The enrollment of students with disabilities in postsecondary education has notably increased, rising from 11 percent in 2004 to 21 percent in 2020. This significant growth underscores the need for comprehensive and reliable data to better understand these students’ experiences and outcomes. However, substantial gaps remain in how data on this population is collected, reported, and utilized, limiting our ability to support their needs effectively.

In a report commissioned in 2024 by the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative (NPEC), we explore the various challenges faced by institutions in collecting data, including inconsistent definitions of disability, reliance on self-disclosure, and differences in institutional data infrastructure. These complexities present barriers not only to effective data management but also to creating a clear, cohesive understanding of the challenges students with disabilities encounter.

To address these issues, “Collecting Additional Data on Students with Disabilities in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS): Benefits and Challenges” provides several key recommendations aimed at enhancing data collection through IPEDS. These include:

  1. Updating existing data questions: Revising current questionnaire items to gather more meaningful information about students with disabilities, in compliance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA).
  2. Focusing on graduate students: Introducing a new question to capture data on graduate students with disabilities.
  3. Detailing support services: Incorporating questions about the services institutions offer to students with disabilities to increase transparency and accessibility of information.
  4. Revising reporting on transition programs: Collect information on comprehensive transition and postsecondary programs separately from the current question about special learning opportunities, and collect enrollment numbers in those programs.
  5. Improving tracking of retention and graduation rates: Encouraging institutions to track data on retention and graduation rates for students with disabilities, to better evaluate their academic progression.
  6. Initiating collaborative efforts: Fostering collaboration with various divisions within the Department of Education, as well as external organizations, to bolster data collection efforts.

This report aims to serve as a valuable resource for stakeholders interested in enhancing the educational experiences of students with disabilities. Though the policy priorities of the US Department of Education have substantially changed since we completed this report, implementing these recommendations would create a more accessible higher education system for all students, regardless of their backgrounds or disabilities. We’re publishing this report with the permission of Synergy Enterprises, the primary contractor that supported this work for NPEC.