Overview
The Survey Team within Data & Analytics offers comprehensive support for survey administration, analysis, and reporting to campus partners. We collect feedback from students, employees, and alumni, providing valuable insights into the CU Boulder experience. This data helps our collaborators make informed, data-driven decisions. Additionally, we provide consultation services to campus units to improve the effectiveness and impact of their survey initiatives.
Surveys Administered by Data & Analytics
Student Surveys
New Student Survey (NSS)
Description: The New Student Survey (NSS) is administered to incoming undergraduate students before they arrive on campus.
Survey Topics: This survey aims to gather insights into students' initial perceptions of CU Boulder. It explores their reasons for choosing the university, their experiences with the application process, financial resources, and stress levels. The survey also assesses students' anticipated sense of belonging, commitment to CU Boulder, confidence in their academic abilities, and leadership qualities. Additionally, there are targeted questions for transfer students.
Administration Schedule: The NSS is administered three times a year, corresponding with the arrival of new students in the spring, summer, and fall terms.
Follow-Up New Student Survey (FUNSS)
Description: The Follow-Up New Student Survey (FUNSS) is administered to all new undergraduate students approximately two months after the start of the fall semester. First introduced in fall 2018, this survey collects valuable data to improve students' first-year experiences.
Survey Topics: The survey assesses students' overall experiences during their first semester, including both academic and non-academic challenges. It aims to understand students' confidence in their academic abilities, their sense of belonging and commitment to CU Boulder, and their plans for future enrollment. A key feature of this survey is comparing its results with those from the New Student Survey (NSS), which is administered earlier, to identify trends and changes in student experiences over the course of the semester.
Administration Schedule: The FUNSS is administered once a year, in the fall.
National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
Description: The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), administered by the team at Indiana University, is a comprehensive, longitudinal survey that gathers data from first-year and senior students about their college experiences, skills developed during their studies, and both academic and non-academic activities. CU Boulder participates in the NSSE on a regular basis.
Survey Topics: The survey examines key aspects of students' educational experiences at CU Boulder, including overall satisfaction and engagement indicators such as academic challenge, faculty interaction, and supportive environments. It also explores participation in high-impact practices like service learning, study abroad, and internships, as well as perceived learning gains, time allocation, and writing experiences.
Administration Schedule: The NSSE is administered approximately once every four years. Please contact us for the specific schedule.
Graduate Student Experience in the Research University Survey (gradSERU)
Description: The gradSERU survey, part of the Student Experience in Research Universities (SERU) Consortium, is a comprehensive, longitudinal survey designed to assess graduate students' experiences throughout their academic careers. CU Boulder participates in the gradSERU survey every two years, starting in spring 2021. All doctoral and master’s-level students (except those in Law, MBA, or fully online programs) are invited to participate. The survey data provides valuable insights into the graduate student experience and serves as an ongoing tool to track changes, improvements in academic programs, and the effectiveness of support services.
Survey Topics: This survey gathers insights from graduate students about key aspects of their academic and campus experiences. Topics include academic, research, and teaching experiences, as well as advising, financial support, program climate, student health and wellbeing, and future plans.
Administration Schedule: Every two years, in odd-numbered years, in the spring.
Senior Exit Survey (SES)
Description: The Senior Exit Survey (SES) gathers feedback from seniors on their satisfaction with their educational experiences at CU Boulder, as well as their plans and activities after graduation. Currently administered every four years in the spring, the survey has a long history and has evolved since its inception in 1985.
Survey Topics: The survey assesses students' satisfaction with their academic experience at CU Boulder, including their major program, skills development, and educational goals. It also collects feedback on experiential education, future plans, and the use and satisfaction with campus services and programs.
Administration Schedule: Every four years in the spring.
Seniors' Future Plans Survey (SFP)
Description: Since 2008, the Seniors' Future Plan Survey (SFP) has been conducted to collect insights from CU Boulder seniors about their post-graduation plans.
Survey Topics: The survey gathers valuable information on students' anticipated post-graduation paths, including employment, further education, or military service. It also explores expected geographic destinations, projected salary ranges, and how well their employment aligns with their academic majors for those pursuing full-time work or military service.
Administration Schedule: Conducted annually, except in years when the Senior Exit Survey is administered.
Alumni Surveys
Graduate Destinations Survey (GDS)
Description: The Graduate Destinations survey, originally conducted by the Office of Career Services and later taken over by Data & Analytics (formerly ODA) in 2019, is administered three times a year to undergraduate and graduate students six months after graduation.
