The Hope Center

#RealCollege™ Survey

What is the #RealCollege Survey?

The #RealCollege Survey is the nation’s largest, most well-established assessment of students’ basic needs. More than 500 colleges and universities have participated and over 500,000 students have completed the #RealCollege survey.

In addition to offering colleges and universities an up-close look at the challenges facing students, the survey also allows for critical insights into diversity, equity, and inclusion; student health; and emergency aid. We hope that this information encourages colleges to see students as humans first; helps colleges efficiently and equitably distribute supports; inspires the provision of additional resources; and advances innovative policy solutions.

To learn more about findings from prior #RealCollege surveys, see the recent reports page.

Want to participate in the #RealCollege Survey 2022?

Hope Impact Partnerships (HIP) advancing #RealChange for #RealCollege Students is our new model for participation in the #RealCollege Survey; moving forward, it’s how institutions like yours can participate in the survey.

HIP strategically aligns our nationally renowned student basic needs survey with systems change education and training services to help institutions not only identify their students’ basic needs, but also address them.

We offer three HIP partnership levels to meet institutions where they are at on their #realcollege journey. These levels range from survey only to bundled research, training, and coaching options.

Our expert team is excited to help you effectively assess, analyze, and take action to meet students’ basic needs on your campus. Act soon — Deadline to apply is May 2nd, 2022.

Recent Reports

The Hope Center’s recently published #RealCollege Survey reports are below. For all reports, see our Research Page.

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This report describes the results of the #RealCollege survey administered in the fall of 2019 at seven tribal colleges and
This report describes the results of the #RealCollege survey administered in the fall of 2018and 2019 at 28 of the
This report describes the results of the #RealCollege survey administered in the fall of 2019 at 28 out of the
Five years after it began, the #RealCollege Survey has now reached more than 330,000 students at more than 400 colleges
The #RealCollege survey is the nation’s largest annual assessment of basic needs security among college students. The survey, created by
Since 2008, the Wisconsin HOPE Lab (now the Hope Center) has examined food and housing insecurity among the nation’s undergraduates.
Food and housing insecurity among the nation’s community college students threatens their health and wellbeing, along with their academic achievements.
A new study at 10 community colleges across the nation reveals that half of the more than 4,000 community college