Data Dictionary

At the University of Tennessee, we are committed to transparency, including how we collect and define the data elements seen across this suite of dashboards. This page includes definitions of terms seen on each dashboard in the suite. For further information, please contact us at data@tennessee.edu.

Cohort Profile

Term	Definition
ACT Composite	The score range for each of the four tests is 1–36. The composite score, as reported by ACT, is the average of the four test scores earned during a single test administration, rounded to the nearest whole number.**
Gender	The gender categories in this database are female, male, and unknown.
High School GPA	The weighted high school grade point average.
Race or Ethnicity	Categories developed in 1997 by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that 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. A person may be counted in only one group. The groups used to categorize U.S. citizens, international individuals, and other eligible non-citizens are as follows: Asian, Black, Hispanic, Multiracial, Native American, White, and International.*
Racial or Ethnic Minority	Minority refers to a group which is not the majority. A racial or ethnic minority is an individual whose race is not the minority at the institution. For UT campuses, the minority category includes: Asian, Black, Hispanic, Multiracial, Native American, and International.*
Residency	A student’s permanent address as it would appear on their driver's license or voter registration.
Sources:	* The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) ** ACT.org

Degrees Awarded

Term	Definition
Academic Year	The period of time generally extending from September to June; usually equated to 2 semesters or trimesters, 3 quarters, or the period covered by a 4-1-4 calendar system.*
Age Range	Groupings of students by age as of the year the degree was awarded. Groupings are 18-24, 25-54, 55+, and Unknown.
Citizenship	The legal citizenship designation of the student.
Degree Level	Indicates the student’s degree awarded level.
Degree Level: Bachelors	An award (baccalaureate or equivalent degree, as determined by the Secretary, U.S. Department of Education) that normally requires at least 4 but not more than 5 years of full-time equivalent college-level work. *
Degree Level: Doctoral	The highest award for a program of study. *
Degree Level: Masters	An award for a program of study of at least the full-time equivalent of 1 but not more than 2 academic years of work beyond the bachelor's degree. Master’s also includes students in graduate certificates, education specialist, and graduate specialists programs. *
Degree Level: Professional	An award for a program of study leading to a JD, MD, DDS, PharmD, or DVM degree. *
First Generation (First Gen.)	As reported on the FAFSA, the student’s parent(s) or guardian(s) did not attend any post-secondary institution. More information regarding FASFA can be found here.
Gender	The gender categories in this database are female, male, and unknown.
Graduate	A program for a student who holds a bachelor's degree or above and is taking courses at the postbaccalaureate level. These students may or may not be enrolled in graduate programs.*
Military Status	Military students are students who are active duty, veterans, or currently in the reserves or national guard .
Minority	Minority refers to a group which is not the majority. A racial or ethnic minority is an individual whose race is not the majority at the institution. For UT campuses, the minority category currently includes: Asian, Black, Hispanic, Multiracial, Native American, and International.*
Pell Recipients (Pell Status)	Students who received and accepted the Pell Grant from the United States federal government. Unknown students Pell Recipient status is not known. More information regarding the Pell Grant can be found here.
Race or Ethnicity	Categories developed in 1997 by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that 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. A person may be counted in only one group. The groups used to categorize U.S. citizens, international individuals, and other eligible non-citizens are as follows: American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian, Black, Hispanic, International, Two or more, Unknown, and White.*
Residency	A student’s permanent address as it would appear on their driver's license or voter registration.
Rural/Urban	The rural or urban designation from the United States Census Bureau. More information regarding the rural/urban designation can be found here.
Undergraduate	A program for students enrolled in a 4- or 5-year bachelor's degree program.
Sources:	* The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

Employee Salaries

Term	Definition
Base Salary	Amount paid to permanent employees by the University of Tennessee, excluding additional compensation and benefits.
Primary Job Title	The University of Tennessee standardized job titles assigned to each employee based on the majority of time spent (see here for job descriptions).

