Parents Survey

This was a 7-page COFHE-designed survey first administered to parents of first-year students, sophomores, and seniors in the spring of 1997. (Students who were juniors were administered the CSEQ during the same period.) The survey achieved a 73% response rate. It asked for parents' evaluations of the information they receive from the college, their sources of information about the college, ratings of programs and environment, concerns about their children, the effects of paying for college, and whether they would recommend the college to others.

The instrument was revised and admistered to parents of all enrolled students early in 2002, achieving a response rate of 68%. (The response rate of parents of first-year students, sophomores, and seniors was 70%, which is comparable to the 1997 administration.)

A COFHE-wide administration of the Parents Survey (with revisions) was conducted in spring 2007. A paper instrument was used, but parents were invited to complete the survey online, if they preferred, with a URL provided in the cover letter that came with the survey. The response rate for this administration was 56%.