Since its inception in January 1999, the Office of Institutional Research & Assessment (OIRA) is responsible for carrying out overall institutional assessment and research, and providing information for improvement, planning and decision-making at the college. These responsibilities are performed by conducting institutional research and student outcomes assessment and surveys; evaluating college programs; disseminating information throughout the college, university and state; and, along with the CUNY IR database system, serving as an institutional data warehouse for the college to maintain a complex system of student tracking files.

The Office develops and produces various semester and annual reports and publications, including the Medgar Evers College Snapshot, the Departmental Portrait and Outcomes Trend Report, and various informational monographs.

The Office communicates with the CUNY Office of Applied Research, Evaluation, and Data Analytics to understand the computational aspects of the University's requirements for evaluative measures, the proper usage of the CUNY data warehouse system, as well as to provide the College's feedback. The Office participates in the College performance management process (PMP) to study institutional effectiveness in meeting stated purposes, so the College can use the results to set goals to improve college programs, services and facilities.

Another major responsibility of OIRA is to create and administer institutional level surveys at various points of the student experience, and conduct college-wide assessment of student academic preparedness and progress. The Office further provides data and research to an array of academic departments and student support offices to assess student performance and goals.