Regulation on Use of Common Census Date for Reporting Purposes

This regulation defines a common census date for the counting of enrolled degree-credit students, full-time equivalent students, and student credit hours for budgeting and reporting purposes. Effective July 1, 2000, each UNC institution should take the steps needed to ensure that institutional practices comply with the following definition.

For regular term instruction, the census date is the 10^th class day of the term.[1] For summer sessions, degree credit extension courses, and any other degree-credit courses taught on an irregular calendar, the census date is the class day representing the passage of 10 percent of the instructional period. Implementation of and adherence to a common census date policy will standardize the time at which institutions take their official enrollment and course counts and thereby facilitate the auditing of these counts.

Previous attempts to implement a common census date proved difficult to accomplish because of the number of affected policies and programs at some institutions. However, the absolute necessity of implementing such a policy in connection with the new SCH funding model requires that it be done as soon as possible. Institutions that are able to adopt the common census date before July 1, 2000, are encouraged to do so.

[This is a rewrite of Administrative Memorandum #403.]

[1]The census date for the high school program of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is the 10^th day of the academic year. See G.S. 116-235.