Data Requests

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INTERNAL REQUESTORS

Internal community members, such as Southern Miss faculty, staff, and administrators, who need data for assessment, accreditation, and planning purposes, will not incur a fee. However, any internal community member (faculty, staff, administrator, or student) who is requesting data for the purpose of research, will be assessed a fee of $50 per hour and will be required to submit an approved IRB from The University of Southern Mississippi with the data request. No data (for research purposes) will be provided to a requestor without IRB approval.

EXTERNAL REQUESTORS

External members from other institutions who are requesting data for the purpose of assessment, accreditation, and planning, will not incur a fee. However, external members from other institutions who are requesting data for the purpose of research, will be assessed a fee of $100 per hour and will be required to submit an approved IRB from their home institution with the data request. No data (for research purposes) will be provided to a requestor without IRB approval. External individuals or organizations not affiliated with a higher education institution who request data will be assessed a fee of $100 per hour.

APPROVED INFORMATION

Per the Southern Miss and FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) Compliance Policy, The University of Southern Mississippi has designated the following items as directory information:

• Student’s name
• Address
• Telephone number
• Campus e-mail address
• Major
• Dates of attendance 
• Classification
• Degree(s) earned
• Previous institutions attended
• Participation in student organizations
• Participation in University recognized organization and activities
• Honors and awards
• Student’s photo
• Dean’s/President’s list

Updated on 11.4.24: All data requests will be reviewed to determine what data is allowed to be distributed per the Southern Miss and FERPA Compliance Policy.

Southern Miss Data Request Policy

Data Request Form

BEST PRACTICES FOR REQUESTING DATA CONTACT INFORMATION: Be sure to include your complete contact information in case we have questions about your request. PREFERRED COMPLETION DATE: Please allow AT LEAST 3 weeks for the processing of your request. DESCRIPTION OF INFORMATION REQUEST:  Describe the specific elements you need. Example: I need undergraduate enrollment by major, gender, race/ethnicity, and cumulative GPA. Add any limiting criteria. Example: We would only like to include degree-seeking students on the Hattiesburg Campus. Detail any additional information. Example: Please include the total number of enrolled students by semester requested and an overall summary of enrollment. SPECIFY THE SEMESTER OR TIME PERIOD YOU NEED Example: Fall 2022, Spring 2023 Tip: IR default “Academic Year” is modeled from IHL metrics with summer leading (Summer 2022, Fall 2022, and Spring 2023 is Academic Year 2022-23). Aid Year refers to fall leading data (Fall 2022, Spring 2023, and Summer 2023). Please be sure to define which type of year you are seeking. PURPOSE OF YOUR REQUEST Let us know why you are requesting this data; context can help us help you! Example: The data requested will help us identify trends in graduation rates for the College of Arts and Sciences.

 

View sample form

PAYMENT

The only accepted forms of payment are check or money order. Please make payments payable to the Office of Institutional Research and mailed to the following address:

The University of Southern Mississippi
Office of Institutional Research
118 College Drive #5167
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001