The surveys are conducted in five waves as a panel survey targeting students in their 1st, 2nd and 5th academic semesters of their Bachelor’s degree programme, as well as those in their 1st and 2nd academic semesters of their Master’s degree programme. Within the first six months of graduating, the faculty’s graduates are asked to take part in the faculty’s own graduate survey. Students are informed about the surveys by email and during selected lectures. We use the panel design to systematically record students’ experiences and to highlight trends throughout their entire course of study.



Each successive wave of the surveys focuses on different key topics. In addition, there are topics that are covered repeatedly across several waves.


When designing the surveys, we are guided by our commitment to ensuring that the collection and processing of data, including the results, meet the criteria for transparency. The surveys are quality-assured by the faculty’s in-house expertise in empirical social research and are aligned with current academic debates on programme development, a focus on skills and diversity, and the criteria for the internal accreditation of degree programmes. We always ensure data minimisation and sensitivity to diversity. Furthermore, our survey instruments are continuously adapted, refined and expanded to include current topics.

All results of the student surveys conducted by the Faculty of Social Sciences can be requested from the Dean’s Office in anonymised and aggregated form. Among other things, they form the basis for the internal accreditation of degree programmes.