Data Requests

About Data Requests

The Data Request Form is for Texas A&M University-Commerce 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. If you are an academic researcher wishing to obtain student data you will need to fill out the feasibility form  and return to RegOfc@tamuc.edu prior to submitting the Data Request Form.
(Please see the process listed below for step by step instructions.)

If you are external to TAMU-C and have a data request, you will need to fill out a Public Records Request here.

For more general enrollment or demographic reports, please see the resources compiled by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Research.

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 RegOfc@tamuc.edu

Preparing Your Data Request

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.

Process for Data Requests for Academic Research

Step one:  Submit a feasibility form with the student data you plan to use, whether you have the data or not. The Office of the Registrar 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 at researchcompliance@tamuc.edu

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:  Texas A&M University-Commerce 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.

Protecting Student Identity

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 TAMU-C.