CCSSE 2025 Options and Rates
This page serves as a primer for registration. The information below is meant to be reviewed prior to entering the registration form so that major questions about administration can be answered ahead of time. All rates and deadlines presented below are specific to the 2025 survey administration.
For a brief overview of the CCSSE 2025 administration, Start Here.
Base PricingEligibility
Available Discounts
Administration Modality
Consortia
Additional Survey Items
Standard Additional Item Sets
Custom Additional Item Sets
Oversampling
Optional Add-On for Online-Only Students at Colleges Administering the Paper Survey
Race/Ethnicity Survey
Faculty Survey (CCFSSE)
Special Customized Reports or Data Analysis
Invoicing and Payment
Cancellation Policy
Base Pricing
These rates are based on fall Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) total headcount enrollment in credit classes.*
The base price of CCSSE covers multiple services related to the survey administration, a dedicated college liaison for real-time support, data analyses, and reporting.
Note: For multi-college institutions and single colleges with multiple campuses, pricing is determined by IPEDS/accreditation status.
| Enrollment Size | CCSSE 2025 Base Price | Target Number of Respondents |
| Fewer than 1,500 | $3,900 | Call for more information. |
| 1,500–4,499 | $8,150 | ~600 |
| 4,500–7,999 | $10,950 | ~800 |
| 8,000–14,999 | $13,800 | ~1,000 |
| 15,000–21,999 | $16,400 | ~1,200 |
| 22,000 or more | $20,900 | ~1,500 |
*For a number of purposes related to the work of CCCSE, it is important that we rely on publicly reported data that will ensure a degree of consistency and reliability across highly diverse institutions. For that reason, CCCSE bases its survey administration fees and sampling numbers on enrollment data reported by IPEDS. In addition, CCCSE uses IPEDS data on certain variables describing college student populations, including student age, race/ethnicity, full-time vs. part-time enrollment, etc.
Multi-campus institutions that report to IPEDS as single entities and would like to receive campus-level reporting should contact info@cccse.org for administration design and pricing inquiries.
Invoices for CCSSE will be sent to college presidents on or around April 1, 2025, with payment due June 1, 2025.
Costs for Survey Shipments Outside of Continental North America
Colleges outside of continental North America will be charged a second invoice for outbound UPS or FedEx shipping costs. Colleges outside of continental North America will be responsible for return shipping and all associated costs, and for ensuring that surveys reach CCCSE by the administration deadline. Please contact surveyops@cccse.org with questions.
Eligibility
All accredited associate degree-granting colleges are eligible to participate in CCCSE surveys.
For colleges that award both associate and baccalaureate degrees, CCCSE surveys are the appropriate choice when the majority of degrees awarded are at the associate level.
Available Discounts
If a college is eligible for more than one discount, only the discount of highest value applies.
Commitment to Administer CCSSE and SENSE
Administer both CCSSE and the Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE) in either the same academic year or the same calendar year and receive up to
a 40% discount on the base price of the second administration of the pair (percentage is dependent upon combination of other discounts, if any). The college
will be billed for each survey administration during each survey’s normal billing cycle, unless other arrangements have been made. This discount applies only
to a pair of back-to-back administrations of CCSSE and SENSE.
Discount for New Colleges
For colleges that are new to CCCSE surveys (have never participated in either CCSSE or SENSE), CCCSE offers a
one-time 25% discount on the base fee of the first survey administration. For new colleges that register for the subsequent survey, the base fee of the second survey will be discounted 15%.
Discount for Statewide Consortia
Members of statewide consortia receive a 15% discount on the base price. A statewide consortium consists of all colleges
in a state or state system. For statewide consortium colleges that register for the subsequent survey, the base fee of the second survey will be discounted 25%.
Contact CCCSE at info@cccse.org or 512-471-6807 for more information about discounts.
Administration Modality
Colleges can administer CCSSE in randomly selected classes or as a fully online survey. The in-class administration can be done using paper instruments or by having students complete the survey using their computers or smart devices. All administration modalities contain the same survey items.
Online administration: The survey link is shared broadly to a census sample of all survey eligible students. Colleges promote survey participation in various ways, including via e-mail, text messaging, or the Learning Management System. Students typically take the survey in their own time using their personal computers, smartphones, or tablets. Colleges considering an online administration should review the Online CCSSE FAQs and the primer CCSSE online administration response rates.
