Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment

The Office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Assessment (IRPA) provides essential information about the University of Maryland for the purposes of decision-making, policy analysis, strategic planning, mandated reporting and academic program review. The office provides guidance and support for assessment and enables campus users to effectively leverage campus data.

The office captures data on employees, students and other administrative systems, and uses them to characterize the institution in quantitative ways using nationally accepted definitions. The office responds to the institutional reporting needs of the university administration, academic colleges, campus community, University System of Maryland, state and federal government, and non-governmental, non-profit organizations that support higher education research. The office draws on a variety of data collection procedures, information processing methods, analytical tools, and reporting strategies in an effort to present information with clarity, validity, reliability and value.