The National Survey of IR Offices is a nationally representative, longitudinal study of the institutional research (IR) function within U.S. higher education institutions.
The survey collects information about IR office structure, leadership, resources, and effectiveness.
This project, which began in 2015, seeks to better understand and improve IR office operations, which support the efficiency and effectiveness of data-informed decision making in higher education.
2021 AIR National Survey of IR Offices Briefs
The 2021 AIR National Survey of IR Offices attempted to survey IR office leaders at more than 3,000 postsecondary degree-granting institutions. Institutions of all sectors, types of control, and sizes were included in the sample. In total, responses were collected from 1,142 institutions, and 554 of those institutions completed the survey in full.
- Staff Roles, FTE, and Characteristics
- Full-time Staff Salaries
- Staff Job Functions and Salary Expenditures
- Leadership and Management
- Executive Leadership for the Data and Analytics Function
Additional briefs will be released throughout 2023.
2018 AIR National Survey of IR Offices Briefs
The National Survey of IR Offices gathers data on a wide array of topics. In an effort to ensure that key findings are made available in a manner that is useful, the 2018 results are presented in a series of report briefs. This approach allows for focused attention on specific topics, and collectively, the briefs provide a rich overview of the field of IR.
2015 AIR National Survey of IR Offices Findings
- Not-for-Profit Data Summary: 2 and 4-year Comparison (PDF) pdf 155 KB
- Survey Instrument for IR Offices (PDF) pdf 168 KB
- For-Profit Data Summary (PDF) pdf 143 KB
- Survey Instrument for Institutions without an IR Office (PDF) pdf 97 KB
- Not-For-Profit Data Summary (PDF) pdf 143 KB
- Summary Report of the National Survey of IR Offices (PDF) pdf 1117 KB