Survey Research
More information about surveys conducted by IR&DS can be found in our newsletter.
Surveys conducted
IR&DS conducts surveys of students and faculty and provides expertise on survey research methodology and tools. The follow surveys are conducted regularly.
- Pre-Freshman Survey: A survey of all entering freshmen conducted every year. 2009 questions
- Enrolled Student Survey: A survey of all enrolled undergraduates conducted every four years. 2007 questions
- Senior Survey: A survey of graduating seniors conducted every other year. 2010 questions
- Doctoral Student Exit Survey: A survey of PhD recipients conducted every quarter. 2010 questions
- Alumni Survey: Conducted every 5 years. 2009 questions
- Parent Financial Aid Survey: Conducted every 4-5 years. 2006 questions
- Ad hoc surveys on specific issues, such as the recent Faculty Child Care Survey.
IR&DS is also conducting a longitudinal study of the Class of 2012, in connection with WASC accreditation. These surveys are being developed to track undergraduates across their four years here at Stanford. Item subscales tie into the University’s accreditation themes as well as provide information about developmental trends, academic trajectory and program quality assurance.
A schedule of our recent and planned survey administrations can be found here.
Survey reports
Overviews of reports discussing the results of many of these surveys are given here.
Survey policies
IR&DS participates in the Survey Coordinating Committee to help guide and improve Stanford’s overall survey research agenda. This committee has released a Policy on Survey Guidelines and Coordination.
Anyone interested in conducting a survey of Stanford students should fill out this form. The Survey Coordinating Committee considers each request and determines whether or not to grant prospective survey researchers access to Stanford student lists.
Because the class of 2012 is the focus of a longitudinal study connected with Stanford's WASC re-accreditation, the University prohibits additional surveys of these students in order to avoid survey fatigue. .
IR&DS can also share existing data with Stanford units in some cases, potentially reducing the need to conduct additional surveys. Please see our Institutional Data Request Policy Letter for more details on accessing existing data.
