Frequently Asked Questions
[Survey Portal | Survey Results]
What is the Graduate Student Survey?
All currently enrolled graduate students -- Master's and Doctoral -- are invited to participate in this survey that takes place every two years to evaluate and improve the academic and overall experiences of graduate students.
How is the Graduate Student Survey different from other surveys?
The Graduate Student Survey provides a unique formal opportunity to provide feedback on the quality of your graduate program, financial support, the campus climate for diversity, your experiences as a TA, GSR, or GSI, and your satisfaction with campus services.
The survey is being conducted at UC Santa Cruz and all other UC campuses. Survey results will be shared with faculty, staff, and campus decisionmakers, and will be incorporated into regular formal reviews of each department. This survey started in 2007 and has taken place every other Spring quarter.
Results from the Graduate Student Survey are also made directly available to academic programs and others on campus to help inform decisions that can improve the experience of students.
How long does the survey take to complete?
The comprehensive nature of the Graduate Student Survey means that the survey takes 25-30 minutes to complete. Responses are saved as you go through each page of the survey, so the survey may be completed in more than one sitting.
How is confidentiality of responses ensured?
Responses are confidential: results will be reported only as aggregate data and only at the group level of analysis (for example, program or gender). This means that results are only reported in a way that is not personally identifiable. For more information, see the IRAPS Surveys Privacy and Confidentiality statement.
Do I need to complete the survey to be eligible for prize drawings?
To be eligible for prize drawings without completing the survey, you can send an email request to surveys@ucsc.edu. To be entered in prize drawings that will occur during the period that the survey is open, eligibility starts the day after receipt of the email request. To be entered in the final drawing for the 2023 survey, the email request must be received by the day before the close of the survey.
Who can I contact if I have problems logging in?
The ITS Support Center can support students with issues logging in, and can be reached at (831) 459-4357. Support is available from Monday to Friday, 8:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the afternoon. The survey requires logging in with a CruzID and password to ensure that only current UC Santa Cruz graduate students can submit responses and to allow students to continue a partially-completed survey.
