A Guide for Implementation of the #RealCollege Survey (2024)

Basic needs security includes access to stable housing, healthy food, affordable childcare, reliable transportation, mental and physical health services, technology and internet, and other survival necessities. Meeting college students’ basic needs is essential to their well-being and ability to succeed in college. A key first step is assessing students’ basic needs security. The #RealCollege Survey was the nation’s first multi-institutional assessment of basic needs security among college students. When it was created in 2015, neither the federal government nor any state captured information on the topic. The goal of the survey is to equip colleges with the information needed to support their students holistically. It has been administered at more than 700 colleges and in many cases statewide. Numerous examples of reports using data from the survey are available in the #RealCollege Resource Library. The #RealCollege Survey has inspired the federal government, many states, and countless other researchers to examine and collect data on students’ basic needs. We are now making it freely available for use by postsecondary institutions, their partners, and states to understand students’ needs for support and the challenges they face in accessing help. This guide is intended to support administration, analysis, and dissemination of findings from the #RealCollege Survey. It provides key considerations for fielding the survey, including selecting participants, selecting the questions and modules to use, maximizing participation, minimizing bias, analyzing the data, and disseminating findings. An accompanying appendix lists the survey questions. Please acknowledge any use of this guide and/or questions in your reporting