The first survey of the Student Survey took place in the winter semester 1982/83. The aim of this standardized survey was to continuously and systematically record the experiences and evaluations, views and attitudes of students in the sense of a planned permanent observation. The aim was to gather reliable findings on the student situation and student orientations toward studies, careers and politics, as well as on their developments. The cultural and social dimensions of student life were analyzed. The research project has been funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) since its inception.
In the thirteen surveys conducted up to 2016, a total of more than 105,000 students were interviewed. The Student Survey thus offers a comprehensive database that is unique for student and higher education research, firstly because of the broad range of topics and secondly because of the long time span, which can trace important phases of change and developments. In this context, the analysis potential goes far beyond the investigation of the study situation, since the experience and behavior during studies can be linked to general orientations. The data serve, among other things, as a basis for higher education policy, quality management at universities, and public discussion of higher education development. In addition, the Student Survey is regularly used for research purposes, university teaching and student qualification work.
Detailed information on the development, structure and theoretical framework of the Student Survey has been compiled in a separate report: The Student Survey.
Information on the duration, responsible parties, sponsors, procedures, methodology, topics, and related publications of each survey can be viewed via the key data.
Various reports were published in each survey wave, including the main reports for each survey entitled: Study Situation and Student Orientations, which provide an overview of the findings on the broad range of topics over time.
The results of each survey were published in different report forms.