The Campus Housing Index (CHI) is one of the most valuable resources in your toolbox, providing the benchmarking data you need to evaluate your practices, make decisions, and articulate your resource needs. Let CHI help you shape the future of your campus operations.
The CHI compares your campus’ operations against customized groups and presents the results through powerful on-demand and easy-to-use charts and graphics. Entering your campus data into the CHI not only enables your strategic opportunities but also creates an even more valuable resource for the campus housing profession as a whole. When more institutions participate, the comparative data will have a broader and deeper effect.
Campuses that complete at least 50% of the questions in a section of the CHI unlock free, basic access to that section. Free, basic access includes three filters to help you benchmark against institutional control (public/private, for-profit/non-profit), regional associations, and geography (state, province, or country). In addition to Basic Access filters, Premium subscribers have access to six additional filters.
Finally, year-to-year completion of the CHI maximizes the potential impact. Once your institution’s data has been entered, you will have the ability to easily copy and edit that information each year. Plus, by submitting data each year, your staff will maintain free basic access to CHI’s powerful features. Over time, will be able to draw from your own longitudinal data, identify trends, and chart a path forward.
The CHI collects data in three primary categories, each with corresponding topics.
Profile
- Occupancy
- Off-campus beds
- Public-private partnerships
- Institutional Management
- Department Organization
Operations
- Residential Programming
- Curriculum Models
- Residential Policies
- Live-In Staff
- Crisis Management & Security
- Dining Operations
- Conference Services
- Strategic Planning
Staffing
- Budget and Finance
- Wage Details
- Facilities and Maintenance
- Compensation
- Base salary
- Professional development allowance
- Meal plan allowance
- Tenure
- Position classification
- Job Title
The Campus Housing Index is made possible through the financial support of the ACUHO-I Foundation.
Subscriptions
Subscriptions to the Campus Housing Index are set at the organizational level. All staff included at institutions with basic or premium access can access the data by logging in with their own ACUHO-I credentials. Only an organization’s designated senior housing officers and the individuals they identify can access compensation data and make changes to the organization’s subscription. Note that subscriptions are based on the calendar year and expire on December 31 (e.g., 2024 subscriptions expire on December 31, 2024).
Any institution that completes at least 50% of the CHI questions, regardless of its location or membership, receives BASIC access for free. PREMIUM access is available for an additional charge.
- U.S. Member (completer) $550
- U.S. Member (non-completer) $1,100
- Non-U.S. Member (completer) $550
- Non-U.S. Member (non-completer) $1,100
- Non-Member (completer) $715
- Non-Member (non-completer) $1,430
| CHI FEATURE | BASIC | PREMIUM |
|---|---|---|
| Filter by control (i.e., public or private institution) | • | • |
| View and download customized reports | • | • |
| Filter by control (i.e. public or private institution) | • | • |
| Filter by ACUHO-I region | • | • |
| Filter by geography | • | • |
| Filter by geography | • | |
| Filter by undergraduate enrollment | • | |
| Filter by undergraduate enrollment | • | |
| Filter by resident capacity | • | |
| Filter by degree of urbanization | • | |
| Filter by Carnegie Classification – Basic | • | |
| Filter by Carnegie Classification – Size and Setting | • | |
| Filter by control (i.e., public or private institution) | • | |
| Filter by custom cluster* | • |
Cancellation and Refund Policy: Due to the proprietary nature of the information contained in the Campus Housing Index, all purchases are final and non-refundable. Contact ACUHO-I for assistance accessing information or with any questions regarding the policy.
For additional help, please contact ACUHO-I at 614.292.0099 or email chi@acuho-i.org.
FAQs
My institution participated last year. Do I have to re-enter all my data again?
No, institutions that submitted data in the platform can copy it from year-to-year, and edit as necessary using the “copy previous year” feature.
Can more than one person enter data?
Yes. The senior housing officers (SHOs) on each campus can designate which of their staff (if any) can enter data. By designating specific staff on an institution’s ACUHO-I roster as having a secondary role, SHOs can grant them “write” access. This also provides access to compensation information as well. Instructions for completing this process can be found here.
Do all of the survey questions have to be answered at once?
No. Users can log in and out as many times as necessary, revise their answers, and navigate through the categories of questions within the data collection period. Once the data collection period has ended, data cannot be changed. Users must click “Save” at the bottom of each page to save their answers. There is no final submit button.
Does every survey question have to be answered?
