Where Things Stand with Key Postsecondary Data Collections at NCES

Early last year, the U.S. Department of Education (ED), at the direction of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), decimated the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). Those actions involved cancelling contracts, cutting staff, and disrupting the data collections that researchers and policymakers rely on to understand how students access, afford, and progress through college.  

More than a year later, the picture is mixed at IES, the independent research arm of the Education Department. Some critical data collections have been restored and are moving forward. Others remain canceled, leaving gaps in our understanding of students’ experiences and outcomes. And while the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has begun rebuilding its staff, that statistical agency remains far smaller than it was before the cuts. 

Here’s where things stand with several key federal postsecondary data collections. 

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) is the federal government’s primary source of information about the nation’s more than 6,000 colleges and universities. Data are collected through 13 annual surveys that cover metrics including costs, financial aid, enrollment, and graduation rates. While DOGE cuts did not disrupt the IPEDS data collection process, they cut off federal support for peer-informed IPEDS training from the Association for Institutional Research. This gap in support leaves institutions without critical guidance to navigate IPEDS’ complex data submission requirements. 

In May 2026, NCES announced a major IPEDS management shift. Beginning with the 2026-27 IPEDS data collection, a new contractor, AEM Corporation, will administer IPEDS. The prior IPEDS contractor, RTI International, administered the data collection for over 20 years and is currently concluding work for the 2025-26 collection. IHEP is monitoring this transition to ensure this data system remains stable, data collections are seamless, and collected data continue to be made publicly available. 

National Postsecondary Student Aid Study

The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) is the nation’s primary source of data on how students pay for college. Conducted every four years with a nationally representative sample of undergraduate and graduate students, NPSAS provides a comprehensive view of college access, affordability, and on-campus experiences, including critical insights about student populations often overlooked in other data collections, such as student parents and veterans. 

The 2023–2024 NPSAS study was abruptly canceled in February 2025 after data collection had already occurred. But after pressure from researchers and organizations, as well as IHEP advocacy,  the study was reinstated in June 2025 and RTI resumed data processing in preparation for release in 2027. Meanwhile, the next NPSAS covering the 2027–28 academic year is moving forward. NCES awarded the NPSAS:28 contract to RTI International in July 2026 and the study is now entering its planning phase. In November 2026, RTI will convene a Technical Review Panel of experts to provide recommendations on the technical and substantive aspects of the study.  

Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study

The Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B) provides unique insights about how students experience employment and loan repayment after graduation. B&B tracks outcomes of bachelor’s degree recipients for up to 10 years after graduation.  

In its Fiscal Year 2024 budget request, ED announced that B&B was discontinued due to resource constraints. But in a recent court filing, Acting Director of IES Matt Soldner noted that ED reinstated a B&B data collection in July 2026. That data collection will provide key information about how bachelor’s degree recipients in the Class of 2024 are faring in employment, loan repayment and other measures, four years after graduation.  

Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study

The Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS) offers one of the most comprehensive national views of how students navigate higher education by following them from initial enrollment through completion and into the workforce. Unfortunately, BPS was canceled in February 2025. Though NCES published previously-collected BPS data in March, new BPS data collections remain cancelled.  Without this study, policymakers and researchers lose the nationally representative, longitudinal insights needed to understand how significant events and other factors shape student outcomes, to inform evidence-based decisions about policies supporting postsecondary access, affordability, and success.  

Last April, we joined the Association for Education Finance and Policy to file a lawsuit challenging the Department of Education’s termination of the 2020/25 BPS. That litigation is ongoing.  

Staffing

None of these data collections happen without people. Early in 2025, NCES staff were cut dramatically as part of the Department of Education’s broader reduction in force, from roughly 100 employees to a skeletal staff of just three. That loss strips away the in-house expertise needed to effectively oversee contractors and maintain continuity across multi-year studies. NCES has slowly begun to rebuild its workforce and now has approximately a dozen staff, but the agency remains far smaller than it once was. 

Looking Ahead

After more than a year of significant disruption, we are encouraged that NPSAS is moving forward and grateful B&B will resume. We’ll continue closely monitoring the IPEDS administration transition, advocating for the restoration of BPS, and urging federal leaders to rebuild the capacity needed to support high-quality postsecondary data collections. 

Want updates on federal postsecondary data as they happen? Subscribe to our PostsecData Roundup newsletter for the latest news or reach out to us at PostsecData@ihep.org to join our next Postsecondary Data Collaborative meeting.