Each fall, UW–Madison takes an official snapshot of student enrollment on the 10th day of classes. This is known as the institution’s census date. We also refer to this snapshot as our frozen enrollment counts.
Why do we use a census date?
Federal reporting guidelines require enrollment to be reported as of October 15 or the institution’s official fall reporting date. The Universities of Wisconsin collects enrollment data from all UW institutions and has established the 10th day of classes as the systemwide census date. By that point in the term, most registration activity has stabilized, providing a reliable snapshot of student enrollment.
A consistent snapshot provides a replicable data source, allowing offices across the institution to work from the same data. These data are also included in key institutional reports. A common reporting date supports more accurate trend analysis, both within the institution and with peer institutions.
Internal reporting
Census date data are used in key reports and comparisons at UW—Madison, including:
- Registrar’s Enrollment Report.
- DAPIR’s Trends in Enrollment data visualization.
- The enrollment sections of the Common Data Set.
- Most of the student section of the Data Digest.
External reporting
Census date counts also form the basis of our Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. IPEDS is a mandatory federal data collection for institutions of higher education. It is one source of our peer comparison data. Peer institutions report fall enrollment data to IPEDS from similar time periods.
If you have questions about our census date, send us an email.