All currently enrolled graduate students are invited to participate in the UCSC Graduate Student Survey! The survey will be open through Week 5 of Spring quarter. Faculty, staff, and graduate student leaders can let graduate students know that the survey can be accessed at this page.
Click here to start the Graduate Student Survey!
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The UCSC Graduate Student Survey is a survey of doctoral and master’s students that takes place every two years that provides graduate students with a unique formal opportunity to share experiences and input about graduate programs, mentoring, financial support, climate for diversity and inclusion, satisfaction with campus services, and experiences as a Teaching Assistant, Graduate Student Instructor, or Graduate Student Researcher.
Students’ responses are used in regular formal evaluations of each graduate academic program. Aggregate survey findings are shared with faculty, staff, and campus decisionmakers. The survey has been held at UC Santa Cruz every two years since 2007.
How Results Are Used to Improve Graduate Students’ Experiences
1. Detailed reports of results for academic departments: Survey findings are incorporated into regular formal reviews of academic departments, to improve academic training, curriculum, mentoring, and professional development opportunities.
2. Reports for academic divisions: These reports inform how departments throughout each division are doing.
3. Topic-specific reports on matters of campus-wide importance: Recent reports have highlighted students’ financial support and situation, teaching preparation needs, and satisfaction with campus services, and are shared with student services units throughout campus.
4. Spotlighting suggestions from open-ended questions: The 2025 survey includes opportunities to provide suggestions on program curriculum and mentoring, support for graduate students in writing, and how to improve students’ experiences working as a Graduate Student Researcher, Teaching Assistant, or Graduate Student Instructor. Deidentified comments are incorporated into reports for graduate programs to communicate suggestions to faculty and division leaders.
Results from Recent Graduate Student Surveys
2025 Graduate Student Survey
The 2025 survey will be open through Week 5 of Spring. Results will appear starting in late spring quarter or summer!
2023 Graduate Student Survey
Conducted from April 11 to July 4, 2023. Respondents: 41% of graduate students (43% of Doctoral and 36% of Masters) enrolled in winter 2023. The 2023 survey was part of the University of California Graduate Student Experience Survey (UCGSES).
- Questionnaire for the 2023 Graduate Student Survey
- Results (Interactive Data Tables): Responses for the 2023 Graduate Student Survey at UC Santa Cruz and other UC campuses
2021 Graduate Student Survey
Conducted from April 15 to July 1, 2021. Respondents: 37% of graduate students (41% of Doctoral and 27% of Masters) enrolled in winter/spring 2021. The 2021 survey was part of the University of California Graduate Student Experience Survey (UCGSES).
- Questionnaire for the 2021 Graduate Student Survey
- Results (Interactive Data Tables): Academic Experience, Advising, Climate for Diversity, Finances, Housing, Professional Development, and Student Services (UC Santa Cruz and other UC campuses), 2021
- Results (Interactive Data Tables): COVID-19 and Remote Learning (UC Santa Cruz and other UC campuses), 2021
- Results (Infographic): Doctoral Student Experiences in the Program, from the 2021 Graduate Student Survey
- Results (Infographic): Doctoral Student Academic Preparation from the 2021 Graduate Student Survey
- Results (Infographic): Doctoral Student Financial Situation from the 2021 Graduate Student Survey
- Results (Report PDF): Doctoral Student Financial Situation and Support, 2021 Graduate Student Survey
- Results (Report PDF): Doctoral Student Feedback on Teaching Preparation, 2021 Graduate Student Survey
- Results (Report PDF): Doctoral Student Feedback on Campus Services, 2021 Graduate Student Survey
2021-22 Graduate Studies Planning Form
A short survey to prepare for the 2021 Fall quarter, conducted from May 6 to May 23, 2021. Respondents: 42% of graduate students (47% of Doctoral and 24% of Masters) enrolled in spring 2021.
2019 Graduate Student Survey
Conducted in Spring/early Summer 2019. Respondents: 49% of graduate students (50% of Doctoral and 48% of Masters) enrolled in winter/spring 2019.
- Questionnaire for the 2019 Graduate Student Survey
- Results: Completing Graduate Degrees on Time: Students Reported Reasons for Slowing Their Progress, 2019 Graduate Student Survey
- Results: Doctoral Student Feedback on Programs Offered by the Center for Innovations in Teaching and Learning (CITL), 2019 Graduate Student Survey
- Results: Doctoral Student Feedback on Teaching Preparation, 2019 Graduate Student Survey
2017 Graduate Student Survey
Conducted in Spring/early Summer 2017. Respondents: 59% of graduate students (60% of Doctoral and 53% of Masters) enrolled in winter/spring 2017.
- Questionnaire for the 2017 Graduate Student Survey
- Results: PhD Students’ Challenges in Developing Writing Expertise (infographic)
- Results: Humanities PhD Students’ Challenges in Developing Writing Expertise (infographic)
- Results: Physical & Biological Sciences PhD Students’ Challenges in Developing Writing Expertise (infographic)
- Results: Social Sciences PhD Students’ Challenges in Developing Writing Expertise (infographic)
- Results: Engineering PhD Students’ Challenges in Developing Writing Expertise (infographic)
2015 Graduate Student Survey
Conducted in Spring/early Summer 2015. Respondents: 53% of graduate students (55% of Doctoral and 47% of Masters) enrolled in winter/spring 2015.
Results from previous years 2007-2013 are available upon request.
Prize Drawings
In appreciation of students’ time, participating graduate students will be entered into prize drawings starting from the first week of the survey and continuing throughout the survey.
For More Information
If you have questions, please write to iraps@ucsc.edu.
The 2025 Graduate Student Survey is sponsored by the UC Santa Cruz Division of Graduate Studies and the UC Santa Cruz Institutional Research, Analytics, and Planning Support office. The survey has been run since 2007 at UC Santa Cruz, and since 2021 has been part of a systemwide survey titled the University of California Graduate Student Experience Survey (UCGSES).