In-Class administration: CCCSE selects a stratified random sample of in-person courses in which the survey will be administered. After the college approves the sample, CCSSE prepares and ships survey packets to the Campus Coordinator for each selected class.
- Paper-Based: The survey packets contain instructions, an administration script, and a paper survey instrument for each student in the class. After reading the script, survey administrators provide a survey to each student in the classroom. Completed surveys are placed back in the survey packets and returned to CCCSE by the May survey deadline. Colleges administering the survey on paper that wish to gather data from their online-only students must pay for the optional online add-on.
- Device-Based: The survey packets contain administration instructions, an administration script, and QR code cards with the survey link. Students complete the survey using their own personal computer, smartphone, or tablet (or one provided by the college). Although the college will not need to ship anything back to CCCSE, all surveys must be completed by the May survey deadline. Colleges administering the in-class device-based survey have achieved comparable response rates to those administering on paper (44% device-based/42% paper). Surveys for online-only students are included without additional charge. If you have any questions about the device-based administration, please e-mail surveyops@cccse.org.
Consortia
A consortium is a group of three or more colleges with common interests, characteristics, or locations that wish to participate in a CCSSE administration for the purpose of sharing data. Participation in CCSSE consortia is free.
All colleges that participate as part of a CCSSE consortium benefit from the following:
- The opportunity to administer custom survey items in addition to the core survey at all colleges in the consortium (fees apply; see details and pricing below)
- Consortium comparison reports
Forming a CCSSE Consortium
Select an individual from one of the institutions in the proposed consortium or from the sponsoring organization to serve as the Consortium Leader.
The Consortium Leader is responsible for the following:
- Coordinating communication among participating institutions
- Ensuring all consortium member colleges complete registration for CCSSE 2025 by October 31, 2024
- Submitting a Consortium Participation Agreement Form, signed by the Consortium Leader and listing member colleges, by November 15, 2024
- Facilitating the development or selection of consortium additional survey items (up to 15 items), if the participating colleges opt for this additional service (see pricing below) – the deadline for submitting custom items is November 29, 2024
Contact surveyops@cccse.org for more information about forming a consortium.
Additional Survey Items
For an additional fee of $750, a participating CCSSE college may add a maximum of 15 additional items to the survey. Many colleges have found that asking 5-10 well-written and appropriate questions will meet their needs while limiting the extension of survey administration time.
Additional survey items may be chosen from a collection of standard additional item sets. Alternatively, a college or consortium may opt to create a custom additional item set by selecting items from the Additional Items Catalog, developing new items, or submitting a combination of both. When selecting additional items, be sure to check items against those on CCSSE to avoid overlap.
Colleges participating in a CCSSE consortium may need to coordinate additional survey items with CCCSE staff and/or the Consortium Leader. For further information contact surveyops@cccse.org.
Fee: $750 per college (in addition to CCSSE base price)
Deadline: Finalized additional item selections are due to CCCSE by November 29, 2024.
Reporting: Frequency reports (all students and enrollment breakout); data are also included in raw data file.
Note: Colleges that select not to administer an additional item set of their own choosing will automatically receive a 15-item set on Campus Accessibility free of charge. This item set, developed in partnership with the National Disability Center for Student Success, explores issues of accessibility, student supports, and institutional culture around disability.
Standard Additional Item Sets
- Academic Advising and Planning
This set of items is designed to help your institution understand students’ experiences with academic advising and planning. The items focus on such components as timeliness of advising, length of advising sessions, and content of advising sessions.
This set of items was administered broadly in 2017 and informed the national report Show Me the Way: The Power of Advising in Community Colleges.
- Academic Mindset
This set of items is designed to help your institution understand students’ academic mindset. The items focus on such key areas as growth vs. fixed mindset, self-efficacy, relevance of academic experience, and sense of belonging.
This set of items was administered broadly in 2018 and informed the national report A Mind at Work: Maximizing the Relationship Between Mindset and Student Success.
- Assessment and Placement
This set of items is designed to help your institution learn critical information about the early student experience, such as how students prepared for placement tests and whether they feel they were assessed appropriately.
This set of items was administered broadly in 2015 and informed the national report Expectations Meet Reality: The Underprepared Student and Community Colleges.
