Higher Education Statistics – collection and processing

May 11, 2006

Anna Gärdqvist

Mats Haglund

Statistics Sweden

Higher Education Statistics

Register of Higher Education

• All students (undergradute/postgraduate)

• Unique identification numbers

• National Agency for Higher Education is responsible for official statistics

• Statistics Sweden is responsible for the register

Data providers

• Universities are data providers for official statistics according to regulation

• Regulation: ”… to secure that information on applicants, studies achieved, credits and graduations are saved.”

• Ladok – Local Administrative Documentation System

• Ladok is owned and managed by a consortium

Purposes of Ladok

• Local administration needs

• Allocation of financial resources

• Releasing data to certain public authorities (e.g. for official statistics)

• Follow-up studies and evaluations

Ladok – contents

• Integrates administration of students and statistical information

• Regulation states the contents of Ladok, e.g.- identification - eligibility- admission - registration- course data - credit points- graduations - international studies

Swedish National Board of Student Aid

Ministry of Education, Research and Culture

Statistics Sweden

Ladok – quality

• Testing and developing

• Continous error reporting

• Person(s) at university over-all responsible

• System management

• Maintenance and developing work

• Annual meetings

• Ladok Academy (education organization)

Data to Statistics Sweden • Data deliveries eight times a year

• According to annual schedule

• Special Ladok routines

• txt-files

• Loading into database

• Statistical secrecy

99 per cent of all data provided via Ladok

I N T E R N E T

From administrative to statistical register

Administrative register

Register-statisticalprocessing

Statistical register

Administrative register is processed so objects and variables will meet statistical needs:

- Editing and coding

- Handling of missing objects and values

- Matching and selections

- Processing of time references

- Creating derived objects and variables

From administrative to statistical register

Quality assurance:

– Contacts with data providers

– Checking received data

– Missing values: reasons and extent (studies over time)

– Inconsistencies are investigated and reported

– Good knowledge of administrative data

Register of Higher Education

Based on unique personal identity numbers:

• Time series studies, follow-up studies

• Data processing with other registers, e.g. - Population register- Employment register

• Integrity aspects

Pros- Individual counted data- Longitudinal data- Total counted data- Adapted to ISCED97- Good possibilities for reporting small areas, regional statistics

Cons- Dependent on the administrative system's population, object and variable definitions - Difficult to influence input - Variables less important

for administrative work can be of lower quality

Pros and cons with Register of Higher Education

Output – Register of Higher Education

- Tables- Publications- Public database- Sampling frame- Integrated databases- Research purposes

- Analyses/qualitative reports- Annual Report for Universities and University Colleges- ”Key figures” or indicators - National Monitoring database

More information

• Ladok www.ladok.se

• Swedish National Agency of higher Education www.hsv.se

• Ministry of Education, Research and Culture www.regeringen.se

• Statistics Sweden www.scb.se