Data Glossary

A student's status with the university based on the period of time and overall TXST GPA. 

State Reporting: The 12-month period from September 1 to August 31, reflecting the calendar year it ends. For example, September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021, is Academic Year 2020-21. The year is divided into three semesters, i.e. Fall, Spring, and Summer. This is used in reporting for the State of Texas, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), and some internal institutional reports.  

Federal Reporting: The 12-month period from July 1 to June 31, reflecting the calendar year it ends. For example, July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, is Academic Year 2020-21. The year is divided into three semesters, i.e. Fall, Spring, and Summer. This is used in reporting to the federal government, The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and some internal institutional reports.  

An individual who has submitted an application for review to the Undergraduate or Graduate Admissions office.

Age is calculated by subtracting the individual’s date of birth from the begin date of the reporting period. For fall, the begin date is September 1; for spring, it is January 1; for summer, it is June 1; and for applications, it is the date of the application.

Groups created using an individual’s age as of September 1st of the reporting year.  

An individual who has submitted an application for review to the Undergraduate or Graduate Admissions office.

Date that application was submitted. 

Sequential number assigned to a student's applications in the order they are received.  

A student or group of students who are considered to have a higher probability of failing academically or dropping out of school. The term may be applied to students who have low-test scores, are enrolled as a part-time student, are Pell Grant recipients, among other things.

The period of time running from January to December.

A geographic location where university courses are taught and where faculty and staff may work. This includes physical sites like San Marcos, Round Rock, and Collin, as well as virtual or specialized learning environments such as Online, Accelerated Online, and Off-Campus locations that do not fall under an existing designated site. 

For purposes of Texas State reporting, the Campus designation for a student is tied to the student's program. 

A credential earned after completing specific training, verifying their qualifications for professional roles, such as teaching. It demonstrates the individual has met required standards and is qualified to work in their certified career.

A designation based on an individual's citizenship status at time of application, i.e. US Citizen, Permanent Resident, and Non-Resident International.  

A designation used to categorize students based on the number of credit hours earned or the program in which they are enrolled.

• Undergraduate Classification: At the undergraduate level, students are classified according to the number of credit hours they have completed.  
• Freshman: 0-29 credit hours
• Sophomore: 30-59 credit hours
• Junior: 60-89 credit hours
• Senior: 90+ credit hours
• Graduate Classification: At the graduate level, classification is determined by the specific program the student is enrolled in (e.g., Master’s, Post-Baccalaureate, Doctoral-Research, or Doctoral-Professional).
• Other Classifications: Additional classifications may apply based on the type of program a student is in (i.e., Continuing Education or Non-Credit programs). 

The CIP Code is used to identify subject matter content of courses and major area of concentration of students. It is a taxonomic coding scheme for secondary and postsecondary instructional programs. It is intended to facilitate the organization, collection, and reporting of program data using classifications that capture the majority of reportable data. The CIP is the accepted federal government statistical standard on instructional program classifications and is used in a variety of education information surveys and databases. It can be presented as 2, 4, or 6 digits.

At TXST, CIP codes are used in reporting to IPEDS, THECB, and other agencies. Texas adds a 2-digit suffix to the federal 6-digit code to identify instructional program specialties and a second two digits to identify the funding area. 

An organizational unit of the university comprised of academic departments and related offices, i.e. Applied Arts, Business, Education, etc.  

A subset of courses within a major that allows students to focus on a specific area of study, also known as an emphasis, option, specialization, or track. It is designed to provide depth in a subject matter and typically complements the core curriculum of the major.  

The country in which an individual resided at the time of application.

The county in which an individual resided at the time of application.

A yes or no designation indicating whether a course section is classified as a laboratory course type. 

Course Level is the level of offering for instructional courses at postsecondary education institutions. Course levels are assigned relative to the intended degree of complexity or expected level of student comprehension rather than by the student level of those enrolled in the course. Universities report courses with the following levels:
• Freshman
• Sophomore
• Junior
• Senior
• Master's
• Doctor's Level-Research/Scholarship
• Doctor's Level-Professional Practice (Law, Optometry, Veterinary Medicine, others)
Course Level is reported on the CBM003.

A course number is a four-digit code used to classify courses. The first digit of the course number indicates the academic level of the course (1 = Freshman, 2 = Sophomore, 3 = Junior, 4 = Senior, 5, 6 = Graduate/Post-graduate, and 7 = Doctoral).  The second digit typically represents the number of credit hours awarded upon course completion (usually 3, 1, 4, or 2). The final two digits typically indicate the sequence or order in which the course is taken within its subject area.  