Enrollment

Term	Definition
Age Range	Groupings of students by age as of the end of the year in which the term falls. Groupings are <18, 18-24, 25-54, and 55+.
Citizenship	The legal citizenship designation of the student. Students are classified as either a US citizen, Permanent US Resident, or Non-Resident Alien.
Class/Degree Lvl	Indicates student’s current degree level and class designation.
Class/Degree Lvl: Undergraduate	A student enrolled in a 4- or 5-year bachelor's degree program. • Dual enrolled students are enrolled in college courses offered by an institution of higher education while enrolled in high school or seeking a recognized equivalent.* • Undergrad non-degree seeking students are students enrolled in undergraduate classes and are not pursuing a degree. • The terms freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior are defined by each institution to describe the level of a student working toward an undergraduate degree or certificate. • Fifth year seniors are enrolled in bachelor programs that typically require 5 years of coursework.
Class/Degree Lvl: Graduate	A student who holds a bachelor's degree or above and is taking courses at the postbaccalaureate level. These students may or may not be enrolled in graduate programs.* • Master’s students pursue a program of study of at least the full-time equivalent of 1 but not more than 2 academic years of work beyond the bachelor's degree. Master’s also includes students in graduate certificates, education specialist, and graduate specialists programs* • Doctoral students have been formally admitted to graduate studies and their major academic endeavor consists of formal course work directed towards fulfilling requirements for a doctoral degree.* • Professional students have been accepted into a program leading to a JD, MD, DDS, PharmD, or DVM degree.
Discipline	The general area of study of the student’s major based on the first two digits of the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code and may not match degree or major names at individual UT Institutions. More information regarding CIP codes can be found here.
First Generation	As reported on the FAFSA, the student’s parent(s) or guardian(s) did not attend any post-secondary institution. More information regarding FASFA can be found here.
Full/Part Time	Full time (FT) students are enrolled in at least 12 credit hours as an undergraduate or 9 credit hours as a graduate student. Part time (PT) students are enrolled in less than 12 credit hours as an undergraduate or 9 credit hours as a graduate student.
Gender	The gender categories in this database are female, male, and unknown.
Jurisdiction	The county, state, or country a student lists as their permanent address. Students are non-resident aliens if they are not from the United States or United States territories. Students are in-state residents if their permanent address is in Tennessee and out-of-state-residents if their permanent address is not in Tennessee.
Military Status	Active duty students are currently serving in the United States Military. Veteran students have previously served in the United States military. Reserves / National Guard students are currently serving in the Reserves or the National Guard.
New/Cont.	Students who are new to their respective university and/or degree level. • A first-time full-time freshman (FT/FT Freshmen) has no prior postsecondary experience attending any institution for the first time at the undergraduate level and is taking at least 12 credit hours. • New transfers are students who are new to their respective university and are transferring from another university. • Continuing students registered at the institution during the preceding term, or in the case of the fall term, during the preceding spring or summer term. • Readmit students have previously attended the institution and are not returning students.
New Students	A first-time full-time freshman (FT/FT Freshmen) has no prior postsecondary experience attending any institution for the first time at the undergraduate level and is taking at least 12 credit hours.
Online	Students who are taking all classes online and students who are enrolled in all-online programs.
Pell Recipients	Students who received and accepted the Pell Grant from the United States federal government. More information regarding the Pell Grant can be found here.
Race or Ethnicity	Categories developed in 1997 by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that 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. A person may be counted in only one group. The groups used to categorize U.S. citizens, international individuals, and other eligible non-citizens are as follows: Asian, Black, Hispanic, Multiracial, Native American, White, and International*
Racial or Ethnic Minority	Minority refers to a group which is not the majority. A racial or ethnic minority is an individual whose race is not the majority at the institution. For UT campuses, the minority category includes: Asian, Black, Hispanic, Multiracial, Native American, and International.*
Residency	A student’s permanent address as it would appear on their driver's license or voter registration.
Rural/Urban	The rural or urban designation from the United States Census Bureau. More information regarding the rural/urban designation can be found here.
Semester	Semester and term are used to identify the formally designated period during which classes are scheduled.**
System	The UT System in this dashboard is composed of four campuses: University of Tennessee, Knoxville; University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; University of Tennessee Martin; and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Data for the University of Tennessee Southern was not available at the time of publication.
Sources:	* The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) ** University of Tennessee, Knoxville Glossary

