Amherst College
PRE-3: Institutional Characteristics

This credit collects information about an institution’s boundary (defining the campus for purposes of reporting), its operational characteristics (the context in which it operates) and its demographics. This information provides valuable context for understanding and interpreting STARS data.

Some of the values reported in this credit are also required to pursue other STARS credits. Such reporting fields may be populated from the data provided in the Institutional Characteristics section of the online Reporting Tool.

Measurement

Report the most recent data available from within the previous three years.

Each institution is expected to report on its entire main campus, at a minimum, however AASHE recognizes that this may not always be feasible. An institution may exclude a feature from its boundary as long as the exclusion is reported in an appropriate documentation field and applied consistently. An institution that opts to exclude a hospital from its institutional boundary, for example, may not claim points for the hospital’s sustainability programs and initiatives.

The general expectation is that the institutional boundary will be the same for an entire STARS report. Therefore, care should be taken in selecting the institutional boundary so that consistent reporting is possible across all credits. Exceptions are allowed, however, for example when unforeseen data limitations would otherwise not allow a credit to be completed. Further guidance is available in the STARS Help Center.

Applicable to all institutions and required to submit a report.