A unique, usually 5-digit number, assigned to each specific section of a course, used to identify and register for a particular class. 

The number of credit hours a course carries, typically based on instructional time per week. Values range from 0 (non-credit courses) to 9 SCH, with 3 SCH being standard for most lecture courses. 

A course subject is the academic discipline or field of study to which a course belongs. It represents the broad area of knowledge that organizes courses into categories (such as Biology, History, Mathematics, or Psychology) and is typically indicated by a subject code abbreviation in course listings. 

A course subject code is a four-letter abbreviation that identifies the subject area of a course.  

An object comprised of data elements, which could be logical or physical. 

An individual or team charged by the data owner to provide information asset services to data owners and data users.

A set of information describing and defining the contents, format, and structure of a database and the relationship among its elements.

Data domains refer to broad categories or areas of related data within an organization that share common characteristics or serve a specific purpose. These domains are used to group data based on its function, subject matter, and/or business use. This data often originates from different source systems. Examples of data domains are: Employee Data, Student Data, Financial Data, etc. 

Any defined unit of data.

The framework to manage university data effectively, efficiently, and ethically in support of the university's mission. 

Encompasses the people, processes, and technology required to create consistent and proper handling of data and understanding of information across the organization, ignoring the boundaries created by organizational structures. 

An individual responsible for the oversight of an information resource or data asset.

A data custodian responsible for planning, prescribing, and managing the sourcing , use, documentation, and maintenance of data assets. Functional data stewards are required to be knowledgeable regarding data assets in relation to business processes. Technical data stewards are expected to be knowledgeable about the underlying structure and administration of data assets. It is possible that a data steward could have both functional and technical knowledge.

The governance, management, and protection of an organization’s data assets that results in high-quality data that are easily accessible and reportable.

Data subdomains are more specific categories that fall under a broader data domain. These subdomains represent finer divisions of data that correspond to particular business processes or areas of activity within the broader domain. Examples of a subdomain within the Employee Data domain are: Benefits, Compensation, Professional Development, etc. 

An authorized user, as defined by UPPS No. 04.01.11, Risk Management of Information Resources, who access university data in performance of their assigned duties. A data user is expected to be familiar with and abide by all data governance and data security policies and procedures. 

Represents the days of the week a course is scheduled to meet, using letter abbreviations (U, M, T, W, R, F, S) for Sunday through Saturday. A dash (-) indicates no class on that day. For example:  

-MTWRF- : Course meets every day from Monday through Friday.

--T-RF- : Course meets on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.  
 

An award conferred by a college, university, or other postsecondary education institution as official recognition for the successful completion of a program of studies, i.e. Bachelor of Arts in Education, Master of Science in Nursing, Doctor of Health Administration, Teacher’s Certification, Special Professional, etc.  

Categorizes the level of academic degree awarded, indicating the scope and depth of study. Possible values include:  

• Bachelor’s: Undergraduate degree programs.
• Master’s: Graduate-level programs beyond a bachelor’s degree.
• Doctorate: The highest level of academic achievement, including Ph.D. and professional doctorates.  
• Professional: Specialized advanced degrees for professional practice (e.g., law, medicine, or certain healthcare fields).

An organizational unit of the university comprised of faculty and staff grouped within a College offering academic programs and fields of study. Departments are assigned administrative unit IDs by the THECB.  

Tuition set by each public university’s governing board under Texas Education Code § 54.0513. Unlike statutory tuition, designated tuition is retained by the institution and can be used to support operations, academic programs, and student services.  

A fee charged for courses taught via the internet or hybrid instructional method. This fee covers maintenance and development of digital resources.  

A status based on whether an applicant/student is registered for a course(s) as of the official census date. This status is typically seen as the last step for an admitted applicant.  

A student who is attending college for the first time after high school graduation regardless of whether they are starting immediately after high school or have taken a gap period. This includes students who started college during the Summer semesters and continued into the Fall and may include students who have earned college credits while in high school. 

A designation assigned to an individual who does not have a parent/legal guardian that has earned a bachelor’s degree or equivalent. Alternative definitions of first-generation exist based on the highest level of degree attainment or post-secondary enrollment status of either parent/legal guardian. 

A 12-month period used for financial reporting and tax purposes. For Texas State, this period runs from September 1 to August 31.

