The survey of heis performance as a data source on higher education in Russia

Annual Survey of Performance of Higher Education Institutions, conducted in Russiasince 2012, is the main source of open-access information on Russian universities. The discussion on the indicators of the Survey mainly focuses on their applicability for assessing higher education institutions (HEIs). The Survey, however, is not observed as a possible source of data for researchers in higher education. To remedy this deficiency, this paper evaluates the Survey data in terms of their quality and applicability for statistical analysis. The quality of the data is measured in four dimensions: accuracy, timeliness, completeness, and consistency. The technical convenience of the data is evaluated through the analysis of the variables distribution. The conclusion contains recommendations for researchers, who plan to use the Survey data for studying Russian higher education.