Frequently asked questions
Q: What's the purpose of the survey?
A: The purpose of the survey is help University administrators better understand the financial aid offered to students admitted to UC doctoral programs and the choices that those students make about what institution to attend.
Q: How long will it take?
A: The survey is very short. It shouldn't take more than 15 minutes of your time.
Q: What if I'm not going to UC? Should I still fill out the survey?
A: Absolutely! This survey is for all applicants who were admitted to UC doctoral programs. It is important for us to hear from you even if you have decided not to attend UC.
Q: Who sponsors this survey?
A: The survey is sponsored and conducted by the University of California Office of the President, the system management office for UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Los Angeles, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC San Francisco, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz.
Q: How was I selected?
A: All students admitted to a doctoral program at any UC campus for 2013-14 were invited to participate in the survey. In order for the results of the survey to be useful, a high response rate is essential. Thus, it is vitally important that the selected applicants participate in the survey.
Q: Are my responses confidential?
A: Yes. We guarantee that your survey responses will be treated with absolute confidentiality. This means that no responses will be published or analyzed in a way that identifies you personally. Your responses will not affect your chances of winning a prize. Your survey ID number allows us to confirm that you completed the survey so that you can be entered in our random drawing. Your survey ID also enables us to combine your responses with other institutional data that will be important in the analysis of the survey results. See the 'Confidentiality' section for more information about confidentiality.
Q: Do I get anything for completing the survey?
A: If you complete and submit the survey by June 28, you will be eligible to win a Grand Prize of $1,000 or one of ten $100 prizes. Prize winners will be randomly selected on July 1 and will be notified soon afterward.
Q: What are my odds of winning one of the prizes?
A: Since we don't know exactly how many students will submit a survey, we cannot say exactly what your odds will be. Most likely, each student's chances of winning one of the cash prizes will be about 1 in 600.
Q: I get an error message "Please enter a valid number..."
A: When entering numbers into numeric fields, please enter numbers only. Do not use dollar signs, commas or spaces. The survey will see these as invalid amounts.
Q: Where do I find the actual survey?
A: The email invitation or reminder sent to you contains the link to this FAQ page and your personalized link to the actual survey. To obtain a new link, you can also email graduate.survey@ucop.edu. In your email, please include your first and last name and the campus to which you were admitted.
Q: Who should I contact regarding my own financial support?
A: Decisions about student financial aid awards are made by each UC campus and department. The Office of the President does not make financial support awards.
Q: I think I may have received this survey in error.
A: This survey is intended for students accepted into a PhD graduate program at UC. The UC campus and department to which you applied are the primary authority and have the best information on your admissions status. If you received an invitation in error, please write to graduate.survey@ucop.edu and you will be removed from the list.
Q: Where can I find more information about the survey?
A: If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Jessika Jones at the UC Office of the President at (510) 987-9536 or at graduate.survey@ucop.edu.