- Information Literacy
This set of items is designed to help your institution gather information about students’ experiences with college librarians and library services, both in-person and online.
- Student Financial Health
This set of items is designed to help your institution understand the state of student financial health, including students’ perceptions of their current financial circumstances, budgeting practices, and financial management skills.
This set of items was administered broadly in 2016 and informed the national report Making Ends Meet:The Role of Community Colleges in Student Financial Health.
- The Working Learner
This set of items was administered broadly in 2019 and informed the national report The Intersection of Work and Learning: Findings From Entering Students in Community Colleges.
Custom Additional Item Sets
If your college or consortium would like to submit a custom additional item set, contact surveyops@cccse.org. Upon receiving your request, a link for the CCSSE Custom Additional Survey Items Form will be e-mailed for completion and submission.
Custom additional survey items must be in the following format:
- Multiple choice
- No more than 5 response categories
- One response per item
- Self-contained (may not reference other items)
For examples of additional survey items, see the Additional Items Catalog. NOTE: When selecting additional items, be sure to check items against those on CCSSE to avoid overlap.
Oversampling (In-class administration only)
Note: The online version of CCSSE does not rely on sampling and should be shared with all survey-eligible students. Therefore, an oversample is not applicable to an online administration.
Oversampling enables colleges to survey students not selected as part of the random sample.
Oversampling is only available to colleges participating in the in-class survey administration.
For colleges administering the in-class, paper-based version of the survey, CCCSE does not include oversample results in any institutional reports provided via the CCSSE online reporting system. These colleges will receive oversample survey results in raw data format only. Special reporting and analysis of oversample data is available for an additional fee. For additional information, see Special Customized Reports or Data Analysis.
Oversampling Option #1 (only for colleges using paper surveys):
Oversample surveys are provided for use as the college deems appropriate.
Service: CCCSE packs and ships the requested number of surveys to the college, scans and cleans the data from returned surveys, and includes the oversample responses in the college’s raw data file. Course-level information for oversample responses is not included in the data file.
Fee: $2.00 per additional survey provided by CCCSE, NOT the number of completed surveys returned
Oversampling Option #2 (only for colleges using paper surveys):
A random oversample is pulled from those courses remaining in the college’s course master data file (CMDF) after the primary sample has been drawn. Courses not contained in the CMDF are ineligible for Oversampling Option #2.
Service: After consulting with the college contact, CCCSE pulls the additional random sample of course sections from the college’s CMDF; creates class survey packets; ships packets to the college; scans and cleans data from returned surveys; and includes the oversample responses in the college’s raw data file. Course-level information for oversample responses is included in the data file.
Fee: $200 base fee, plus $2.00 per additional survey provided by CCCSE, NOT the number of completed surveys returned
Oversampling Option #3:
This option provides a targeted oversample for a college seeking to survey a subpopulation of courses in order to reach a group of students with common characteristics (e.g., developmental education classes or specific programs of study). The oversample is pulled from those courses remaining in the college’s course master data file (CMDF) after the primary sample has been drawn. Courses not contained in the CMDF are ineligible for Oversampling Option #3.
Service: After the college contact consults with the CCCSE research team, CCCSE pulls the targeted sample of course sections (up to a 100% sample) from the college’s CMDF; creates class survey packets; ships packets to the college and processes completed surveys.
For colleges conducting a paper-based administration, oversample responses are only included in the college’s raw data file. Course-level information for oversample responses is included in the data file.
For colleges conducting a device-based administration, oversample responses are included in CCCSE generated responses. Each response will have an identifier, however, course-level information will not be included.
Fee: $300 base fee for all colleges, plus $2.00 per additional paper survey provided by CCCSE, NOT the number of completed surveys returned
Oversampling Option #4:
In consultation with the college contact, CCCSE creates a customized sampling design for the college (e.g., a random oversample for each campus of a multi-campus college) enabling the college to analyze CCSSE data by campus. The oversample is pulled from those courses remaining in the college’s course master data file (CMDF) after the primary sample has been drawn. Courses not contained in the CMDF are ineligible for Oversampling Option #4.
Service: The CCCSE research team consults with the college and creates a custom sampling design; pulls the random oversample of course sections (up to a 100% sample) from the college’s CMDF; creates class survey packets; ships packets to the college and processes completed surveys.