Flexible Entry (FE) are classes that begin after the official census date of the term but still meet state funding requirements. Students and faculty in FE classes are reported but not included in official headcounts if they are only enrolled in or teaching FE classes.  

An individual's first name, middle name (or initial), and last name.  

A unit representing the workload of a full-time student or employee. One FTE equals one full-time assignment.  

Fall and Spring Semesters:  
-Undergraduate students: Enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester 
-Masters students: As of Fall 2024, enrolled in at least 6 credit hours per semester. Prior to Fall 2024, enrolled in at least 9 credit hours per semester. 
-All other graduate students: Enrolled in at least 9 credit hours per semester.  

Summer Semester:  
-Undergraduate students: enrolled in at least 6 credit hours.  
-Masters students: As of Fall 2024, enrolled in at least 3 credit hours per semester. Prior to Fall 2024, enrolled in at least 6 credit hours per semester.  
-All other graduate students: Enrolled in at least 6 credit hours per semester.

A department that represents and serves a particular subset of university data.

A broad regional grouping that may reflect informal or administrative boundaries (e.g., Gulf Coast, West Texas), used for demographic analysis or outreach reporting. Distinct from official COG or Higher Ed Regions. 

The official date recorded by the Registrar’s Office on which a student is conferred a degree, typically corresponding to the date of the commencement ceremony for the academic term.  

The rate at which a cohort of degree-seeking students graduate within a specified time period, usually represented with a percentage. For undergraduates, this includes first-time, full-time students who begin their studies in the Fall, as well as those who start in the Summer and continue full-time into the Fall semester. The Summer students do not need to be full-time in the Summer. This is not to be confused with the Graduation Ratio.  

The proportion of students who complete their degree program relative to the total number of students who were enrolled in that program within a specified timeframe. This is not to be confused with the Graduation Rate.  

The unduplicated count of individuals.

A geographic area designated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to support coordination among public higher education institutions. Each region has a Higher Education Regional Council (HERC) that reviews and recommends off-campus or distance education proposals. 

The specific housing assignment for a student (e.g., Laurel Hall, Comanche Hall, Off-Campus).  

Describes the specific delivery format of the course section for a given term, detailing how the course section will be conducted (e.g., face-to-face, online, hybrid, etc.). 

Refers to the category of a course based on its overall structure or purpose, indicating how instruction is delivered to students. This is sometimes referred to as the schedule type.

Instruction type includes Lecture, Laboratory, Dissertation, Practicum, Clinical, Thesis, Individualized, Student Teaching, Seminar, Internship, Independent Study, or Private Lesson.  

The faculty or staff member assigned to teach a course. 

The academic title assigned to an individual based on their faculty appointment, teaching role, or academic standing within the institution. Instructor Rank helps classify instructional staff, such as Professor, Assistant Professor, and Teaching Assistant. 

A measurement of the total teaching responsibility assigned to an instructor during a given term. Instructor Load may be based on credit hours taught, contact hours, student enrollment, course level, and other institutional factors used to determine workload and compensation. 

Major is a subject-matter area in which a student may specialize by taking a specified number of courses as a part of the requirements for completion of a program of study. It is identified with a four-, six-, or eight-digit CIP code of the program in which the associated award is to be conferred. 

Describes how and when a particular set of data was collected and how the data are formatted, necessary for understanding how data are stored in data warehouses.

These are geographic units to gather statistics in metropolitan areas of the United States. If a county is located in an MSA, it is considered to be located in an urban area, otherwise it is considered rural. The State Demographer in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget defines the MSAs. 

A collection of courses around a specific subject area usually paired with a major. 

The country of citizenship declared by the student at the time of admission, usually based off the student’s visa information.  

An organization entity of the university comprised of staff grouped within a Unit. 

An option identifies a specific curricular track or completion pathway within a program, major, or concentration. It indicates the format or structure through which students fulfill their academic requirements. Options provide clarity on whether a program is pursued in a standard way (Regular) or through a distinctive path such as Thesis, Internship, Distance Education, or combined-level study. 

See Option. Options can include:  

R – Regular: Standard completion pathway.

T – Thesis: Completion of the program through a research thesis.

I – Internship: Completion that requires an applied internship experience.

C – Combined Bachelor/Master: Accelerated track where undergraduate and graduate coursework overlap.

D – Distance Education: Coursework primarily completed online.

E – Early Entry: Allows students to begin graduate coursework while still completing undergraduate requirements.

