Glossary of Terms
The glossary of terms provides definitions used in the Educate Connect Elevate: Illinois State Metrics dashboards.
Career Level
Level by which a student is enrolled – undergraduate and graduate.
Career Outcome Cohort
A group of undergraduate students graduating from the University within a given fiscal year.
Cash Receipts
Funds received, including cash, check, or electronic contributions, received and processed by the Foundation. Funds may be immediately available to spend or directed to an endowment.
Cohort Type
First time in college students are first-time, first year students who have not previously attended postsecondary institutions; students enrolled in the fall term who attended college for the first time in the prior summer term and students who entered with advanced standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school) are included in this category.
Transfer students are first-time students at the institution but previously attended a postsecondary institution at the same level; includes students enrolled in the fall term who transferred into the institution the prior summer term.
Core Expense per Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Enrollment
Core Expense per Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) enrollment is calculated by dividing the core expense by the FTE enrollment.
Core expenses include expenses for instruction, research, public service, academic support, student services, institutional support, operation and maintenance (O&M) of plant, depreciation, scholarships and fellowships, interest and other operating and nonoperating expenses. All core expense functions and auxiliary expenses include depreciation and interest expenses. Non-auxiliary O&M is allocated among all core expense functions. Auxiliary includes auxiliary O&M. Other core expenses includes student aid and other post-employment benefits and pension reporting.
The full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment used in the calculation of core expense per FTE enrollment is the sum of the institution’s annual FTE undergraduate enrollment and FTE graduate enrollment. Full-time equivalent enrollment is calculated by summing annual credit hours and dividing by 30 for undergraduate students and 24 for graduate students.
Credit Completion Ratio
The cumulative number of credit hours successfully completed, divided by the number of credit hours attempted by first-year students.
Employee Category
Employee classifications include Administrative/Professional, Civil Service, Departmental Faculty (teaching in an academic department), Lab School Faculty, Library Faculty, and Non-Departmental Faculty (non-academic department such as University College instructors).
Endowment
Gifts funds that are permanently restricted and invested. Funds invested in the principal of the endowment are not available to spend.
Endowment Spending Distribution
Set by the Investment Committee of the Foundation Board, represents a pre-determined percentage of an endowment’s balance allocated to spend each year to meet current teaching and learning needs. An endowment distribution weighs the long-term value of the endowment against Illinois State’s present-day qualifying operating needs.
Faculty and Staff
Count of faculty and staff employed as of October 1. Counts may be duplicated due to the inclusion of overload positions.
Full-Time and Part-Time Employment
Full-time employees work 37.5 to 40 hours per week; part-time employees work less than 100 percent.
Gender
Self-identification as male, female, or non-binary/not disclosed.
Graduation Rate
Percent of first time in college students within the given cohort who complete their degree within six years (prior to the seventh fall term).
Graduation Rate Cohort
The group of first time in college students entering the University within a given fall semester. Each fall group represents a different cohort.
Grant and Scholarship Aid
Outright grants-in-aid, trainee stipends, tuition and fee waivers, merit scholarships, and prizes awarded to students including Pell grants. Financial aid that does not have to be paid back.
Grant Award
Awards approved between July 1 and June 30 of a fiscal year.
Grant Submission
Grant proposals submitted between July 1 and June 30 of a fiscal year.
Median Annual Wage
The middle value in a range of wages. Fifty percent of graduates earn below the median and 50% earn above.
Net Price
The average yearly price actually charged to first-time, full-time undergraduate students receiving student aid at an institution of higher education after deducting such aid. The average institutional net price is generated by subtracting the average amount of federal, state/local government, or institutional grant and scholarship aid from the total cost of attendance. Total cost of attendance is the sum of published tuition and required fees (lower of in-district or in-state for public institutions), books and supplies, and the weighted average for room and board and other expenses.
Pell Grant Recipient
Student awarded grant funds from the Pell Grant Program which provides assistance to students who have demonstrated financial need.
Race and Ethnicity
Self-reported as African American or Black; American Indian or Alaskan Native; Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Hispanic; White; Two or More Selections – Excluding Hispanic; Unspecified; and Non-U.S. citizen. Underrepresented groups include African American or Black; American Indian or Alaskan Native; Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Hispanic; and Two or More Selections – Excluding Hispanic.
Region
An area or division, especially part of a country or the world having definable characteristics but not always fixed boundaries.
Retention Rate
Percent of first time in college students within a given fall cohort who return for their second fall semester.
Retention Rate Cohort
The group of first time in college students entering the University within a given fall semester (includes those beginning the prior summer term). Each fall group represents a different cohort.
Student Enrollment
Number of students registered for classes as of Census Day (10th day of term).
Sub-region
A division of a region.
Total Fundraising Production
Includes cash gifts and gift and pledge commitments, revocable and irrevocable deferred gifts, and gifts in kind.