Survey of first-year students

On March 8, 2022 most University of Calgary students in their first year of studies received an emailed invitation from PRA on behalf of the University of Calgary with a link to complete the Canadian University Survey Consortium (CUSC) 2022 survey of first-year students. 

If you received the survey invitation, this is a great opportunity to help us improve the student experience at UCalgary.

However, we understand that you might have a few questions: 

What is the Canadian University Survey Consortium (CUSC)?

CUSC is Canada’s longest-standing provider of undergraduate student satisfaction and experience surveys. Universities from across Canada jointly implement CUSC surveys to better understand and serve their students. 

What is this survey?

CUSC surveys are done on a rotational basis, targeting first-year, middle-year and graduating-year students. This year’s survey is focused on first-year students. It is being conducted at more than 30 Canadian universities and aims to provide better understanding of student pathways, experiences, persistence, and degree completion. 

Do I have to complete the survey?

If you received a CUSC survey invitation by email, it is totally up to you whether you complete the survey. Your participation is optional. 

What information does the survey ask for? 

If you decide to participate in this survey, you will be asked to provide details about your experience at UCalgary, including information about your student experience, financial situation, parent(s)/guardian(s)’ educational attainment, living arrangements, ethnicity, and any disability(ies) or impairment(s) you may have. 

If you choose to complete the survey, note that CUSC requires all questions be answered. However, you may withdraw from the survey at any time by closing your browser window. Any questions answered to that point will form part of the survey results, but you may request to have your responses removed. If you decide not to participate in this study, withdraw from participating at any time, or request to have your responses removed, you will not be penalized in any way.

What happens to the information I provide? 

Upon completion of the survey, your Alberta Student Number (ASN) will be associated to your responses and shared with the Alberta Ministry of Advanced Education as per an Information Sharing Agreement between the University of Calgary and Alberta Advanced Education. 

Advanced Education will be using these results to form part of a larger study. Advanced Education will link your results from this survey to future surveys you may participate in such as the CUSC survey for graduating-year students. Advanced Education will be responsible for the retention of all CUSC survey responses; however, the University of Calgary Office of Institutional Analysis will retain anonymized CUSC survey responses. All participating universities will have access to a database of aggregated (de-identified) survey results. 

Who can I contact if I have more questions?

CUSC has engaged PRA Inc. to manage this online survey. If you have any technical problems, please contact Nicholas Borodenko of PRA Inc. at cusc@pra.ca. Should you have any questions about this study, please contact Jacqueline Lambert, Office of Institutional Analysis, at askoia@ucalgary.ca.