What is institutional data?

Definition of institutional data

A data element is considered "institutional" data if it meets one or more of the following criteria:

• The data is relevant to planning, managing, operating, or auditing a major administrative function of the university.
• The data is referenced or required for use by more than one organizational unit.
• The data is included in an official university administrative report.
• The data is used to derive a data element that meets these criteria.

Classification of data

As a foundation for making decisions about data access, institutional data will be organized into three general categories or classifications:

• University-internal data: May be accessed by all eligible employees of the university, without restriction, in the conduct of university business; should be the "default" classification for all data, and access restrictions should be applied only as required below
  
  
• Limited-access data: Because of legal, ethical, or other constraints, may not be accessed without specific authorization, or only selective access may be granted
  
  
• Public data: No restrictions whatsoever; general public may be granted access

Also see:

• About collecting data from students
• What is sensitive data, and how is it protected by law?