Quality of Data Reported through the Department’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System Surveys by Southern New Hampshire University - Inspection Report - January 16, 2026

Oct 15, 2026

Inspection Report on whether Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) reported verifiable data to the Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) for the 2021–2022 reporting period. The Office of Inspector General found SNHU did not always report verifiable data in the Student Financial Aid, Graduation Rates, and Institutional Characteristic surveys due to missing procedures for collecting, consolidating, assessing reliability, and reporting IPEDS data. Impact included unreliable net price, graduation rate, and cost of attendance, potentially affecting enrollment decisions. The report presents results in brief, findings, next steps, and recommendations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages49

Reading Time2 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Finding 1. SNHU Did Not Report Verifiable Data to IPEDS through the SFA Survey for the 2021–2022 Reporting Period

Finding 2. SNHU Did Not Report Verifiable Data to IPEDS through the Graduation Rates Survey for the 2021–2022 Reporting Period

Finding 3. SNHU Did Not Report Verifiable Data to IPEDS through the Institutional Characteristics Survey for the 2021–2022 Reporting Period

Appendix A. Scope and Methodology

Appendix B. Acronyms and Abbreviations

| | U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General | | --- | --- | | Quality of Data Reported through the Department’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System Surveys by Southern New Hampshire University
January 16, 2026 ED-OIG/I24IL0217
INSPECTION REPORT | | NOTICE Statements that managerial practices need improvements, as well as other conclusionsand recommendations in this report, represent the opinions of the Office of Inspector General. The appropriate Department of Education officials will determine what corrective actions should be taken. In accordance with Freedom of Information Act (Title 5, United States Code, Section 552), reports that the Office of Inspector General issues are available to members of the press and general public to the extent information they contain is not subject to exemptions in the Act. January 16, 2026 Lisa Marsh Ryerson President Southern New Hampshire University 2500 North River Road Manchester, NH 03106 Dear President Ryerson: Enclosed is our final report,“Quality of Data Reported through the Department’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System Surveys by Southern New Hampshire University,” Control Number ED-OIG/I24IL0217 . This report incorporates the comments you provided in response to the draft report. The U.S. Department of Education’s policy is to expedite inspection resolution by timely acting on findings and recommendations. Therefore, if you have any additional comments or information that you believe may have a bearing on the resolution of this inspection, you should send them directly to the following Department of Education officials, who will consider them before taking final Departmental action on this inspection. Richard Lucas Acting Chief Operating Officer for Federal Student Aid U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20202 Matthew Soldner Acting Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Ave SW Washington, DC 20202 We appreciate your cooperation during this inspection. If you have any questions, please contact Tracie Goff-Smith, Assistant Director, Higher Education Oversight Team, at [Tracie.Goff-Smith@ed.gov](Tracie.Goff-Smith@ed.gov) or (202) 987-0578 or me at [Jeffrey.Nekrasz@ed.gov](Jeffrey.Nekrasz@ed.gov). Sincerely, /s/ Jeffrey Nekrasz Acting Director Higher Education Oversight Team Enclosure U. S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General Results in Brief Quality of Data Reported through the Department’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System Surveys by Southern New Hampshire University Why Did the OIG Perform this Work? Section 487(a)(17) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, requires postsecondary schools participating in Title IV programs to annually report data, including data relevant to students’ cost of attendance and financial aid and the schools’ graduation rates, to the U.S. Department of Education’s (Department) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) to the satisfaction of the Secretary. IPEDS data are available to the public, including students, parents, and researchers, and can be used to analyze trends in postsecondary education. They also can help students attending postsecondary schools, prospective students, and their parents compare postsecondary schools and make informed school enrollment decisions. The objective of our inspection was to determine whether Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) reported verifiable data to IPEDS for the 2021–2022 reporting period. What Did the OIG Find? | SNHU did not always report verifiable data in the Student Financial Aid, Graduation Rates, and Institutional Characteristic Surveys to IPEDS for the 2021–2022 reporting period because it did not update and implement procedures for collecting, consolidating, assessing the reliability of, and reporting data to IPEDS.
What Is the Impact?

FAQs

What was the objective of the OIG inspection for SNHU’s IPEDS reporting?

The objective was to determine whether SNHU reported verifiable data to IPEDS for the 2021–2022 reporting period.

Which IPEDS surveys were affected by SNHU’s failure to report verifiable data?

The OIG found issues with the Student Financial Aid, Graduation Rates, and Institutional Characteristic Surveys for the 2021–2022 reporting period.

What impact did the unreliable IPEDS data have on students and parents?

Because the reported data were not always verifiable, SNHU’s published net price, graduation rate, and cost of attendance for 2021–2022 were unreliable, which could have influenced enrollment decisions.

Oct 15, 2026

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