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MLwiN FAQs

Get MLwiN

MLwiN is currently available at no cost and without support for UK acadamics: Download MLwiN for free

For all all other users: Buy MLwiN

Upgrades and demo versions

Upgrade MLwiN to 3.10 (released 15-Mar-24)

Teaching version (limited version available free to all to be used with our online training course.

Try MLwiN for free (expires after 30 days)

MLwiN features

New features in MLwiN 3.00

New features in MLwiN 2.18 including note about training materials.

MLwiN features and versions

System requirements

Bugs fixed, new features and known issues.

Manuals and training materials

Register/log into our online course - incuding multilevel modelling using MLwiN. Note - please register to use these materials. The course is free, we require you to register so that we can collect data to help us to conduct and publish research into the learning of multilevel methodology and applications.

Manuals

Using MLwiN - help using the software, eg getting results, using commands, and more

Citing MLwiN

How to cite MLwiN.


A few of its features


  • Names window (where you can see all the variables)
  • Equations window (showing what model has been fitted and the parameter estimates). More >>
  • Variance function window (to calculate the residual variance at any level)
  • Predictions window (to calculate predicted values for each individual in the dataset, specifying what should be included in the prediction), and
  • Graphs (here the user has selected the country line that seems to be different from the others and asked that points relating to this country be drawn in red in all graphs, to help in deciding whether this is an outlier; the country is the Netherlands, as the user would have seen when they clicked on the line). More >>
  • More features >>

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MLwiN and Multilevel modelling


Multilevel modelling has rapidly become established as the appropriate tool for modelling data with complex hierarchical structures. It is important for extending our understanding of social, biological and other sciences beyond that which can be obtained through single level modelling. Multilevel modelling is now being used in Education, Medical science, Demography, Economics, Agriculture and many other areas.

The term multilevel refers to a nested membership relation among units in a system. In an education system, for example, students are members of classes, and classes are grouped within schools. When 'single level' techniques such as multiple regression are applied to data from a structure such as this, the analysis will ignore important aspects of the data structure and the results will often be misleading.

The basic procedures for modelling purely hierarchical data have been extended to include cross-classifications and cases where lower level units belong to more than one higher level unit. Thus, models can now be fitted to data with extremely complex structures.

Multivariate regression and multivariate analysis of variance can be conducted in a particularly flexible manner using a multilevel approach. The models can also be used to fit growth curves and other repeated measures data with either continuous or discrete responses, estimate variance and covariance components from studies with complex designs, and analyse data from studies employing rotation sampling. Multilevel time series data can be modelled. Multilevel generalised linear models can be fitted: for example, logit, log-log or probit models for binary response data and macros are available for multinomial ordered or unordered logistic models. Multilevel survival or event history models can be fitted. Complex sample survey data can be modelled flexibly and efficiently.

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