Finance

Term	Definition
Academic Support	A functional expense category that includes expenses of activities and services that support the institution's primary missions of instruction, research, and public service. It includes the retention, preservation, and display of educational materials (for example, libraries, museums, and galleries); organized activities that provide support services to the academic functions of the institution (such as a demonstration school associated with a college of education or veterinary and dental clinics if their primary purpose is to support the instructional program); media such as audiovisual services; academic administration (including academic deans but not department chairpersons); and formally organized and/or separately budgeted academic personnel development and course and curriculum development expenses. Also included are information technology expenses related to academic support activities; if an institution does not separately budget and expense information technology resources, the costs associated with the three primary programs will be applied to this function and the remainder to institutional support. Institutions include actual or allocated costs for operation and maintenance of plant, interest, and depreciation.*
All Other	All expenses that are not instruction, research, public service, academic support, student service, institutional support, or endowment assets.*
Endowment Assets	Funds whose principal is nonexpendable (true endowment) and that are intended to be invested to provide earnings for institutional use.*
Expense	The outflow or other using up of assets or incurrence of liabilities (or a combination of both) from delivering or producing goods, rendering services, or carrying out other activities that constitute the institution's ongoing major or central operations or in generating revenues. Alternatively, expenses may be thought of as the costs of goods and services used to produce the educational services provided by the institution. Expenses result in a reduction of net assets.*
FASB	Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is recognized by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) as the body authorized to establish accounting standards. In practice it defers to the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) for the setting of accounting standards for local and state government entities.*
GASB	The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) establishes accounting standards for local and state entities including governmental colleges and universities.*
Government Grants and Contracts	Government grants and contracts (revenues) - Revenues from governmental agencies that are for specific research projects, other types of programs , or for general institutional operations (if not government appropriations). Examples are research projects, training programs, student financial assistance, and similar activities for which amounts are received or expenses are reimbursable under the terms of a grant or contract, including amounts to cover both direct and indirect expenses. Includes Pell Grants and reimbursement for costs of administering federal financial aid programs. Grants and contracts should be classified to identify the governmental level - federal, state, or local - funding the grant or contract to the institution; grants and contracts from other sources are classified as nongovernmental grants and contracts. GASB institutions are required to classify in financial reports such grants and contracts as either operating or nonoperating.*
Instruction	A functional expense category that includes expenses of the colleges, schools, departments, and other instructional divisions of the institution and expenses for departmental research and public service that are not separately budgeted. Includes general academic instruction, occupational and vocational instruction, community education, preparatory and adult basic education, and regular, special, and extension sessions. Also includes expenses for both credit and noncredit activities. Excludes expenses for academic administration where the primary function is administration (e.g., academic deans). Information technology expenses related to instructional activities if the institution separately budgets and expenses information technology resources are included (otherwise these expenses are included in academic support). Institutions include actual or allocated costs for operation and maintenance of plant, interest, and depreciation.*
Institutional Support	A functional expense category that includes expenses for the day-to-day operational support of the institution. Includes expenses for general administrative services, central executive-level activities concerned with management and long range planning, legal and fiscal operations, space management, employee personnel and records, logistical services such as purchasing and printing, and public relations and development. Also includes information technology expenses related to institutional support activities. If an institution does not separately budget and expense information technology resources, the IT costs associated with student services and operation and maintenance of plant will also be applied to this function.*
Investment Return	Income from assets including dividends, interest earnings, royalties, rent, gains (losses) etc.*
Local Appropriations	Local appropriations are government appropriations made by a governmental entity below the state level. Education district taxes include all tax revenues assessed directly by an institution or on behalf of an institution when the institution will receive the exact amount collected. These revenues also include similar revenues that result from actions of local governments or citizens (such as through a referendum) that result in receipt by the institution of revenues based on collections of other taxes or resources (sales taxes, gambling taxes, etc.).*
Other revenues	Other sources of revenues not covered elsewhere in the collection of IPEDS Finance data from schools reporting under the pre GASB 34/35 Standards. Examples are interest income and gains (net of losses) from investments of unrestricted current funds, miscellaneous rentals and sales, expired term endowments, and terminated annuity or life income agreements, if not material. Also includes revenues resulting from the sales and services of internal service departments to persons or agencies external to the institution (e.g., the sale of computer time).*
Private Gifts, Grants, and Contracts	Revenues from private donors for which no legal consideration is involved and from private contracts for specific goods and services provided to the funder as stipulation for receipt of the funds. Includes only those gifts, grants, and contracts that are directly related to instruction, research, public service, or other institutional purposes. Includes monies received as a result of gifts, grants, or contracts from a foreign government. Also includes the estimated dollar amount of contributed services.*
Public Service	A functional expense category that includes expenses for activities established primarily to provide noninstructional services beneficial to individuals and groups external to the institution. Examples are conferences, institutes, general advisory service, reference bureaus, and similar services provided to particular sectors of the community. This function includes expenses for community services, cooperative extension services, and public broadcasting services. Also includes information technology expenses related to the public service activities if the institution separately budgets and expenses information technology resources (otherwise these expenses are included in academic support). Institutions include actual or allocated costs for operation and maintenance of plant, interest, and depreciation.*
Research	A functional expense category that includes expenses for activities specifically organized to produce research outcomes and commissioned by an agency either external to the institution or separately budgeted by an organizational unit within the institution. The category includes institutes and research centers, and individual and project research. This function does not include nonresearch sponsored programs (e.g., training programs). Also included are information technology expenses related to research activities if the institution separately budgets and expenses information technology resources (otherwise these expenses are included in academic support.) Institutions include actual or allocated costs for operation and maintenance of plant, interest, and depreciation.*
Revenue	The inflow of resources or other enhancement of net assets (or fund balance) of an institution or settlements of its liabilities (or a combination of both) from delivering or producing goods, rendering services, or other activities that constitute the institution's ongoing major or central operations. Includes revenues from fees and charges, appropriations, auxiliary enterprises, and contributions and other nonexchange transactions. Revenues are reported net of discounts and allowances (that is, the revenue reported is reduced by the amount of discounts and allowances) for FASB institutions and for GASB institutions that have implemented GASB Statement No. 34.*
State Appropriations	State appropriations are amounts received by the institution through acts of a state legislative body, except grants and contracts and capital appropriations. Funds reported in this category are for meeting current operating expenses, not for specific projects or programs.*
Student Service	A functional expense category that includes expenses for admissions, registrar activities, and activities whose primary purpose is to contribute to students emotional and physical well-being and to their intellectual, cultural, and social development outside the context of the formal instructional program. Examples include student activities, cultural events, student newspapers, intramural athletics, student organizations, supplemental instruction outside the normal administration, and student records. Intercollegiate athletics and student health services may also be included except when operated as self-supporting auxiliary enterprises. Also may include information technology expenses related to student service activities if the institution separately budgets and expenses information technology resources (otherwise these expenses are included in institutional support.) Institutions include actual or allocated costs for operation and maintenance of plant, interest, and depreciation.*
Tuition and Fees	The amount of tuition and required fees covering a full academic year most frequently charged to students. These values represent what a typical student would be charged and may not be the same for all students at an institution. If tuition is charged on a per-credit-hour basis, the average full-time credit hour load for an entire academic year is used to estimate average tuition. Required fees include all fixed sum charges that are required of such a large proportion of all students that the student who does not pay the charges is an exception.*
Sources:	* The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