For colleges conducting a paper-based administration, oversample responses are only included in the college’s raw data file. Course-level information for oversample responses is included in the data file.
For colleges conducting a device-based administration, oversample responses are included in CCCSE generated responses. Each response will have an identifier, however, course-level information will not be included.
Price: $600 base fee for all colleges, plus $2.50 per additional paper survey provided by CCCSE, NOT the number of completed surveys returned
For more information on oversampling, contact CCCSE at surveyops@cccse.org.
Optional Add-On for Online-Only Students at Colleges Administering the In-Class Survey
Participation in the optional online add-on is limited to colleges that are administering the in-class paper-and-pencil CCSSE. Colleges administering the device-based in-class survey can gather data from online-only students without additional charge. This option allows colleges administering the paper-and-pencil version of CCSSE in randomly selected classrooms to concurrently administer CCSSE online to their online-only students. Results from the online administration will be included in CCCSE-generated reporting. In addition, colleges will be able to disaggregate results by administration modality through the Custom Reports Request page.
Fee: $1,460/college (in addition to CCSSE base price)
Contact surveyops@cccse.org for more information about the optional add-on for online-only students.
Race/Ethnicity Survey
The Race/Ethnicity Survey is a stand-alone online survey available to colleges participating in CCSSE 2025. The purpose of the survey is to help colleges understand their student, faculty, and staff‘s experiences with racism, inclusion, and belonging. Colleges registering for this option with CCSSE 2025 can administer the Race/Ethnicity Survey in the spring of 2025, fall of 2025, or spring of 2026. More information is available through the Race/Ethnicity Survey FAQs.
Fee: $1,460 (in addition to CCSSE base price)
Contact surveyops@cccse.org for more information about the Race/Ethnicity Survey.
Special Customized Reports or Data Analysis
Special reports on survey results, tailored in response to requests, may be provided for an additional fee, starting at $500.
Contact data@cccse.org for consultation and pricing.
Faculty Survey (CCFSSE)
Participation in the Community College Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (CCFSSE) is limited to colleges that are administering the student survey (CCSSE).
Fee: $1,460/college (in addition to CCSSE base price)
Contact CCCSE at surveyops@cccse.org for more information about CCFSSE participation.
Invoicing and Payment
Invoices for CCSSE 2025 and any additional administration options will be sent electronically to the college (cc: CCSSE contact) president on or around April 1, 2025, with payment due June 1, 2025. In some cases, invoices for additional administration options may be issued separately. Pricing information can be found above on this page. Access to the CCSSE online reporting system is dependent upon payment.
If an alternative invoicing or payment arrangement is desired, contact info@cccse.org or 512-471-6807.
CCCSE is part of The University of Texas at Austin, and as such the University is the vendor for all CCCSE surveys and services. On the University’s behalf, CCCSE can accept payments via check or ACH/EFT. The University’s Tax ID is 74-6000-203. CCCSE cannot accept credit card payments. E-payment information is available upon request. Please note that due to recent changes in USPS routes, our remittance address has changed. Checks should be made payable to The University of Texas at Austin. Payment instructions also will be included on the invoices.
Should you require a cost estimate in advance of invoicing for budgeting or pre-approval purposes, a W-9, or other vendor paperwork, please contact info@cccse.org.
Please note that while CCCSE does not require purchase orders for the survey administration, many colleges do require a purchase order to procure goods and services. CCCSE will accept purchase orders from these colleges and reference them in respective invoices. If the purchase order includes specific billing instructions, CCCSE will send the invoice accordingly rather than to the college president.
NEW Remittance Address:
The University of Texas at Austin
ATTN: CCCSE
PO Box 301136
Austin, TX 78703
Cancellation/Refund Policy
If a college withdraws at any time after we ship CCSSE surveys for an in-class administration or the college distributes the online survey access codes for an online administration, there will be a cancellation fee equivalent to 25% of the total base membership fee. If payment has already been made, the college may elect to have the appropriate amount refunded or to have the remaining balance applied as a credit toward future services. If payment has not yet been made at the time of withdrawal, the college will receive an invoice for the appropriate amount, as stipulated in this policy.
Contact CCCSE at info@cccse.org or 512-471-6807 should questions about the cancellation policy arise.