About the HEDS Alumni Survey
The HEDS Alumni Survey elicits information from graduates of colleges and universities around the country about their curricular and co-curricular learning during college, and their educational, employment, civic, and personal activities after college.
St. Olaf College is a member of the Higher Education Data Sharing (HEDS) Consortium, which consists of approximately 180 institutions around the country that are “committed to sharing data, knowledge, and expertise to advance undergraduate liberal arts education, inclusive excellence, and student success.”
HEDS Alumni Survey Dashboard
This interactive dashboard allows for disaggregation of key questions from the HEDS Alumni Survey (along with the National Survey of Student Engagement) by race/ethnicity/citizenship and gender identity. HEDS Alumni data can be found at the bottom of most tabs on the dashboard.
HEDS Alumni Survey results and reports
Institutions participating in the HEDS Alumni Survey receive their own results and comparative results from other institutions. Findings provide data on the accomplishments of graduates and the long-term impact of college learning experiences, both inside and outside the classroom. HEDS Alumni Survey results are used at St. Olaf to support strategic planning, document the value of a liberal arts education, and inform efforts to assist students in vocational discernment and preparation for life after college.
In the early summer of 2024, the HEDS Alumni Survey was sent to graduates from the Classes of 2013, 2014, 2018, and 2019, and 420 alumni responded (19% response rate). This included 227 alumni from the “10-year cohort” (Classes of 2013 and 2014) and 193 alumni from the “5-year cohort” (Classes of 2018 and 2019), representing a 19% response rate from each cohort as well.
We have received our unit-record survey data from HEDS and updated the dashboard linked above with 2024 data. Once we receive additional summary and institutional comparison reports from HEDS, we will post them here.
Supplemental Questions: St. Olaf added three supplemental questions to the 2024 HEDS Alumni Survey. One asked alumni to indicate their level of interest in different kinds of engagement with the college, and two open-ended questions asked alumni to share about their preparation for life after college and what St. Olaf could do to better support this transition.