Financial Aid

Term	Definition
Any Student Financial Aid	Includes students awarded Federal work study aid and aid from other sources.*
Average Student Debt	The average student debt amount.*
Federal Grants	Grants provided by federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Education, including Title IV Pell Grants and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG). Also includes need-based and merit-based educational assistance funds and training vouchers provided from other federal agencies and/or federally sponsored educational benefits programs. (Used for reporting on the Student Financial Aid component).*
Federal Student Loans	Federal monies that must be repaid to the lending institution for which the student is the designated borrower. Includes all Title IV subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Does not include PLUS and other loans made directly to parents.*
Grant or Scholarship Aid	Grant or scholarship aid includes aid awarded, from the federal government, state or local government, the institution, and other sources known by the institution.*
Institutional Grants or Scholarships	Grants-in-aid, trainee stipends, tuition and required fee waivers, prizes or other monetary awards given to undergraduate students originating from the institution.*
Other Federal Grants	Federal monies awarded to the institution under federal government student aid programs, such as the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), DHHS training grants (aid portion only), the Leveraging Education Assistance Partnership (LEAP) program, and other federal student aid programs. Pell Grants are not included in this classification. Note: if the federal government selects the student recipients and simply transmits the funds to the institution for disbursement to the student, the amounts are not considered as revenues and subsequently there are no discounts and allowances or scholarships and fellowships expenses. If the funds are made available to the institution for selection of student recipients, then the amounts received are considered as nonoperating revenues and subsequently as discounts and allowances or scholarships and fellowships expenses. *
Other Student Loans	Other monies that must be repaid to the lending institution for which the student is the designated borrower. Includes all Title IV subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Does not include PLUS and other loans made directly to parents.
Pell Grants	(Higher Education Act of 1965, Title IV, Part A, Subpart I, as amended.) Provides grant assistance to eligible undergraduate postsecondary students with demonstrated financial need to help meet education expenses.*
State/Local Government Grants or Scholarships	Grant monies provided by the state such as Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnerships (LEAP) (formerly SSIG's); merit scholarships provided by the state; tuition and fee waivers for which the institution was reimbursed by a state agency, and scholarships or gift-aid awarded directly to the student.*
Student Loan Aid	Any monies that must be repaid to the lending institution for which the student is the designated borrower. Includes all Title IV subsidized and unsubsidized loans and all institutionally and privately sponsored loans. Does not include Parent PLUS and other loans made directly to parents.*
Sources:	* The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)

