This Entering Student Survey (ESS) was designed to replace and improve upon the prohibitively long Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) CIRP Freshman Survey.
The ESS includes questions about students’:
- Pre-college activities
- Educational aspirations
- Reasons for deciding to attend UMass Amherst
- Mental health
- Personal values
- Anticipated need for support (e.g., life skills, wellness) at UMass
- Extent to which they are looking forward to specific opportunities at the University
ASER conducted the 2025 ESS in partnership with New Student and Family Programs (NSFP). The response rate hit an historic high of 60% (n=3,817). The survey participants closely matched those of the target population on most demographic characteristics.
2025 Entering Student Survey Instrument (University sign-in required)
ASER Analytics Dashboards
Select users have access to the interactive ESS 2025 Dashboard on the ASER Analytics Tableau site. View results by college/school, admission type, and various demographic breakdowns including sex, race/ethnicity, and first-generation status. For more information or to request access, email @email.