By Kendra Hall

Many NIRSA Members are taking advantage of the NIRSA Institutional Data Set (IDS) to benchmark and report on facilities, programs, and campus recreation services.

The NIRSA Institutional Data Set is a benchmarking tool that provides NIRSA Members with:

  • Access to campus-specific data in real-time through an online, password-protected data reporting site
  • Ability to view peer comparison data as well as nationally-normed data
  • Ability to inform data driven decisions

The NIRSA Research and Assessment Committee is excited about the number of institutions that are using this powerful benchmarking tool and looks forward to having even more NIRSA members inputting information and accessing current and relevant data on facilities, programs, and services.


The annual update period for the NIRSA Institutional Data Set (IDS) runs from mid-October through December.

Data Collection Begins This Month!

Updates to the data are made by each NIRSA Institutional Member’s primary contact through the online Institutional Data Set (institutions will be emailed an invitation to update their profile). As data collection kicks-off, remember these important factors in updating your IDS profile:

  • Directors at NIRSA member institutions will receive an electronic invitation to participate in the IDS.
  • The update period is from mid-October through December 31, 2013.
  • Filled out the IDS last year? You will have access to last year’s data-all you need to do is update.
  • Newbie? No problem! Just be sure to fill out the survey by December 31, 2013, as this is the only opportunity to be included in this year’s data set.

What data does my institution need to provide?

The NIRSA Institutional Data Set will gather data points around the following four categories:

  • Facilities
  • Programs and Services
  • Human Resources
  • Finances

As an example, here are a few data highlights from the 2012-2013 NIRSA Institutional Data Set:

  • The average number of total daily visits to campus recreation facilities is 6,504 individuals.
  • The total gross indoor square footage of indoor recreational facilities is 165,132.
  • The average amount allocated for sport clubs is $56,698.

Through the Institutional Data Set, you are not only able to access this type of data, but also benchmark your institution against others in a variety of relevant ways (i.e. peer institutions, student enrollment, or athletic conferences). There is currently data available for 355 NIRSA institutional members. We can further enhance the usability of the Institutional Data Set by increasing the number of NIRSA member institutions that participate: the more institutions that participate, the more powerful the data becomes! By contributing to the Institutional Data Set, our NIRSA community can continue to support each other through shared information and resources.

If you are interested in learning more about how research and assessment is improving collegiate recreational programs and facilities, visit the Research Central section of the NIRSA website. We hope that you will join your colleagues across the country in compiling valuable and relevant benchmarking data to better our national community for years to come.