Peer Comparisons

Term	Definition
1-YR Retention Rate	The percentage of students in a cohort that are enrolled in the fall following their cohort year.
4-YR Graduation Rate	The percentage of first-time full-time undergraduate students that receive their degree within 4 years of joining the starting their program.*
6-YR Graduation Rate	The percentage of first-time full-time undergraduate students that receive their degree within 6 years of joining the starting their program.*
Admit Rate	The number of accepted students divided by the number of applicants.
Adult Learner	Undergraduate students who are 25 years of age or older.
Cohort	Students are in a cohort if they are first-time full-time during their first semester and their first semester takes place during the summer or fall.
Degrees Awarded	The number of degrees awarded to students; a student may be counted more than once if they received more than one degree. A degree with two majors is counted as two separate awards.*
Faculty	Persons identified by the institution as such and typically those whose initial assignments are made for the purpose of conducting instruction, research or public service as a principal activity (or activities). They may hold academic rank titles of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, lecturer or the equivalent of any of those academic ranks. *
Federal Grants	Grants provided by federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Education, including Title IV Pell Grants and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG). Also includes need-based and merit-based educational assistance funds and training vouchers provided from other federal agencies and/or federally sponsored educational benefits programs. *
Federal Student Loans	Money borrowed from the federal government that must be repaid for which the student is the designated borrower. This type of aid includes all Title IV federal student programs such as Subsidized Direct Loans, and Unsubsidized Direct Loans. It also includes Health Professions Student Loans, Loans for Disadvantaged Students, Nursing Student Loans, and Primary Care Loans. This does not include PLUS loans and other federal loans not made directly to the student.*
Freshman ACT Composite Average	The score range for each of the four tests is 1–36. The composite score, as reported by ACT, is the average of the four test scores earned during a single test administration, rounded to the nearest whole number.**
FT/PT	Full time (FT) students are enrolled in at least 12 credit hours as an undergraduate or 9 credit hours as a graduate student. Part time (PT) students are enrolled in less than 12 credit hours as an undergraduate or 9 credit hours as a graduate student.
Gender	The gender categories in this database are female, male, and unknown.
Graduate	A student who holds a bachelor's degree or above and is taking courses at the postbaccalaureate level. These students may or may not be enrolled in graduate programs.*
Management	Staff whose job it is to plan, direct, or coordinate policies, programs, and may include some supervision of other workers.*
Peer Group	Groupings of campuses by characteristics that are comparable to campuses in the University of Tennessee System. Groupings are comparable peers, aspirational peers, locally governed institutions (LGIs), and schools in the southeastern conference (SEC).
Peer Group: University of Tennessee, Knoxville	• Comparable Peers: Auburn University, Clemson University, Iowa State University, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Kentucky, University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus, University of South Carolina-Columbia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University • Aspirational Peers: Michigan State University, North Carolina State University at Raleigh, Purdue University-Main Campus, The Pennsylvania State University, University of Georgia, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign • SEC Peers: Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College, Mississippi State University, Texas A & M University-College Station, The University of Alabama, University of Arkansas, University of Florida, and University of Mississippi
Peer Group: University of Tennessee at Chattanooga	• Comparable Peers: Arkansas State University, Louisiana State University-Shreveport, Stephen F Austin State University, Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi, The University of Texas at Tyler, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, University of Central Arkansas, University of Missouri-St Louis, University of West Georgia, and Valdosta State University • Aspirational Peers: College of Charleston, Eastern Kentucky University, Lamar University, Northern Kentucky University, University of Nebraska at Omaha, and Western Kentucky University • LGI: Austin Peay State University, East Tennessee State University, Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee State University, Tennessee Technological University, and University of Memphis
Peer Group: University of Tennessee Southern	• Comparable Peers: Dickinson State University, Glenville State College, Mayville State University, Montana State University-Northern, Ohio State University-Marion Campus, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Peru State College, University of Maine at Fort Kent and University of New Hampshire at Manchester, and University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma • Aspirational Peers: Lake Superior State University, Rogers State University, The University of Montana-Western, University of Minnesota-Morris, University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, and Valley City State University
Peer Group: University of Tennessee at Martin	• Comparable Peers: Auburn University at Montgomery, Austin Peay State University, Coastal Carolina University, Frostburg State University, McNeese State University, Morehead State University, Northwest Missouri State University, Southeast Missouri State University, Truman State University, and University of North Alabama • Aspirational Peers: Angelo State University, Murray State University, Stephen F Austin State University, University of Central Missouri, University of Nebraska at Kearney, and West Texas A & M University • LGI: Austin Peay State University, East Tennessee State University, Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee State University, Tennessee Technological University, and University of Memphis
Peer Group: University of Tennessee Health Science Center	• Comparable Peers: Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, and University of Oklahoma-Health Sciences Center • Aspirational Peers: Medical University of South Carolina, Oregon Health & Science University, and The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Racial or Ethnic Minority	Minority refers to a group which is not the majority. A racial or ethnic minority is an individual whose race is not the majority at the institution. For UT campuses, the minority category includes: Asian, Black, Hispanic, Multiracial, Native American, and International. *
Pell Recipients	Students who received and accepted the Pell Grant from the United States federal government. More information regarding the Pell Grant can be found here.
Race or Ethnicity	Categories developed in 1997 by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that 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. A person may be counted in only one group. The groups used to categorize U.S. citizens, international individuals, and other eligible non-citizens are as follows: Asian, Black, Hispanic, Multiracial, Native American, White, and International.*
Scholarships	Grants-in-aid, trainee stipends, tuition and required fee waivers, prizes or other monetary awards given to undergraduate students.*
Staff	All other employees that are not faculty or employees who primarily instruct, research, or perform public service as a principal activity (or activities).
Student Loan Aid	Any monies that must be repaid to the lending institution for which the student is the designated borrower. Includes all Title IV subsidized and unsubsidized loans and all institutionally- and privately-sponsored loans. Does not include PLUS and other loans made directly to parents. *
System	The UT System in this dashboard is composed of five campuses: University of Tennessee, Knoxville; University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; University of Tennessee Southern; University of Tennessee Martin; and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
Tenure Status	Indicates faculty member’s current tenure status. • Tenured: Status of a personnel position with respect to permanence of the position.* • On Tenure Track: Personnel positions that lead to consideration for tenure.* • Not On Tenure Track: A faculty member who is not tenured and is not on tenure track.
Undergraduate	A student enrolled in a 4- or 5-year bachelor's degree program.
Yield Rate	The number of students who enroll at the university divided by the number of students accepted.
Sources:	* The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) ** ACT.org

