UNITID
Also called IPEDS ID · UnitID · IPEDS Unit ID
Every IPEDS-reporting campus (as the school chose to report it) gets a UNITID. Institutions can change reporting structure: several branches combined, a new online UNITID, a system office split. Scorecard documentation notes that UNITIDs are not always stable across years when schools restructure (the University of Phoenix campus-to-state reporting change is the stock example). Time series on a UNITID without a crosswalk will fabricate deaths and births of "schools."
UNITID is the six-digit identifier NCES assigns to a postsecondary institution in IPEDS. Scorecard institution files are released at this grain. CEDS calls it the Institution IPEDS UnitID and requires exactly six digits. It is the join key for Completions, enrollment, and most public IPEDS extracts. It is not the Federal Student Aid OPEID, and it is not a CIP code.
How is it used?
Every IPEDS-reporting campus (as the school chose to report it) gets a UNITID. Institutions can change reporting structure: several branches combined, a new online UNITID, a system office split. Scorecard documentation notes that UNITIDs are not always stable across years when schools restructure (the University of Phoenix campus-to-state reporting change is the stock example). Time series on a UNITID without a crosswalk will fabricate deaths and births of “schools.”
Scorecard field of study rows carry UNITID, institution name, and OPEID6 together. Earnings and debt from tax and NSLDS matches, however, are often computed at OPEID6 and then copied onto each UNITID that shares the root. Seeing the same MBA median earnings on two UNITIDs is a rollup signal, not independent confirmation.
College Navigator, IPEDS Data Center, and the Scorecard API all accept UNITID. Name search is the wrong join for research files: “State University — Downtown” and “State University Downtown Campus” will miss.
Worked example
You want Scorecard master’s earnings for one MBA. Look up the school’s UNITID in IPEDS (say 123456). Open the field-of-study file. Filter UNITID = 123456, CIPCODE = 5202 (52.02 with the decimal stripped), CREDLEV = 5. If two UNITIDs for that university share OPEID6 and show identical EARN_MDN_5YR, do not average them. If Completions show 52.0201 and 52.1301 under that UNITID, remember Scorecard already collapsed those six-digit awards to four-digit cells; you cannot recover 52.1301 earnings from the FOS file.
How does it differ from OPEID?
UNITID answers “which IPEDS reporting unit.” OPEID answers “which Title IV agreement and location.” A UNITID may map to several 8-digit OPEIDs or to part of one. Use the Scorecard crosswalk instead of guessing the suffix.
| Question | Use |
|---|---|
| IPEDS Completions, enrollment, charges | UNITID |
| Title IV aid eligibility, NSLDS debt rollup | OPEID / OPEID6 |
| Scorecard consumer page | Both, plus 4-digit CIP for FOS |
Common errors
Padding UNITID to eight digits and calling it OPEID. Joining on institution name. Treating a new UNITID after a merger as a new outcomes history. Averaging duplicate FOS rows that share OPEID6.
FAQ
Is UNITID public?
Yes. IPEDS directories, College Navigator (id=), and Scorecard files list it.
Do closed schools keep a UNITID?
Historical IPEDS files retain old UNITIDs. Some research shops mint 8- or 9-prefixed placeholders for closed or merged units that NCES never assigned; those are not official NCES IDs.
Can two living schools share a UNITID?
No. One UNITID, one IPEDS reporting unit at a time. They can share an OPEID6.
Does SEVIS use UNITID?
No. SEVP has its own school/campus certification identifiers. Map carefully; do not paste UNITID into SEVIS.
Related terms
Sources
- College Scorecard Institution Data Documentation Files released at UNITID; UNITID is the IPEDS unique ID; not 1:1 with 8-digit OPEID
- CEDS: Institution IPEDS UnitID Exactly 6 digits; also called UNITID or IPEDS ID
- NCES Handbook: IPEDS key concepts Unit ID assigned to postsecondary institutions surveyed through IPEDS