Advanced: A higher-level or enriched curriculum path within the discipline. 

Fall and Spring Semesters:  
-Undergraduate students: Enrolled in less than 12 credit hours per semester 
-Masters students: As of Fall 2024, enrolled in less than 6 credit hours per semester. Prior to Fall 2024, enrolled in less than 9 credit hours per semester. 
-All other graduate students: Enrolled in less than 9 credit hours per semester.  

Summer Semester:  
-Undergraduate students: enrolled in less than 6 credit hours.  
-Masters students: As of Fall 2024, enrolled in less than 3 credit hours per semester. Prior to Fall 2024, enrolled in less than 6 credit hours per semester.  
-All other graduate students: Enrolled in less than 6 credit hours per semester. 

A student who meets the federal financial criteria to qualify for a Federal Pell Grant, based on factors such as Expected Family Contribution (EFC), cost of attendance, and enrollment status. Pell eligibility is determined through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). 

The rate at which a cohort of students enrolled in a semester who persist to the following semester or year, usually represented by a percentage. This is not to be confused with the Retention Rate.  

A unique identifier that is created and assigned to students at the time of application regardless of final enrollment status. This identifier is used primarily in Banner but might appear in other systems for connecting student records. 

A formal collection of courses designed to lead to a recognized educational credential, such as a certificate, associate's degree, bachelor's degree, master's degree, doctoral degree, or first-professional degree. These programs are accredited by recognized state and federal governing bodies such as the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (TEHCB) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

A geographic location or virtual location where university courses are offered and where faculty and staff may work. This includes physical sites like San Marcos, Round Rock, and regional locations, as well as virtual or specialized learning environments such as Online, Accelerated Online, and other off-campus locations not tied to a designated campus. For internal Texas State reporting, a student's campus designation is determined by their program code.  

A classification based on an individual's ethnicity, race, and US Residency/Visa status. Categories are used to describe groups to which individuals belong, identify with, or belong in the eyes of the community. The categories do not denote scientific definitions of anthropological origins. The designations are used to categorize U.S. citizens, resident aliens, and other eligible non-citizens.

Individuals are first asked to indicate their status as a citizen, permanent resident, or non-resident alien. Those who are not a US citizen or permanent resident are categorized as "International".

Next, individuals are asked to designate ethnicity as:

• Hispanic or Latino or
• Not Hispanic or Latino

Those indicating a Hispanic or Latino ethnicity are categorized as “Hispanic”.

Finally, individuals who have not been categorized as International or Hispanic are asked to indicate all races that apply among the following:

• American Indian or Alaska Native
• Asian
• Black or African American
• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
• White

For reporting in the State of Texas, including to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), when only one race is selected, an individual is assigned to that group. Any combination including Black or African American are listed as Black or African American. Other combinations are classified as "Two or more races, non-Hispanic, non-Black".

For reporting at the federal level, including the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), when only one race is selected, an individual is assigned to that group. Any combination of races is classified as "Two or more races".

Unless otherwise specified, race/ethnicity should be assumed to follow the THECB methodology.

A status based on whether an applicant/student is registered for a course(s) prior to courses commencing and before census date.  

A three-digit numeric value that represents a student's legally declared residence at time of application – county   (Texas), other U.S. state or territory, or foreign country – used in THECB CBM reporting. Codes determine residency classification:

001–254: Texas counties = Texas Resident

310–369: Out-of-state U.S./territories = Non‑Resident

402–799: Foreign countries = International/Foreign Resident 

The rate at which a cohort of incoming, first-time, full-time students enrolled in a Fall semester who persist to the following Fall semester, usually represented by a percentage. This is not to be confused with the Persistence Rate.  

A unique alphanumeric code assigned to a specific section offering of a course within a given term. The numbers distinguish multiple offerings of the same course that may differ by meeting time, location, instructor, or delivery method.  

A semester is one of the academic periods during the academic year that consists of two main sessions (fall and spring) and a summer session. The fall and spring semesters include at least 15 weeks of instruction followed by one week for final examinations, making a total of 16 weeks. The summer semester is at least 5 ½ calendar weeks long, including registration, instruction, and final exams. The summer semester is divided into two sessions, i.e., Summer I and Summer II. 

A unit of measure representing one hour (50 minutes) of instruction each week over a standard term—typically 15 weeks for a semester or trimester, or 10 weeks for a quarter. SCH is used to calculate course credit, student enrollment, and funding eligibility. 