Research Expenditures

Term	Definition
Expenditures	Includes all expenditures for R&D activities from an institution’s current operating funds that are separately accounted for. • Sponsored research (federal and nonfederal) • University research (institutional funds which are separately budgeted for individual R&D projects) • Startup, bridge, or seed funding provided to researchers within your institution • Other departmental funds designated for research • Recovered and unrecovered indirect costs • Equipment purchased from R&D project accounts • R&D funds passed through to a subrecipient organization, educational or other • Clinical trials • Research training grants funding work on organized research projects • Tuition remission provided to students working on research
Field	The 40 fields of R&D reported in the survey questionnaire. In the data tables, the fields are grouped into 10 major areas: computer and information sciences; engineering; geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences; life sciences; mathematics and statistics; physical sciences; psychology; social sciences; other sciences; and non-science and engineering. Due to data relevance, the dashboard does not report non-science and other sciences fields.
Fund Source	Fund Source identifies the entity from which the funds originated, including: • Federal government: Any agency of the U.S. government. Federal funds which were passed through to the reporting institution from another institution were included. • State and local government: Any state, county, municipality, or other local government entity in the United States, including state health agencies. State funds which supported R&D at agricultural and other experiment stations were included. Public institutions reported state appropriations restricted for R&D activities in this category. • Business: Domestic or foreign for-profit organizations. Funds from a company’s nonprofit foundation were not reported; they were reported under Nonprofit organizations. • Nonprofit organizations: Domestic or foreign nonprofit foundations and organizations, except universities and colleges. Funds from the reporting institution’s 501(c)3 foundation were reported under Institutional funds. Funds from other universities and colleges were reported under All other sources. • Institution funds: Includes institutionally financed research (all R&D funded by the institution from accounts which are only used for research, excluding institution research administration and support), cost sharing (committed), and unrecovered indirect costs (the portion of indirect costs associated with a sponsored project which not reimbursed by the sponsor in accordance with the institution’s negotiated indirect cost rate). • All other sources: Sources not reported in other categories, such as funds from foreign governments, foreign or U.S. universities, and gifts designated by the donors for research.
Government Entity	The specific entity from which funds originated within those expenditures which have a fund source of “Federal government,” including: • DOD: Department of Defense • DOE: Department of Energy • HHS: Department of Health and Human Services • NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration • NSF: National Science Foundation • USDA: United States Department of Agriculture • Other agencies: Other federal government agencies which are not listed
Peer Group	Peers are systems compared with the UT System or institutions compared with UT campuses relative to key performance indicators.* There are four different peer groups: • Comparable: Peers that possess similar institutional characteristics such as levels of degrees awarded, governance, Carnegie Classification, and enrollment profile. • Aspirational: Peers that possess similar institutional characteristics and have achieved performance on one more or more metrics that the university aspires to attain. • SEC: The Southeastern Conference is an athletic conference. Only the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is compared to the SEC. More information regarding the SEC can be found here. • LGI: Locally governed institutions are state universities that have their own governing boards. The Chattanooga and Martin campuses are compared with LGIs.
System	Four UT campuses are included in this dashboard: University of Tennessee, Knoxville; University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; University of Tennessee at Martin; and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. University of Tennessee Southern data is not included in this dashboard because it does not report research expenditures on the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development survey.
Sources:	All definitions are from the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development survey unless otherwise noted. * The Society for College and University Planning (scup.org).