Survey Topics: This survey collects comprehensive data on graduates' primary employment activities, job search experiences, and satisfaction with their positions. It also assesses how well their major prepared them for their careers, their participation in CU programs, and any further education or other activities they pursued after graduation.
Administration Schedule: Administered three times a year for spring, summer, and fall graduates.
AAUDE Doctoral Exit Survey
Description: Administered to all PhD graduates from the previous year (including summer, fall, and spring graduates), the AAUDE Doctoral Exit Survey is sponsored by the Association of American Universities Data Exchange (AAUDE) to benchmark graduate student success and satisfaction with their programs.
Survey Topics: This survey gathers valuable feedback on various aspects of students' academic and professional experiences. Topics include the evaluation of training programs and resources, the quality of faculty mentoring and advising, professional development opportunities, research presentation experiences, overall satisfaction with the graduate program, program climate, obstacles to success, and postgraduate plans and employment.
Administration Schedule: Annually.
Social Climate Surveys
Campus Culture Survey (CCS)
Description: The Campus Culture Survey (CCS) is a collaborative initiative led by Data & Analytics and the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC), in partnership with various campus stakeholders. The CCS provides faculty, staff, and students the opportunity to share anonymized insights about their experiences at CU Boulder, focusing on respect, support, and value within the community.
Survey Topics: The survey aims to advance CU Boulder’s goal of fostering a just, equitable, and inclusive culture. It collects feedback on topics such as belonging, academic and workplace culture, and experiences with incivility, protected-class harassment (including sexual harassment), and discrimination.
Administration Schedule: Every 4 years.
Research Institutes Culture Survey (ICS)
Description: CU Boulder administers the Institutes Culture Survey in collaboration with research institutes, campus stakeholders, and subject matter experts. This survey collects valuable insights from employees regarding their workplace experiences at CU Boulder’s research institutes.
Survey Topics: The survey examines factors such as the sense of belonging, workplace norms, the supportiveness and inclusiveness of the environment, and experiences of incivility and discrimination within the research institutes.
Administration Schedule: Every 4 years.
Sexual Assault & Related Harms Survey (SARHS)
Description: In 2015, the Survey Team at Data & Analytics collaborated with the CU Boulder Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC) to conduct the Sexual Misconduct Survey among undergraduate, graduate, and non-degree-seeking students. The findings of this survey are available on the OIEC website.
Survey Topics: The survey sought to assess students' experiences with sexual misconduct and evaluate their understanding of campus resources and reporting options. It also included questions on bystander intervention behaviors—actions individuals can take when witnessing potentially harmful situations. This focus on bystander intervention reflects its importance as a key educational initiative on campus.
Note: OIEC plans to administer the Sexual Assault and Related Harms Survey (SARHS) in fall 2024. For more information, please contact OIEC.
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Survey Calendar
The calendar below highlights surveys administered by Data & Analytics or sponsored by entities such as the CU Board of Regents, CU System, accrediting bodies, and other organizations. Click on any calendar event to view details about the target populations, survey purposes, and contact information.
Contact Us
Survey Data Analysis
The Survey Team provides statistical analysis services, including both descriptive statistics and more advanced analytics using statistical techniques and machine learning, based on the survey data we collect. For further analysis beyond the published dashboards and reports, please contact us to discuss your specific needs.
Client-Requested Surveys
In addition to conducting recurring surveys, we also offer custom survey research services to support various campus offices and programs. If you have a survey idea that could benefit the CU Boulder community and would like assistance, please reach out to us.
Due to resource constraints and the size of CU Boulder, the Survey Team in Data & Analytics is unable to support survey requests from individual students. Instead, we collaborate with academic or administrative units (e.g., Staff Council, Student Government) to implement surveys that serve the broader CU Boulder community.
Our team provides consultation on all aspects of survey design and execution, including:
- Questionnaire design
- Sampling
- Survey administration
- Data collection and compilation
- Statistical analysis
- Reporting
For individual research needs, the Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis (LISA) offers additional support. They provide consulting services and host walk-in hours to assist with campus research projects.
Resources
Survey Resources
Explore resources for conducting surveys at CU Boulder, including support from Data & Analytics, web-based surveying options, and general best practices. Our team provides expert consultation on survey design, administration, and analysis to ensure effective data collection and insights. We also offer guidance on selecting the right tools for your survey needs, and tips for improving response rates and data quality.
FAQs
Includes information about confidentiality/anonymity, drawings for cash awards, why people are chosen to take part in a survey, what we learn from a given survey, and who uses our survey data.