Information for universities and universities of applied sciences

The Student Life Cycle Panel is based on a nationally representative sample at officially recognized universities and universities of applied sciences in Germany. The initial recruitment of graduates as well as their invitation to the survey depend on the cooperation of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and their examination offices.

At each HEI, only a random sample of areas of study is drawn for the survey. The actual areas of study in the sample vary between HEIs. We include all graduates of each cluster who have attained their first professionally qualifying or masters degree. HEIs that were drawn in the sampling process will receive all required material from the DZHW, which will take all the necessary precautions to reduce expenditures for the institutions as much as possible. If required, our project team will naturally support the institutions in contacting the subjects.

The DZHW is obligated and committed to follow all applicable data protection guidelines when collecting and processing personal data. Data is only processed in a way that excludes the possibility of referencing the data to persons. Contact data is not disclosed to third parties. You can find more information on data protection here.

Survey data is used exclusively for scientific and non-commercial purposes. The results are used in the reporting on education in various ways, thus supporting decisions-making in educational policy. The anonymized data is made available to the scientific community as Scientific Use Files via the research data center of the DZHW. Access to central indicators through a digital data portal enables participating institutions to compare their own surveys to the national average in a variety of differentiations.

Moreover, the study serves as the German contribution to the project EUROGRADUATE, which aims at establishing a common frame of reference for the careers of European graduates. It thereby counteracts an increasing survey burden among the graduates of Higher Education Institutions.

For the results of the study to be scientifically meaningful, a high cooperation of HEIs in our sample is essential. This participation alone enables a representative image of the careers and life choices of graduates.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

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 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.

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.

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