OIRA serves as an official clearinghouse for information about Harvard University and its students, faculty, and staff. As such, the Institutional Reporting functional area includes internal and external reporting of statistics and trends for a variety of purposes:
- Preparation of Harvard University’s official statistics via our Fact Book
- Compilation and sharing of data for the Federal Government (IPEDS), Massachusetts/Cambridge, and organizations such as the American Talent Initiative and the American Association of University Professors
- Responding to requests for institutional data from external entities and peer institutions
- Providing accurate and updated data and answers to questions from campus constituents, both as part of a planned schedule and on an ad hoc basis
- Communicating data and information via dashboards and other online/digital platforms
- Participating in data sharing through consortia (e.g., COFHE, AAUDE)
As part of its Institutional Reporting function, OIRA maintains processes to ensure that reporting is consistent and high-quality.
Want to make a data request?
If your question cannot be answered using data available in our Fact Book or the Common Data Set, please contact us to submit a request for administrative data. Consider the following questions when you submit your request:
- What data would you like to obtain (e.g., admissions, enrollment, degree completions, appointments, titles), for which population(s) (e.g., undergraduate students, graduate/professional students, faculty, staff), and for which Harvard school(s)?
- What is the purpose and intended outcome of the request?
- Who, specifically, will the information be shared with? How will the information be shared (i.e., will the information be emailed, posted online, shared via SharePoint or Teams, etc.)?
- Will any resulting analyses be shared outside of Harvard University (i.e., is it intended for public consumption)?
- What is your anticipated timeline or deadline for receiving the data?
- Do you foresee this becoming an annual/semi-annual request that we can build into our calendar?
Featured Report:
The Common Data Set (CDS) provides data and metrics in a “common” format that facilitates comparison between Harvard and other institutions.
Read more about the Common Data Set Initiative.