A commercial education consultant whose clients include multiple institutions of higher education is seeking reliable data regarding program enrollments and graduations nationwide. One of her clients is considering opening a new nursing program but wants to ensure there is demand in their area for the program before investing valuable resources.

The consultant knows that AACN collects annual data on program enrollments and that these metrics are available in the aggregate by state, but she is interested in creating a tailored, interactive presentation and dashboard for her client. The consultant also needs to produce similar presentations for other clients, so she requests the dataset necessary from AACN to produce individualized reports for each client. Using this information, two institutions are able to open new nursing programs to serve a high demand in their area, and another makes the decision to table the program until a real need is identified.

A professor is curious about the relationship between faculty salaries and vacant faculty positions across the country. After carefully reviewing the AACN Annual Survey codebook and consulting with the AACN data team, they request five years of data on nationwide faculty salaries to integrate with publicly available United States Census data regarding median cost of living.

Using this combined dataset, the researcher explores the relationship between faculty salaries, cost of living, and faculty vacancies, and publishes their results in a peer-reviewed nursing journal after presenting them at an AACN conference earlier that year.

A graduate student is curious about the factors that drive their peers to seek out faculty roles in nursing. After carefully reviewing the AACN Annual Survey Codebook, they identify research questions centered on doctoral students’ post-graduate intent and institutional characteristics like faculty-to-student ratios, enrollment and graduation totals, and demographic composition. They also know they are interested in institutional characteristics like research productivity and grant funding and request that data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Datasystem be integrated with the data they are seeking from AACN.

After receiving the compiled dataset from AACN, the graduate student produces a dissertation exploring doctoral students’ post-graduate intent and publishes their findings in a peer-reviewed nursing journal.

A. We are able to accommodate most requests for specific comparison groups or more detailed data, but we may not have access to every variable you are seeking. Where relevant, the data team will work with you to meet your research goals through the association of other secondary data sets, such as institutional characteristics from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Datasystem (IPEDS).

A. No. AACN does not collect age data on students or graduates. We have age data for faculty and deans, which can be provided following adequate explanation of data needs.

A. No. We do not have data at the individual level for students or graduates.

A. We do not provide NCLEX data in any form. If you need this information, please check with your state board of nursing, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, or contacting nursing programs directly.

A. AACN has collected data on baccalaureate and higher nursing programs for more than 40 years. You can request as many years of data as are relevant

A. The data use agreement covers the allowed use of the requested dataset, inclusive of publishing permissions, dissemination guidelines, data embargoes, data expiration, data extension, and citation requirements. All researchers approved to access AACN data must provide a signed data use agreement prior to the provision of the data. Additionally, all approved researchers will need to contact AACN’s Research and Data Team prior to publication of any results stemming from AACN’s datasets.

A. Yes. Graduate students may request datasets for their dissertations or other projects but are subject to the same data use agreement and fee schedule as other researchers. Additionally, graduate student requests will require a faculty supervisor.