SED

The SED serves as an annual census of the nation’s Ph.D. recipients—roughly 55,000 respondents per year, across all academic disciplines—and is a key data source for researchers and policymakers who are interested in the diversity of the U.S.

NSF conducted a pilot test last year to determine how best to phrase the questions on the SED.

In a statement last week that accompanied the release of the pilot data, NSF announced it would add new questions to the 2025 SED that will allow respondents to specify their sex at birth, their current gender identity, and their sexual orientation.

Data collection for the 2025 SED will run from July to June 2025, and a summary of the data is expected to be released in October 2026.

It’s unclear whether those events factored into NSF’s decision to add sexual orientation and gender identity questions to the 2025 SED.