Overcoming 4 data-quality challenges in higher education

“Higher education institutions count on extensive amounts of data to guide decisions, track student success and ensure accreditation compliance. Yet, when that information is incomplete, scattered or outdated, it creates obstacles that slow down progress.

Administrators and faculty are then left sifting through inconsistencies that make it harder to generate accurate reports. As a result of these inefficiencies, quality issues can impact funding, compliance and institutional outcomes. Organizations should address these challenges by understanding the most common pitfalls and exploring ways to overcome them.

Common Data-Quality Challenges in Higher Education

Maintaining high-quality data is essential for colleges and universities, but many face persistent challenges that keep them from utilizing information effectively. Below are some of the most common issues they experience.

1. Fragmented or Siloed Data

Higher education organizations are increasingly leveraging multiple cloud solutions to manage their data, often leading to fragmentation across different systems. Reports show that 43 percent of organizations cite an increasingly distributed and remote user base as a key driver of this shift.

While cloud-based tools provide flexibility, they also create challenges in integrating and standardizing insights. Therefore, it can be hard to get a clear view of institutional success.

2. Inaccurate or Outdated Information

Accuracy is critical for compliance, funding and tracking student success, yet many struggle with outdated or duplicate records. Errors arise when manually entering information across multiple platforms or when reporting structures vary across departments. This challenge puts institutions at risk of making inaccurate decisions, impacting several aspects of operation.”

Read more about overcoming data quality challenges in higher ed at Higher Ed Dive.