No. Not all questions will be applicable to each campus. The platform provides an “N/A” option for many questions, as well as a percentage completion statement at the bottom of the home page. It is okay (and almost expected) not to reach 100% completion in a section or overall, however, it is important to complete as much of the survey as possible.
Users must complete 50% of the survey questions per section to receive free Basic Access level to the results for those sections. Users can see their total percentage completion by clicking on the “See Access Options” link on the CHI platform’s home.
To increase their percentage completion, users should enter “0” or “N/A” for survey questions that ask for numeric data that do not apply to their organization.
How can I expedite the data collection process?
A data collection worksheet has been created to expedite the data collection process. This worksheet which includes every item, answer option, and all associated help text within the platform, is easily shared between staff and departments.
How can I ensure that the IPEDS data in my profile is accurate?
Every year, ACUHO-I imports the most recent IPEDS data. Note that IPEDS data is federally reported and, for this reason, assumed to be accurate. As such, ACUHO-I will not edit IPEDS data in the Campus Housing Index platform. Users who do not believe the IPEDS data to be correct are encouraged to work with their institutional research office, which is the campus department that reports this data to the IPEDS Data Collection System. For more information on this process, visit nces.ed.gov/ipeds/Home/ReportYourData.
How do I access results?
Annual results are released early in the subsequent calendar year. Announcements that the results are available are sent out through email to institutions as well as other ACUHO-I outlets. Users access comparison results by logging into the platform and choosing Comparison Data.
How can I use the data to compare my campus to peer institutions?
Comparison and report data in the index is presented in quartiles. This means users will be able to view their answers as compared to the 25th, median, and 75th percentiles. Users can also use filters to drill down more meaningfully. Two filters are included with the basic subscription, and six additional filters are available with a Premium subscription. Users have the ability to use filters individually or in combination to parse the data. However, to protect anonymity, users will not be able to view query results if the filtering yields less than seven participating institutions.
Is the data secure?
Yes. CHI data is secure as well as anonymous to other organizations. Only SHOs and the SHO’s designated staff member (if any) have access to the compensation section of the platform. To further protect anonymity, the data collected in this section is not filterable. Further, after data collection is complete, the data are only be available in reports created by ACUHO-I. Additional details regarding data security are available in the user guide. <link>
Can institutions outside of the United States participate?
Yes, institutions outside the U.S. with campus housing units can submit data to the CHI. Designated SHOs can log in to the platform with their ACUHO-I username and password and enter data or designate another staff member to do so. (See above.) Note that institutions outside of the U.S. will be missing some profile data because they do not participate in IPEDS. Please contact ACUHO-I directly at chi@acuho-i.org for instructions on how to submit this data.
My institution is new to ACUHO-I, am I able to participate?
Yes, new institutions both inside and outside the U.S. with campus housing units can submit data to the CHI. To get started, users will create their ACUHO-I account by visiting https://members.acuho-i.org and clicking the green “sign-up” button. After logging into the ACUHO-I portal, there will be a link to access the CHI platform. Users will then log in on the CHI website. If there are any problems creating an account or accessing the CHI platform, please contact chi@acuho-i.org for assistance.
How does my institution get basic access to the data?
Subscriptions are set at the organization level. If an institution has basic or premium access, all staff members listed on the ACUHO-I membership roster will have access to the data at that level. Each individual logs in using their own ACUHO-I credentials. Only SHOs and staff they designate as secondary users (if any) can access compensation section results and make changes to the organization’s subscription.
A minimum of 50% survey completion per section is required for Basic Access level to the results of that section. For example, users who complete 50% or more of all three sections have Basic Access to all sections. Users who complete 50% or more of only one or two sections have Basic Access to only those sections.
How long is a subscription valid?
Subscriptions provide access to the data from all years of administration. For example, a subscription purchased in 2024 would expire on December 31, 2024.
My institution does not want to participate in data collection but would like to access results. Is this possible?
Yes. Non-participating institutions can purchase both Basic and Premium access to results at the non-completer rate. ACUHO-I-generated reports are also available for purchase from the ACUHO-I bookstore.
Can more than one person on my staff access the data?
Yes. Subscriptions are set at the organization level, so if an institution has Basic or Premium access, all staff members listed on the ACUHO-I membership roster will have access to the data at that level. Each individual logs in using their own ACUHO-I credentials. However, only SHOs and those staff they designate can access compensation section results and make changes to the organization’s subscription.