Student Success

Term	Definition
Age Range	Groupings of students by age as of the end of the year in which the term falls. Groupings are <18, 18-24, 25-54, and 55+.
Citizenship	The legal citizenship designation of the student. Students are classified as either a US citizen, Permanent US Resident, or Non-Resident Alien.
Class/Degree Lvl	Indicates student’s current degree level and class designation.
Class/Degree Lvl: Undergraduate	A student enrolled in a 4- or 5-year bachelor's degree program. • Dual enrolled students are enrolled in college courses offered by an institution of higher education while enrolled in high school or seeking a recognized equivalent.* • Undergrad non-degree seeking students are students enrolled in undergraduate classes and are not pursuing a degree. • The terms freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior are defined by each institution to describe the level of a student working toward an undergraduate degree or certificate. • Fifth year seniors are enrolled in bachelor programs that typically require 5 years of coursework.
Class/Degree Lvl: Graduate	A student who holds a bachelor's degree or above and is taking courses at the postbaccalaureate level. These students may or may not be enrolled in graduate programs.* • Master’s students pursue a program of study of at least the full-time equivalent of 1 but not more than 2 academic years of work beyond the bachelor's degree. Master’s also includes students in graduate certificates, education specialist, and graduate specialists programs* • Doctoral students have been formally admitted to graduate studies and their major academic endeavor consists of formal course work directed towards fulfilling requirements for a doctoral degree.* • Professional students have been accepted into a program leading to a JD, MD, DDS, PharmD, or DVM degree.
Cohort Status	Students are in a cohort if they are first-time full-time during their first semester and their first semester takes place during the summer or fall.
Discipline/Major	The general area of study of the student’s major based on the first two digits of the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code and may not match degree or major names at individual UT Institutions. More information regarding CIP codes can be found here.
First Generation (First Gen.)	As reported on the FAFSA, the student’s parent(s) or guardian(s) did not attend any post-secondary institution. More information regarding FASFA can be found here.
Full/Part Time	Full time (FT) students are enrolled in at least 12 credit hours as an undergraduate or 9 credit hours as a graduate student. Part time (PT) students are enrolled in less than 12 credit hours as an undergraduate or 9 credit hours as a graduate student.
Gender	The gender categories in this database are female, male, and unknown.
Graduation Rate	The percentage of students that graduate within a specified timeframe in relation to their first fall. The options available are 4-Year and 6-Year.
Jurisdiction	The county, state, or country a student lists as their permanent address. Students are non-resident aliens if they are not from the United States or United States territories. Students are in-state residents if their permanent address is in Tennessee and out-of-state-residents if their permanent address is not in Tennessee.
Military Status	Active duty students are currently serving in the United States Military. Veteran students have previously served in the United States military. Reserves / National Guard students are currently serving in the Reserves or the National Guard.
New/Cont.	Students who are new to their respective university and/or degree level. • A first-time full-time freshman (FT/FT Freshmen) has no prior postsecondary experience attending any institution for the first time at the undergraduate level and is taking at least 12 credit hours. • New transfers are students who are new to their respective university and are transferring from another university. • Continuing students registered at the institution during the preceding term, or in the case of the fall term, during the preceding spring or summer term. • Readmit students have previously attended the institution and are not returning students.
New Students	A first-time full-time freshman (FT/FT Freshmen) has no prior postsecondary experience attending any institution for the first time at the undergraduate level and is taking at least 12 credit hours.
Online	Students who are taking all classes online and students who are enrolled in all-online programs.
Pell Recipients	Students who received and accepted the Pell Grant from the United States federal government. More information regarding the Pell Grant can be found here.
Race or Ethnicity	Categories developed in 1997 by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that 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. A person may be counted in only one group. The groups used to categorize U.S. citizens, international individuals, and other eligible non-citizens are as follows: Asian, Black, Hispanic, Multiracial, Native American, White, and International*
Racial or Ethnic Minority	Minority refers to a group which is not the majority. A racial or ethnic minority is an individual whose race is not the minority at the institution. For UT campuses, the minority category includes: Asian, Black, Hispanic, Multiracial, Native American, and International.*
Residency	A student’s permanent address as it would appear on their driver's license or voter registration.
Retention Rate	A measure of the rate at which students persist in their educational program at an institution, expressed as a percentage. For four-year institutions, this is the percentage of first-time bachelors (or equivalent) degree-seeking undergraduates from the previous fall who are again enrolled in the current fall. The options available are First-Year, Second-Year, and Third-Year. *
Rural/Urban	The rural or urban designation from the United States Census Bureau. More information regarding the rural/urban designation can be found here.
Semester	Semester and term are used to identify the formally designated period during which classes are scheduled.**
System	The UT System in this dashboard is composed of four campuses: University of Tennessee, Knoxville; University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; University of Tennessee Martin; and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Data for the University of Tennessee Southern was not available at the time of publication.
Sources:	* The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) ** University of Tennessee, Knoxville Glossary