Refers to students taking Round Rock-supported course sections, including:

• Students in Round Rock based programs,
• Students in non-Round Rock programs, but enrolled in course sections with a Round Rock campus code (RRC), and
• Students enrolled in off-campus or online course sections taught by departments based at Round Rock.

The self-identified gender of an individual. For reporting purposes, gender is categorized as Female, Male, or Unknown.

An employee who affects, or would be affected by, data policy or procedural change. A stakeholder requests data, initiates requests for changes to university data, and identifies problems with university data that are impeding normal daily operations. They provide input or feedback that assists with the process of satisfying any change request.

The geographic state in which an individual currently resides. Residence State refers to the state in which an individual resided at the time of application and is based on the THECB residence code.  

A designation that categorizes students based on their academic progress and program type. Unlike “classification”, which often focuses on credit hours earned, student level identifies the broader stage in a student’s educational path (i.e., Undergraduate, Master's, Doctoral, Professional, and Post-Baccalaureate). 

A semesterly classification that categorizes students according to the delivery method of their enrolled courses for the semester (i.e., Fully In-Person, Fully Online, or Mixed).   

A semesterly designation for a student based on whether they are first time in college at the undergraduate level (FTIC) or first time in a program at the graduate level (First-time), first time at Texas State but with prior college level credit at another institutions (Transfer), or continuing at Texas State from a previous semester (Continuing). Other student types exist based on the type of admission and prior status with the institution, such as Readmit and Non-Degree Seeking.  

The Student-Faculty Ratio is calculated by dividing the Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) students by the FTE instructional staff at the same level. This ratio excludes students and faculty involved in 'stand-alone' graduate or professional programs, such as medicine, law, or veterinary programs, where faculty primarily teach graduate-level students. The FTE value is determined by counting full-time students or staff plus one-third of the part-time students or staff. 

Any employee with extensive knowledge of given functional, technical, reporting, or security-related data issues.

Tenure is the status of a faculty position that provides permanent employment to individuals who have demonstrated high performance in research, teaching, and service. It reflects the academic tradition of job security for faculty members, typically granted after a thorough evaluation, often after the sixth year of employment for tenure-track faculty.

A defined period within the academic calendar, identified by both the semester and the academic year in which it occurs (e.g., Fall 2025, Spring 2023, Summer 2020). Terms are typically organized into Fall, Spring, and Summer sessions and may include shorter sessions (e.g., mini-mesters) within them. Each term is associated with a specific term code for identification and reporting purposes. 

Numerical values assigned to academic terms. Includes the academic year and a number code representing the semester i.e., 10 (Fall), 30 (Spring), and 50 (Summer). Term code should be used with part-of-term to further specify the session within a given term. 

The difference in years between the students first semester and the semester when the degree is awarded.  

The tuition rate for which the student qualifies (e.g., resident or non-resident, in-district, out-of-district).  

An organizational entity of the university comprised of administrative offices, i.e., Enrollment Management, Human Resources, etc. 

Any data element stored or used in the management and operation of Texas State. 

Indicates whether a student lives in university-owned housing or non-university owned housing. 

Unique ID assigned to individuals in the system of record. Typically formatted like “A#######”.

The veteran group indicates an individual’s military affiliation or status, used to classify students, employees, or applicants for reporting and support services. Groups can include:  

Guard/Reserve – A current or former member of the National Guard or military Reserves.

Dependent – A spouse, child, or other eligible family member of an active duty service member or veteran.

Active Duty – An individual currently serving full time in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Veteran – A person who has previously served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces and has been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. 

A classification that indicates an individual’s eligibility category for the State of Texas Hazlewood Exemption, which provides tuition and fee exemptions for qualified veterans and their eligible dependents. Categories can include:  

Veteran – An individual veteran who meets the Hazlewood Exemption eligibility criteria.

Dependent – An eligible spouse or child of a veteran who meets Hazlewood Exemption criteria.

None – No eligibility for the Hazlewood Exemption. 

A classification data element that identifies the type of veteran education benefits or exemptions an individual is using or eligible for. This element is used for financial aid, tuition exemption, and compliance reporting. Types can include:  

Chapter 30 (Montgomery GI Bill) – Offers education benefits to service members and veterans with qualifying active-duty service.

Chapter 33 (Post-9/11 GI Bill) – Provides education benefits to veterans who served after September 10, 2001.  

Combination Benefits – Indicates use of multiple programs (e.g., Chapter 33 & Hazlewood or Hazlewood Legacy).