Institutional Research & Analysis

At CSU, the term "15th Day" is often used when talking about enrollment information. Below are answers to questions on the topic.

• The 15th day is the official Census date for Cleveland State University. This is a standard required for all Ohio colleges and universities.
• The official Census date is the 15th calendar day, after the first day of standard weekday classes, for each semester.
• The 15th day is not determined by non-standard classes that may begin on weekends.

Why is the 15th day so important?

• All student enrollments that appear in PeopleSoft as of the 15th day are the counts that are used to determine state subsidy from the Ohio Board of Regents (OBOR).
• State subsidies are the funds that Cleveland State University receives from the Ohio government to operate the university.
• The amount of state subsidy directly affects student tuition costs, the number of faculty and staff that are employed, quantity of courses offered, available student services, and almost every aspect of the University.
• Cleveland State's 15th day numbers are used in various surveys and national reports. Surveys are often used to compare schools. Examples include surveys from the U.S. News and World Report, one of the leading publications used to rank and evaluate higher education institutions, and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) that produces the popular IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) reports. IPEDS report results are available to the public.

How does the 15th day affect you, the CSU employee ?

• The information you provide is used to make financial, academic and planning decisions that affect students and employees.
• We want to promote our university in the most positive light. Reliable 15th day figures will allow us to better communicate and assess our strengths and challenges.
• It is critical to input timely, accurate, and complete information in PeopleSoft.
• Processing add/drop course information prior to the 15th day is ideal.
• A student's citizenship, Ohio residency status, admission/transcript history, and academic level (freshman, graduate, law, etc.), are all considered when OBOR determines the amount of subsidy dollars awarded to Cleveland State.

What can you do to help Cleveland State University?

• Record information in PeopleSoft accurately and promptly.
• Manage your data input practice so that paper-to-electronic processing is completed within the first 2 weeks after school starts.
• If you maintain paper files on students, faculty, course offerings, grades or other critical details, make sure the data is also entered into PeopleSoft. After your information is in PeopleSoft, the Institutional Research Office and others on campus can make more informed decisions and produce more accurate, comprehensive and analytical reports.

Previous versions of CSU Enrollment tables are available on the IR web site.

If you have questions about the 15th Day or Enrollment Tables, please send us a note.

Jean Mason
Research Analyst

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