Common Data Sets
The Common Data Set (CDS) initiative is a collaborative effort among data providers in the higher education community and publishers as represented by the College Board, Peterson's, part of The Thomson Corporation, and U.S. News & World Report. The combined goal of this collaboration is to improve the quality and accuracy of information provided to all involved in a student's transition into higher education, as well as to reduce the reporting burden on data providers.
This goal is attained by the development of clear, standard data items and definitions in order to determine a specific cohort relevant to each item. Data items and definitions used by the U.S. Department of Education in its higher education surveys often serve as a guide in the continued development of the CDS. Common Data Set items undergo broad review by the CDS Advisory Board as well as by data providers representing secondary schools and two- and four-year colleges. Feedback from those who utilize the CDS also is considered throughout the annual review process.
The CDS is a set of standards and definitions of data items rather than a survey instrument or set of data represented in a database. Each of the higher education surveys conducted by the participating publishers incorporates items from the CDS as well as unique items proprietary to each publisher. Consequently, the publishers' surveys differ in that they utilize varying numbers of items from the CDS (excerpt).
Links for Common Data Set (CDS) by Year
- CDS 2005 - 2006
- CDS 2006 - 2007
- CDS 2007 - 2008
- CDS 2008 - 2009
- CDS 2009 - 2010
- CDS 2010 - 2011
- CDS 2011 - 2012
- CDS 2012 - 2013
- CDS 2013 - 2014
- CDS 2014 - 2015
- CDS 2015 - 2016
- CDS 2016 - 2017
- CDS 2017 - 2018
- CDS 2018 - 2019
- CDS 2019 - 2020
- CDS 2020 - 2021