Strong Foundations 2025 - State Postsecondary Data Linkages and Access Across State Agencies

Oct 15, 2026

Strong Foundations 2025 examines how states integrate postsecondary and workforce data across state agencies, using findings from the Strong Foundations 2025 survey. It maps the current landscape of cross-agency data infrastructure, including governance models, data exchange practices, and patterns of data linkage and access. The brief clarifies distinctions between data linkage and data access, outlines data accessibility levels, and highlights key challenges alongside emerging coordination strategies to support statewide postsecondary data integration.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Current State of Postsecondary Data Exchanges Across Sectors

Defining Data Linkage Versus Data Access

Data Exchange Governance Models

Data Access Sources

Data Accessibility Levels

Challenges and Emerging Coordination Strategies

Conclusion

Strong Foundations 2025: STATE POSTSECONDARY DATA LINKAGESAND ACCESS ACROSS STATE AGENCIES Jessica Colorado June 2026 The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) serves the chief executives of statewide governing, policy, and coordinating boards of postsecondary education and their staffs. Founded in 1954, SHEEO promotes an environment that values higher education and its role in ensuring the equitable education of all Americans, regardless of race/ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic factors. Together with its members, SHEEO aims to achieve this vision by equipping state higher education executive officers and their staffs with the tools to effectively advance the value of higher education, promoting public policies and academic practices that enable all Americans to achieve success in the 21st century, and serving as an advocate for state higher education leadership. For more information, visit [sheeo.org](sheeo.org). © 2026 State Higher Education Executive Officers Association SHEEO STRONG FOUNDATIONS 2025: STATE POSTSECONDARY DATA LINKAGES AND ACCESS ACROSS STATE AGENCIES © 2026 by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 4 CURRENT STATE OF POSTSECONDARY DATA EXCHANGES ACROSS SECTORS.............................4 DEFINING DATA LINKAGE VERSUS DATA ACCESS....................................................................................... 4 DATA EXCHANGE GOVERNANCE MODELS .................................................................................................. 6 DATA ACCESS SOURCES .....................................................................................................................................7 DATA ACCESSIBILITY LEVELS ............................................................................................................................ 8 CHALLENGES AND EMERGING COORDINATION STRATEGIES......................................................... 9 CONCLUSION......................................................................................................................................... 11 INDEX OF TABLES 1. STATE POSTSECONDARY DATA SYSTEMS LINKAGES AND DATA ACCESS TO OTHER STATE AGENCIES ........................................................................................................................ 5 INDEX OF FIGURES 1. DATA EXCHANGE GOVERNANCE MODEL FOR THE TOP 5 MOST-REPORTED LINKED SECTORS/AGENCIES ....................................................................................................................................... 6 2. DATA ACCESS SOURCE FOR THE TOP 5 MOST-ACCESSED SECTORS/AGENCIES .........................7 3. DATA ACCESSIBILITY FOR THE TOP 5 MOST-ACCESSED SECTORS/AGENCIES ............................ 8 4. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING PREVENTS OR INHIBITS YOUR AGENCY FROM LINKING TO UNIT RECORD SYSTEMS, ESPECIALLY ACROSS AGENCIES, SECTORS, OR STATES? ............. 9 5. STRATEGIES ADOPTED OR TAKEN TO INCREASE COORDINATION RELATED TO DATA LINKING AND SHARING DATA FROM PSUR SYSTEMS WITH OTHER STATE AUTHORITIES/ADMINISTRATORS.............................................................................................................. 10 SUGGESTED CITATION: Colorado, J. (2026). Strong Foundations 2025: State postsecondary data linkages and access across state agencies. State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. SHEEO STRONG FOUNDATIONS 2025: STATE POSTSECONDARY DATA LINKAGES AND ACCESS ACROSS STATE AGENCIES © 2026 by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) 3 INTRODUCTION As states face growing pressure to demonstrate the economic value of postsecondary education, the need for integrated postsecondary and workforce data systems has become increasingly im

FAQs

What is the distinction between data linkage and data access in this brief?

Data linkage is the process of sharing data to integrate unit record data across state agencies, without necessarily granting access to the integrated dataset. Data access means the ability to receive linked data in student-level and/or aggregate form and use it within agency processes like analysis and reporting.

How do states conduct cross-sector postsecondary data exchanges?

States report using combinations of formal longitudinal data systems, memoranda of understanding (MOUs), data sharing agreements (DSAs), and collaborative governance arrangements involving multiple state partners. Many efforts aim to move beyond ad hoc coordination toward more structured integration approaches.

What challenges and strategies are discussed for statewide postsecondary data integration?

The brief addresses barriers that inhibit linking to unit record systems across agencies, sectors, or states. It also covers strategies adopted to increase coordination related to data linking and sharing from PSUR systems with other state authorities and administrators.

Oct 15, 2026

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