FAQ - Frequently asked questions

General

How is the study funded?

The Student Life Cycle Panel is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and the Ministries of Education of the 16 federal states.

What questions are being asked?

There is a core set of questions that is asked in each cohort of higher education graduates. The first survey mainly looks back at the completed degree program and the decision to enter the labor market or pursue further academic qualifications such as a Master's degree. The follow-up surveys focus on the educational and professional paths taken, as well as questions about career development, professional outcomes or starting a family. Personal details such as gender, age, migration background and social origin are also asked in each examination cohort, as they represent important background characteristics, e.g., for explaining differences in educational decisions or career advancement.

In addition, each examination cohort emphasizes special topics, such as regional mobility, career orientation and social networks.

Respondents

Why am I reminded to participate?

Respondents receive a reminder to participate if our survey system indicates that they have not yet participated or have interrupted/cancelled the survey at a very early stage. Due to data protection regulations, recording of the participation status and sending of reminders are technically and organisationally separated. In consequence, it might happen that you are reminded to participate even though you have already completed the survey. In case of the initial survey, the reminder is sent by the inviting higher education institutions, not by the DZHW. Timing of the reminder may vary by higher education institution. In addition, some higher education institutions decide for practical reasons to send a general reminder to all graduates in the sample instead of a targeted approach.

It seems to me that a question is not worded appropriately for me. What should I do?

Please answer all questions if possible. You can indicate in the questionnaire (in the comment field if available) what caused you problems when answering or contact us before finishing the questionnaire (slc@dzhw.eu). In standardized surveys it unfortunately cannot always be avoided to use an easily understandable wording on complex issues without extensive additional explanations.

How can I update my postal address or e-mail address?

You can inform us about your changed contact details at any time by e-mail to slc@dzhw.eu or by telephone. You can find the telephone numbers of our project assistants on our team page.

Why do you want to know my postal address and e-mail address?

The SLC project usually uses e-mail to communicate with you. Unfortunately, we had to learn that our e-mails occasionally end up in junk filters unintentionally or that the e-mail addresses that we address are no longer used. Therefore, we would be grateful if you provide us with an alternative postal address in addition to your e-mail address. Since higher education graduates are very mobile in the first time after their studies, it is useful to use an address that is rather stable over time (e.g., the address of the parents).

Do I need a computer to participate in the online survey?

You can answer the online questionnaire using a laptop as well as another mobile device (smartphone, tablet). However, using a larger display (PC, notebook) may be more user-friendly for some questions.

I have lost or deleted the letter with the access code or my e-mail with the survey link. How can I still take part in the survey?

Please contact us either by e-mail slc@dzhw.eu with your full name or give us a call. You can find the telephone numbers of our project assistants on our teampage.

How do I know if I won the prize draw?

If we have a valid address (or e-mail address) from you, we will contact you in case of a win.

What happens if I no longer wish to take part in the survey?

This is possible at any time. Please feel free to contact us by e-mail at slc@dzhw.eu or give us a call. You can find the telephone numbers of our project assistants on our Team page.

I have not studied and do not intend to study. Should I fill in the questionnaire anyway?

Yes, absolutely! The survey is aimed at all graduates, regardless of their future career path. We would also like to find out which groups of people do not go on to study despite having obtained a higher education entrance qualification and why they choose other educational and career paths.

I have friends who graduated in the same examination year – can they participate as well?

If your friends are similar to you in terms of our sampling characteristics (higher education institution, subject, degree type), they were also invited to our survey. Graduates with different characteristics may also have been part of our sample - they were also invited to our survey. Higher education graduates who did not receive an invitation were not selected as part of the sample and unfortunately cannot join the survey due to methodological reasons.

Schools

How do I find out if my school has won the prize draw?

If you win, we will contact you by e-mail or telephone.

Who can I contact if I have questions about the project or my participation?

You are welcome to contact us by e-mail slc@dzhw.eu or by telephone. You can find the telephone numbers of our project assistants under Team.

What is the expense for my school if we take part in the survey?

Schools that take part in our survey receive a package with the previously agreed amount of enveloped survey documents for the students in the final classes. Schools that run several types of school receive a separate package for each type of school in the sample. The survey documents must be distributed to the prospective students and, if necessary, collected again after completion and returned postage paid. However, students can also return the questionnaires to us individually postage paid.

When can I expect a school-specific evaluation?

The first survey of each graduating class is carried out in writing by post to around 1,000 school branches nationwide. This requires a great deal of logistical effort, not only in sending out the questionnaires, but also in preparing the data (coding open responses, data plausibility checks and data entry). The data set is completed approximately one year after the survey. After that, the school-specific evaluations can begin, which are completed around 15 to 18 months after the survey.

Hochschulen

What is the effort required from my university if we participate in the survey?

The effort for universities is limited to identifying the selected graduates of the examination year in their own data, assigning tokens to these contacts, and sending out invitation and reminder letters or e-mails.

There may be cases where respondents have follow-up questions. These inquiries can be forwarded to us, and we will handle the responses.

Can third parties see what the graduates of my university have answered?

No, published data is processed in accordance with the data protection officer's guidelines to ensure anonymization, so that the identification of a university is not possible.

Why has my university been contacted?

For the graduate surveys in the SLC project, a stratified cluster sample was drawn. This means that within each sampling stratum (formed by university type, degree type, and region), a random selection of so-called clusters (defined as fields of study at universities) was made.

Why do you draw a sample based on fields of study rather than specific degree programs?

For the sample selection, we use data from the official higher education statistics, which include the differentiation by fields of study. These have proven to be an effective sampling characteristic in the DZHW graduate surveys, as fluctuations in graduation numbers from year to year or the introduction/closure of individual degree programs have a minimal impact on the size of the clusters. Additionally, it is possible to later weight the data in relation to the target population using the fields of study in the official higher education statistics.

What should I do if there are no graduates from my university in the field of study selected for the examination year?

In smaller fields of study, it may happen that the associated degree programs have no graduates for a particular examination year. We kindly ask you to inform us of this during the communication for field preparation.

What costs are incurred by the university for participation?

The project does not pursue any commercial interests. The study is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, so participation in the study is free of charge for the universities in the sample.

What is the effort required from my university if we participate in the survey?

The effort for universities is limited to identifying the selected graduates of the examination year in their own data, assigning tokens to these contacts, and sending out invitation and reminder letters or e-mails.

There may be cases where respondents have follow-up questions. These inquiries can be forwarded to us, and we will handle the responses.

Is the cooperation of the universities also required for follow-up surveys?

No, the cooperation of the universities is only required for the initial contact of a cohort. For follow-up surveys, the respondents are addressed by the DZHW directly based on the contact details provided by the respondents in case they agree to participate in further surveys.

Forschungsdaten und Ergebnisse

Is it possible to see the results of the survey?

The results can be found in publications of the DZHW, in presentations, journal articles and monographs. Selected results from the surveys can be found on the results page.

How do I get access to the datasets as a researcher?

The Student Life Cycle Panel makes the survey data available in anonymised Scientific Use Files for scientific research purposes in the Research Data Centre (FDZ) of the DZHW. The access conditions can be found at the website of the FDZ.

Data Protection

How is data protection ensured?

The DZHW is obliged to strictly comply with the data protection regulations applicable to the collection and processing of personal data. The evaluation of the collected data is carried out in such a way that it is not possible to draw conclusions about individuals. The survey data will be used exclusively for scientific and not for commercial purposes. Contact details will not be passed on to third parties. You can find detailed information here.