Custom Research delivers consultative analytics and insights drawn from the country's most comprehensive record of education data, helping organizations turn complex questions into trusted, actionable intelligence.
More than verification
Most institutions know us for enrollment reporting and degree verification. With a consultative team that helps you scope the right questions, not just deliver the data, Custom Research turns decades of verified learner records into insights that help your organization make faster, sharper decisions.
Why it's faster
Public datasets · IPEDS / NCES
Retrospective snapshots that reflect where students were, not where they are. Fixed definitions, limited granularity, no consultation.
Clearinghouse data
Current, granular, and longitudinal records covering 97% of U.S. postsecondary students, scoped to your actual question by a consultative research team.
What you can do with Custom Research
See where students actually go, whether they persist, transfer, complete, or leave.
Benchmark your institution's performance against peers with verified, comparable data.
Answer the enrollment and outcomes questions public datasets can't.
Understand what's driving stop-outs and where to intervene.
Make funding, accountability, and policy decisions on evidence that reflects today, not two years ago.
Scale from small grant-funded studies to major national research initiatives.
Who uses Custom Research
Higher Education
Answer your toughest enrollment and outcomes questions using current data, updated every 30 to 45 days, without waiting on IPEDS.
Institutional research, systems offices, student success, enrollment leaders.
See how institutions use it →
Public Sector
Move from retrospective reporting to timely policy insight, supported by verified education records and consultative analytics expertise.
Policy leaders, research directors, chief data officers, workforce leads.
See how agencies use it →
Research
Not just a data source: a consultative research partner with unmatched postsecondary coverage and deep expertise in pathways and outcomes.
Principal investigators, program officers, policy leads, data scientists.
See how researchers use it →
Commercial & Private
Turn education data into business advantage. Custom Research delivers tailored analysis that helps organizations uncover market opportunities, understand audience behavior, measure outcomes, and make data-driven decisions with greater confidence.
See how organizations use it →A closer look · Higher education
The Challenge
Enrollment patterns are shifting faster than public data can keep up, student pathways are more complex than ever, and your team is expected to answer bigger, sharper questions with the same resources.
How We Help
Answer your toughest enrollment and outcomes questions using current data, updated every 30 to 45 days, without waiting on IPEDS. Custom Research pairs the country's most comprehensive record of individual education data with skilled, experienced researchers who work on your reporting and analysis.
Custom Research, designed around your questions
Go beyond published reports with research tailored to your goals. Using the Clearinghouse's unmatched education data, analysts and researchers design custom studies, evaluations, and analyses that help organizations answer questions and make confident decisions.
Built for
Institutional research offices
University & college systems offices
Student success & retention teams
Enrollment management
Provosts & presidents
Commercial & Private Sectors
Custom Research is also a strong fit for think tanks, foundations, nonprofits, consulting and research firms, education service companies, and professional associations.
Scope a Custom Research Project →The Clearinghouse data advantage is built on trust, scale, and timeliness.
of U.S. postsecondary students
verified education records
institutions reporting directly
day data refresh
years as a trusted nonprofit
Responsible use
The Clearinghouse was built for that responsibility.
The Clearinghouse does not sell student data or provide open access to student records.
Our FERPA- and FCRA-compliant operations help partners use education data responsibly and appropriately.
Research deliverables are aggregate insights and analysis, scoped with responsible use in mind.
Discuss how customized Clearinghouse analysis can support cohort matching, longitudinal studies, aggregate reporting, or learner outcomes research.
Scope a Custom Research Project