Registrar 101: Student Data

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What is Student Data?

Student data refers to information created, collected and maintained by the University about students, including but not limited to academic records, enrollment details, demographics, and other information used to support learning, administration, and compliance.

Who has access to Student Data?

Access to student data is limited to authorized faculty, staff, and administrators who need the information to perform their official university duties. The Office of the University Registrar is the custodian of student data, thereby responsible for establishing and enforcing policies to protect this data as well as safeguarding its proper use.

What can you do with it?

Student data may only be used for legitimate educational or operational purposes consistent with university policy and federal privacy laws such as FERPA. It should never be shared, stored, or reported without appropriate safeguards and authorization.

How can you access it?

Data can be requested or accessed through systems like DukeHub, Department Center Reports, BI Publisher Reports, data visualizations in Tableau, and other Registrar-managed platforms.

Fundamentals

Understanding student data requires familiarity with several essential concepts and terms to use information effectively and responsibly. These include data classifications (such as directory, non-directory, and sensitive), terms like FERPA and PII (personally identifiable information), and the roles of Data Stewards and Data Managers. By learning these terms, users can ensure they comply with university policy and legal standards while leveraging data for campus operations and decision-making. Also included are some basic terms and concepts you will encounter in DukeHub, many of which are outlined in our data dictionary. Becoming familiar with these terms—such as Academic Career, Academic Plan, Academic Year, Admit Term, and FERPA—will help you accurately interpret and work with student data in Duke’s systems.

Basic Timeline of a Student Record

Student Records provides the university with a comprehensive system to enter, track, and manage all academic record information. Once applicants are admitted and matriculate, multiple records are created and maintained to support key processes such as activation, enrollment, grading, evaluation, and graduation. Throughout a student’s academic journey, their enrollment status may change, and this is reflected in the “academic program status” field on their record. The following timeline illustrates the general path from matriculation to graduation.

Basic timeline of a student record
Basic Structure

At the center of every record is the student. Each record contains several categories of information, including academic career, program and plan details, enrollment, advisement, financial data, graduation status, test results, transfer credits, and personal details such as biographical, identification, participation, and health information. The diagram below provides a basic overview of the main data categories that comprise a student record in DukeHub, the university’s student information system. The following high-level diagram serves as a simple guide to understanding the most common elements within a student record.

Basic structure of student data
Core Terms and Definitions
Academic Career vs Program

The Academic Career is a Duke Hub term typically indicating the school the student is enrolled in (e.g., Fuqua School of Business, Sanford School of Public Policy). In the case of our Undergraduate population, both Trinity School of Arts & Sciences and Pratt School of Engineering students are assigned the same career but are differentiated by their Academic Program. For instance, Pratt undergraduates who have declared a major are assigned the E-UGD program while Trinity undergraduates are assigned the A&S program. Career and Program may be used interchangeably in some instances.

Academic Plan

An Academic Plan refers to an instructional program leading toward a bachelor's, master's, doctor's, or professional degree or certificate, or resulting in credits that can be applied to one of these degrees (or non-degree). An Academic Plan Count counts all academic plans assigned to an individual student’s record.

Academic Subplan

Academic subplans are specialized areas within an academic plan, allowing for further specialization and differentiation within a major. At Duke, subplans are also assigned to differentiate interdepartmental majors. Likewise, professional students might also be assigned subplans to indicate their area of concentration or pathway.

Program Active vs Term Active vs Enrolled

A student is Program Active when they matriculate and their academic program status is set to “Active” on their record. When a student’s term has been activated, that makes them Term Active, meaning that they are permitted to enroll in classes for the term (provided that they have no holds on their record that would prevent them from doing so). A student is considered Enrolled when they are enrolled in at least one class or unit for the term.

Degrees Awarded

Degrees Awarded are the total number of unique degrees assigned to an individual student’s record. A student can be awarded multiple degrees.

Academic Plans Completed

Typically, undergraduates earn a single degree, even if they complete a double major (primary plus secondary). Graduate/professional students can earn more than one degree. Academic Plans can refer to majors, secondary majors, minors, certificates, specializations, etc.

Refer to the OUR Data Dictionary for a list of non-exhaustive terms and definitions.

Additional Resources

Duke Office of the University Registrar (OUR) offers several resources that help users with accessing data, understanding privacy regulations and security protocols and generally help with navigating student data at Duke.

  • Data Dictionary. Search the list of the most widely used data elements in DukeHub. You will find several of these terms in data reports and visualizations.
  • Data Access Classification Guide. Know how to identify the appropriate data classification (Directory, Non-directory, Sensitive) when requesting access from OUR.
  • Data Request Form. Fill out a request for data if you are a Duke faculty or staff member.
  • Data Training. Explore our online training options. Online courses are offered on Canvas for Duke. Staff may self-enroll using their NetID credentials.
  • Department Center Reports. Access several standard reports in DukeHub. This solution caters to Duke administrators.
  • Data Visualizations. Access several standard reports in DukeHub and Tableau Public. This solution caters to Duke administrators.
  • Frequently Asked Questions. Get the answers to frequently asked questions.