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The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment is actively engaged in conducting a strategic survey research program that includes participation in national and UNC System-wide survey projects. These survey activities are part of the University’s commitment to institutional effectiveness and improvement. Results from these surveys can be viewed below.

The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment also supports academic and administrative units with survey development, administration, and analysis of surveys. We assist in developing survey items that best answer your research questions, provide support for administering surveys, advise on when to schedule surveys for optimal data collection, and analyze collected data.

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CIRP Survey

The Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Survey is part of a long-running national study sponsored by the Higher Education Research Institute. UNC-Chapel Hill participated in the CIRP survey until 2019.

More About the CIRP Survey

CIRP is a continuing longitudinal study of the American higher education system undertaken by the Higher Education Research Institute housed at UCLA. The principal purpose of CIRP is to assess the opinions and interests of first-year college students. Established in 1966, CIRP has generated an array of research about a wide range of issues in American higher education over the last 45 years.

In recent years, CIRP has developed constructs from survey item responses to better understand student experiences and outcomes than if only individual survey items are compared. These constructs include academic and social self-conception, valuation of social and political involvement, learning behaviors, likelihood of college involvement, and the importance of college reputation.

CIRP Freshman Survey Results

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SERU Survey

The Student Experience in the Research University Survey is a collaborative effort among AAU institutions to better understand undergraduate student engagement and perceptions of their experience at research universities. A major advantage of participating in the SERU project is the ability to compare responses of Carolina students with those of their counterparts at other research universities at the program level.

A dashboard that permits detailed examination of the most recent 2022 SERU results is available at the Carolina Analytics Portal.

Summary reports of the SERU results from 2011 to 2022 are available through the links below.

More about the SERU Survey

The University is participating in the SERU (Student Experience in the Research University) project, which is a collaborative effort among various (mostly public) AAU institutions. Developed by the University of California at Berkeley, the purpose of the SERU project is: to develop “new data sources and policy relevant analysis to help broaden our understanding of the undergraduate experience and to promote a culture of institutional self-improvement” at large, public research universities. The University has administered the SERU survey every two years starting in 2011.

SERU Survey Summary Reports

Student Diversity

Diversity

In Fall 2022, the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment partnered with the University Office for Diversity and Inclusion to administer campus climate surveys to all students, staff, administrators, and faculty. The results of this survey are available on the Campus Climate Survey website.

Results from the Spring 2016 campus climate survey are archived below.

Archived Climate Survey Results from 2016

Staff Survey Responses
Data Tables
Highlights of Results
Undergraduate Student Survey Responses
Data Tables
Highlights of Results
Graduate/Professional Student Survey Responses
Data Tables
Highlights of Results

Students walking

Sophomore & Senior Surveys

These surveys were administered to UNC-Chapel Hill sophomores and graduating seniors approximately every 2-3 years since the late 1990s. These surveys were discontinued following the 2015-2016 administration.

More About the Sophomore & Senior Surveys

Sophomores and graduating seniors were asked about overall satisfaction; faculty contributions to their educational experience; academic and non-academic support services; campus climate; self-rated knowledge, skills, and development; participation in co-curricular activities and enriching educational experiences.

Sophomore Survey Results
Senior Survey Results

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NSSE Survey

The National Survey of Student Engagement is administered to first-year and senior students across the nation to learn more about their academic and social engagement patterns. UNC-Chapel Hill participated in the survey until 2010.

More About the NSSE Survey

First-year and senior students from universities across the nation are surveyed about their experiences in activities that research shows to be related to positive learning and developmental outcomes. NSSE combines various items in the survey to create “benchmark” measures in five specific categories: Active and Collaborative Learning, Student-Faculty Interaction, Supportive Campus Environment, Enriching Educational Experiences, and Level of Academic Challenge. The University switched to SERU after 2010.

NSSE Survey Results

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Alumni Survey

The 2013 Undergraduate Alumni Survey was administered to Carolina Alumni five and ten years after graduation to evaluate the undergraduate experience.

More About the Alumni Survey
The goals of the 2013 Alumni Survey were to:

  • Evaluate the status of undergraduates five and ten years after graduation by gathering information about where they are, type of employment, and its relationship to their major
  • Access the importance of Curriculum Learning Outcomes to their career and the quality of preparation provided at Carolina including specific abilities and skills acquired, the value of course-related experiences in and out of the classroom to their career, and their overall satisfaction with their undergraduate experience
  • Seek suggestions for strengthening the Undergraduate experience and career preparation from the alumni perspective
Alumni Survey Results

To learn more about how OIRA can support your survey projects, please contact us at the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment.