once, as above.
The Major headcount is the same as the School headcount, for undergraduates. For graduate students, the Major headcount will increase the count somewhat, as all degree plans will be counted, not just the highest degree plan per school. For more information, see the Data Governance Center entry: Major Student Headcount
This count is helpful for getting the fullest picture of all student academic pursuits; e.g. all students pursuing Linguistics at any level. A notable exception, however, is that only one side of a coterm is represented.
Student Plan Headcount
An inclusive count of all academic activity, including both sides of coterms, master’s along the way, and minors (MIN, PMN, SEC, IHN).
The Student Plan Headcount can be filtered down to target specific subgroups as needed. For more information, see the Data Governance Center entry: Student Plan Headcount.
Distinct Student Count
Use this flexible count if you want to count distinct students in any defined reporting group, e.g. of all students pursuing one or more master's, how many distinct students are there?
Examples of the different headcounts:
Numbers in red are the counts of those students which are sequentially excluded from one column to the next.
