A New Era in Distance Education Benchmarking
Empowering higher education institutions with transparent, IPEDS-based data and peer benchmarking tools for strategic online degree planning and strategy.
IDEBP welcomes international engagement. Phase 1 focuses on U.S. institutions, with global benchmarking planned for future stages.
What Is IDEBP?
The International Distance Education Benchmark Project (IDEBP) is an independent initiative that helps higher education institutions better understand and improve their distance education strategies by using both publicly available and privately submitted data insights.
In addition to sharing trends derived from official IPEDS submissions, IDEBP’s core purpose is to collect non-public data directly from participating institutions—valuable information not gathered anywhere else. As a result, member institutions gain access to confidential distance education benchmarking tools that let them compare performance, retention, enrollment, and outcomes against a selected set of peer institutions.
Importantly, all submitted data stays confidential and is never shared publicly. This secure and peer-driven framework empowers institutions with a more strategic, data-informed view of the evolving distance education landscape.
Why It Matters
National distance education reporting often lacks context—and context is what drives good decisions. IDEBP gives institutions the ability to benchmark performance against peers they choose, providing data that is both relevant and actionable.
Participating institutions gain access to visual dashboards, confidential reports, and trend analyses that support strategic planning, executive decision-making, accreditation efforts, and continuous improvement.
Developed by higher education professionals who understand institutional priorities, IDEBP streamlines data collection and focuses only on what matters—empowering your institution to shape its future in the distance education landscape.
How It Works
IDEBP makes participation easy. Institutions can begin benchmarking distance education performance indicators in just a few steps—helping to inform future strategies and outcomes.
Getting Started:
- Submit the Participation Form
Indicate your institution’s interest and confirm whether you will contribute additional benchmarking data beyond what IPEDS collects. - Securely Share Institutional Data
Submit de-identified data focused on key distance education metrics—such as enrollment by modality, retention, completion, and student support structures—not available through national reporting systems. - Access the Dashboard + Peer Comparisons
Unlock access to interactive dashboards, longitudinal trends, and confidential peer comparisons aligned to your selected peer group.
Join the IDEBP Network
Participating institutions contribute de-identified benchmarking data and gain access to interactive dashboards and peer comparisons not available through IPEDS.
Together, we’re building a stronger, data-informed future for distance education.