In 2003, with a random sample of 2,000 undergraduates per campus, the all-UC response rate was 41.6%, with between 31.6% and 54.1% of subjects at each campus responding. The response rate for the first systemwide census survey in 2004 was 32.1% (campus range: 24.2% to 39.9%). In 2006, UCUES achieved a 37.9% systemwide response rate (campus range 31.4% to 47.9%). In 2008, UCUES achieved a 39.2% systemwide response rate with four campuses achieving over 40%.
With these results, UCUES response rates meet or exceed the current standards of acceptable response rates for student surveys. The National Survey for Student Engagement (NSSE) reports that 42% is the average response rate per institution, but the response rate for all students taking the survey is 37%. NSSE includes many small colleges and universities that can achieve a high institutional response rate. However, the average response rate for large public universities is 33%, and the response rate achieved by UC Davis when it participated in NSSE in 2005 was 25%.
The Higher Education Research Institute (HERI), which sponsors a number of national surveys, estimated that 20% would be the expected UC response rate to one of their student experience surveys and also reported a 25-30% response for their survey of seniors. Their Freshman Survey (CIRP) achieves a much higher rate (75% or better), but that survey is generally administered to a captive audience of incoming freshmen at orientation. While some sample surveys at large universities have achieved higher response rates than UCUES, most published examples of large-scale university student survey response rates are similar to or lower than that of UCUES.