First-time student is an undergraduate who has no prior postsecondary experience and is attending any institution for the first time at the undergraduate level.
How it is measured
Institutions identify first-time status from application records and prior-enrollment checks. The Fall Enrollment survey collects the number of first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates by attendance status, race/ethnicity, and gender. These counts become the starting cohorts for later retention and graduation reporting after allowable exclusions are applied.
Example: a student graduates from high school in May with 12 dual-enrollment credits, then enrolls full-time at a four-year institution in September. That student is first-time. A student who completed one semester at a community college the previous year and then transfers is not first-time; that student is a transfer-in.
How it differs
Transfer-in students have prior postsecondary enrollment. Continuing or returning students were already enrolled at the institution. Non-degree-seeking students may be first-time at the institution but are excluded from the degree-seeking cohorts used for official rates.
Common errors
Counting dual-enrollment high-school students as having prior postsecondary experience. Including summer-start students who continue in the fall as non-first-time. Using an institution’s internal “new student” count that mixes first-time and transfer students when comparing to IPEDS rates.
References
- 1. IPEDS glossary first-time studentNo prior postsecondary experience definition
- 2. IPEDS enrollment survey materialsCohort construction rules
First-time student is an undergraduate who has no prior postsecondary experience and is attending any institution for the first time at the undergraduate level.