OPEID
Also called OPE ID · OPEID6 · Office of Postsecondary Education ID
CEDS describes an 8-digit integer: six-digit base plus suffix. Suffix 00 is commonly the main campus. Other suffixes flag branches. All locations that share a PPA share the six-digit root. That is why Scorecard documentation says NSLDS and earnings measures are assigned at OPEID6: aid is often managed at the main campus even when IPEDS lets branches file as separate UNITIDs.
OPEID is the Office of Postsecondary Education identifier Federal Student Aid uses for schools with a Title IV Program Participation Agreement. The root is six digits. An eight-digit form adds a two-digit suffix for branches, additional locations, and other entities under that agreement. Scorecard debt and earnings that come from NSLDS or tax matches are reliable at the six-digit root (OPEID6), not always at a single campus UNITID.
How is it structured?
CEDS describes an 8-digit integer: six-digit base plus suffix. Suffix 00 is commonly the main campus. Other suffixes flag branches. All locations that share a PPA share the six-digit root. That is why Scorecard documentation says NSLDS and earnings measures are assigned at OPEID6: aid is often managed at the main campus even when IPEDS lets branches file as separate UNITIDs.
There is no required one-to-one map to UNITID. One UNITID may roll up several OPEIDs (locations combined for IPEDS). More rarely, one OPEID’s activity is split across UNITIDs (campus versus online). NCES and FSA maintain a Scorecard crosswalk back to 2000-01 for that reason. Joining MBA program lists on school name instead of on OPEID6 and UNITID is how duplicate rows and missing earnings happen.
Title IV eligibility lives on the PPA, hence on OPEID. A branded “campus” without its own OPEID may still be a reporting location of the parent. Conversely, large public systems can hold many six-digit OPEIDs (Scorecard notes Cal State and Wisconsin as examples with a dozen-plus roots).
Worked example
A university’s full-time MBA is offered downtown (UNITID A, OPEID 00123400) and online (UNITID B, OPEID 00123401). Both share OPEID6 001234. Scorecard field-of-study debt for the master’s in 52.02 may be the same number on both UNITID rows because NSLDS was computed at the six-digit root. IPEDS Completions, by contrast, can show different master’s counts on A and B. Analysts who average the two Scorecard rows double-count the same borrowers.
How does it differ from UNITID?
UNITID is the IPEDS survey identifier. OPEID is the FSA eligibility identifier. Scorecard institution files are released at UNITID and then attach OPEID6 so users can see the rollup. Field-of-study documentation lists both UNITID and OPEID6 as institutional identifiers on each FOS row.
| ID | Owner | Typical length | Job |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNITID | NCES / IPEDS | 6 digits | Survey unit |
| OPEID | OPE / FSA | 6 or 8 digits | Title IV PPA and locations |
| OPEID6 | FSA root | 6 digits | NSLDS / Scorecard earnings rollup |
Common errors
Matching only on UNITID and treating two campuses as independent borrower pools when they share OPEID6. Matching only on OPEID6 and erasing real IPEDS enrollment differences. Padding a 6-digit root to 8 digits with the wrong suffix. Using OPEID as a CIP code.
FAQ
Why does Scorecard repeat the same earnings on two UNITIDs?
Those UNITIDs share an OPEID6, and the earnings were computed at the root. It is a rollup, not two independent medians.
Is OPEID on the I-20?
SEVIS uses school and campus codes, not OPEID as the student-facing ID. OPEID is the aid-eligibility key.
Do proprietary schools have OPEIDs?
If they have a PPA for Title IV, yes. No PPA, no OPEID in the FSA sense.
Where is the official crosswalk?
College Scorecard data downloads include UNITID–OPEID crosswalk files by year.
Related terms
Sources
- College Scorecard Institution Data Documentation OPEID identifies Title IV PPA institutions; 6-digit root plus 2-digit suffix; not 1:1 with UNITID
- CEDS: Office of Postsecondary Education Identifier 8-digit format; 6-digit number plus 2-digit branch suffix
- NCES: Institutional Groupings in IPEDS UNITID and OPE ID are not a one-to-one match; branches may share a 6-digit root
