This glossary includes terms used in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). IPEDS is the core postsecondary education data collection program of the United States Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. The IPEDS system is built around a series of interrelated surveys that collect institution-level data in such areas as enrollment, program completions, faculty, staff, finance, and libraries. The IPEDS program currently collects information from more than 11,000 postsecondary institutions using 1 or more of 9 survey instruments. A table provides a key to the various IPEDS survey forms that institutions are asked to complete. The glossary also contains a description and explanation of all the IPEDS survey components, a summary of who is and is not included in IPEDS, description of how the data are used, and explanation of such components of the statutory requirements for reporting IPEDS data as the general mandate, vocational education data, data on race/ethnicity and gender of students, fall staff data, library data, and mandatory reporting for institutions with program participation agreements. Definitions for IPEDS universe institutions are presented in a chart. The glossary contains 306 items. (JB)