Data Requests

About Data Requests

The data request form is for OSU faculty and staff to request data from Enrollment Management units, including the Office of the Registrar, the Office of Financial Aid, and the Office of Admissions. In order to uphold students' rights as protected under FERPA, we ask questions about the purpose of the data request and where/how the data will be used. The data request form is only for those individuals who are requesting data to fulfill their professional responsibilities at the institution or for those academic researchers who have obtained a determination notice from the Institutional Review Board (IRB). If you are an academic researcher wishing to obtain student data who has not yet received a determination from the IRB, you will need to fill out this feasibility form prior to receiving an IRB determination.

  • For guidance on the release of data, please see this page.
  • If you are external to OSU and have a data request, you will need to fill out a Public Records Request here.
  • If you are a student from a student group and have a data request, you should consult this handout with information that explains who you should contact depending on your student group type.
  • For more general enrollment or demographic reports, please see the resources compiled by the Office of Institutional Research.
  • Any staff requests that involve immigration data will go through Office of International Services.

Please note:  Those requesting data should plan for the data request to take roughly two weeks; this may vary depending on the nature and complexity of the request. If you have not heard anything from us and two weeks have passed, please contact [email protected]. On the form, you are asked for your ONID username so that we can send you the information via Box. When the request is complete, you will receive an invite to the file from Box.

See our Student Data FAQs here.

Data Request Process and Considerations

We recommend taking a few minutes to prepare the information you'll need for the data request. It asks the following questions for all purposes:

  • Select the purpose of your data request (institutional evaluation/assessment; academic research; non-research related)
    • An example of institutional evaluation/assessment: you need data on students in a particular program to see if your targeted population received services as desired or you're trying to track performance in a particular course after curriculum changes
    • An example of academic research: thesis work, dissertation work—generally anything you plan on presenting or publishing externally
    • An example of non-research related: data needed for a grant application in order to give the granting body a snapshot of the population you aim to serve with the grant
  • Do you already have access to the data that you want to use? We ask this because there are instances where individuals want to send student data outside the institution for particular reasons, whether for grants, research, et. al., but want to ensure this data release is permitted through FERPA.
  • Briefly explain the reason for your request. More specifically, why do you need this data to complete your task?
  • List all requested data fields. If you already have access to the data, please list what data fields you plan to use.
  • Indicate here if/how this data will be shared.
  • List any additional requests (e.g., actions such as sending research recruitment emails, permission to access course assignments, et. al.)

The data request form asks these additional questions/requires these actions if you are requesting data for academic research:

  • Did you submit a feasibility form through the Office of the Registrar — If you answer no, it will end the survey and direct you to the feasibility form.
  • Upload a PDF of the study feasibility determination email you received from the Office of the Registrar
  • Please indicate if there are any changes to your plan since you received your feasibility determination.
  • Does your data request involve obtaining informed consent
  • Upload your IRB-approved informed consent form
  • Indicate how the confidentiality of the data will be maintained (if applicable)
  • Upload a copy of your protocol.
  • Upload your IRB determination notice.

Step one:  Submit a feasibility form with the student data you plan to use, whether you have the data or not. The OtR will forward the feasibility determination to the IRB and copy the PI listed on the form. Please be sure to keep the email that notes that your research is feasible, as the data request form asks for this documentation in order to process the data request.

Step two: Submit your protocol to the IRB.

Step three: Once you have received a determination notice from IRB, submit a data request if you need data from Enrollment Management. If your study included obtaining informed consent, you must provide information on who consented (e.g., ONID user names).

Please note:  Oregon State University does not permit a request for future consent on future studies that have not gone through Institutional Review Board review. Data may be used only for the study for which students consented.

We often receive assessment data requests that ask to report aggregate numbers of students by certain criteria without obtaining student consent. When reporting in aggregate, we follow a general rule of 10 to protect student identity. That is, upon filtering by particular criteria, if the student group displays fewer than 10 students, you should not report information for that group if that information will be available to those external to OSU.

Find frequently asked data questions here.