What is institutional data?

Definition of institutional data

A piece of data is considered institutional if it meets one or more of the following criteria:

• The data is relevant to planning, managing, operating, or auditing a major administrative function of the university.
• The data is referenced or required for use by more than one organizational unit.
• The data is included in an official university administrative report.
• The data is used to derive a data element that meets these criteria.

Classification of data

As a foundation for making decisions about data access, there are four general classifications of institutional data:

• Public data: No restrictions whatsoever; general public may be granted access
  
  
• University-internal data: May be accessed by all eligible employees of the university, without restriction, in the conduct of university business; should be the "default" classification for all data, and access restrictions should be applied only as required below
  
  
• Restricted/limited-access data: Because of legal, ethical, or other constraints, may not be accessed without specific authorization, or only selective access may be granted
  
  
• Critical data: Inappropriate handling of this data could result in criminal or civil penalties, identity theft, personal financial loss, invasion of privacy, and/or unauthorized access to this type of information by an individual or many individuals.

  For a list of data elements classified as critical, see Classifications of Institutional Data.

Note: Restricted/limited-access and critical data are considered sensitive. For more, see What is sensitive data, and how is it protected by law?

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