UT Impact

Term	Definition
Alumni	Any living person granted a degree from UT as of July 1 of the fiscal year shown and their last known address.
Economic Impact	Economic impact was calculated by UT’s Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research. The estimate includes all the direct spending made by the UT System for the fiscal year shown, as well as additional jobs and income created through the multiplier effect (whereby dollars are spent and re-spent elsewhere in Tennessee such that each dollar spent by the UT System can generate more than one dollar of economic activity).
Employees	Any person paid by UT in the fiscal year shown and their home address. This excludes student employees.
Insured Building Value	Includes all buildings that are active as of June 30 of the fiscal year shown.
Jobs Created	The count of jobs created was calculated by UT’s Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research. The estimate includes all the direct spending made by the UT System for the fiscal year shown, as well as additional jobs and income created through the multiplier effect (whereby dollars are spent and re-spent elsewhere in Tennessee such that each dollar spent by the UT System can generate more than one dollar of economic activity).
Students	Official 14th day enrollment for Fall of the academic year shown and their permanent address. Veterans: Number of students who identified as a US Military Veteran. Two-Year Transfer: Number of transfer students from a Tennessee 2-Year Institution.
Tennesseans Served	Participants include IPS contacts, UT Extension contacts, and UT AgResearch attendees/contacts for the fiscal year shown. Counts include "live" contacts via virtual live seminars but excludes impressions and engagements with social media.
Total Expenditures	UT salaries & benefits and spending to vendors.
Vendors	External providers of goods and services including research and non-research.
Volunteers	UT Extension volunteers for the fiscal year shown.

Known Discrepancies

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Term	Discrepancy
First Generation	UTK uses application data to determine first generation status. UTSA uses financial aid (i.e., FAFSA) data to determine first generation status.
Student Level	UTK considers all first-time full-time students in the cohort “freshmen” regardless of credit hours. UTSA does not consider first-time status in reporting student level.
New Graduate Students	UTK does not count new transfer graduate students as new; UTSA does.

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Term	Discrepancy
Total Enrollment	UTC includes audit-only and English as a second language (ESL) students in total enrollment. This is different from UTSA and Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
New Graduate Students	UTC considers new transfer graduate students to be new transfers; UTSA considers them to be new graduate students.
New Transfers	UTC considers new transfer graduate students to be new transfers; UTSA considers them to be new graduate students.
Age	UTC uses the first day of the term to define age. UTSA uses the end of the year in which the term falls.

University of Tennessee at Martin

Term	Discrepancy
Total Enrollment	UTM’s enrollment includes audit-only students, which usually affects 1-5 students per semester.
New Graduate Students	UTM limits this designation to degree-seeking students; UTSA does not.

University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Term	Discrepancy
New Graduate Students	UTHSC limits this designation to degree-seeking students; UTSA does not.
Residency	UTHSC does not use citizenship in determining residency.
Age	UTHSC uses age as of July 1 for fall and January 2 for spring. UTSA uses the end of the year in which the term falls.