State Opportunity
Index Survey

Welcome to the State Opportunity Index (SOI) Survey. This free, research-backed resource is designed to help institutions support students in achieving success beyond graduation.

Developed by Strada Education Foundation and administered by Trellis Strategies, the SOI Survey provides a framework for evaluating and improving the connection between education and opportunity.

Participate in Our Survey FAQ

Students and faculty on the campus of the University of Utah for Strada Education Network in Salt Lake City, UT. ©Brett Wilhelm

What Does the SOI Survey Cover?

The State Opportunity Index (SOI) Survey offers actionable insights into how institutions support students as they navigate their education-to-career pathways. These focus areas reflect essential support students need to thrive—not just in college, but in their careers. By measuring institutional progress across each category, the SOI Survey helps identify opportunities for improvement and highlights emerging best practices, including differences by field of study and demographic group that can inform resource prioritization.

Quality Coaching
Affordability
Work-Based Learning
Perceptions of Value
Non-Degree Credentials
Student Profile & Outcomes

Quality Coaching

Examines the level, timing, and quality of career information, personalized guidance, and support for students, as well as where students turn when seeking information on what to study.

Affordability

Explores how time-to-completion impacts affordability by looking at experiences like dual enrollment, transfer credits, or other forms of credit for prior learning, and expected graduation timelines.

Work-Based Learning

Captures student participation in career-connected experiences like internships, apprenticeships, co-ops, practica, and undergraduate research. The survey also evaluates whether student experiences were paid, and/or credit-bearing, and whether they took place in the same state as their college. In addition, the survey examines student work more broadly, including the types of jobs students are employed in, both on- and off-campus, and the relevance of these jobs to their career aspirations.

Perceptions of Value

Measures how students perceive the return on investment of their education, including satisfaction with workforce preparation, whether they believe their education was worth the cost, and their post-graduation plans.

Non-Degree Credentials

Investigates the pursuit of industry-recognized credentials, including types, timing, and student goals.

Student Profile & Outcomes

Captures demographic, academic, and enrollment characteristics, including:

Field of study
Race/ethnicity, gender, and age
Parental education
Parenting and veteran status
In-state, online, and full-time/part-time status

What Your Institution Receives

Upon completion of the SOI Survey, your institution gains access to a comprehensive suite of resources designed to inform strategy and provide actionable insights. These resources include:

Personalized Insights & Recommendations

A detailed report highlighting key findings from your students’ responses, including strengths and areas for improvement.

Peer Benchmarking

Comparative insights showing how your institution compares with peer institutions statewide and nationally.

Full Survey Frequencies

Complete response distributions for every survey item, allowing for deeper analysis and understanding.

Campus Infographic

A digestible, visual summary of findings to support communication with students, faculty, staff, and leadership.

De-identified Data File

A de-identified dataset for custom analysis while protecting student privacy.

Strada Education Foundation and Trellis Strategies

Direct access to our combined team of experts to help interpret results and guide strategic planning.

Together, these resources support collaboration across departments, inform institutional decision-making, and spark meaningful conversations about improving student success from enrollment through career entry.

Ready to Get Started

Benefits of Participation

Success in higher education includes ensuring students have the guidance, resources, and real-world experiences to thrive after graduation.

The State Opportunity Index Survey enables colleges and universities to benchmark key indicators—such as quality coaching, affordability, work-based learning, and perceptions of value—against peer institutions across their state and the nation. These comparisons help identify programmatic gaps, highlight institutional strengths, and inform targeted improvements.

Results from the SOI are helping institutions nationwide drive strategic change, strengthen student success initiatives, and improve career-connected outcomes as well as empowering institutions, policymakers, and communities to make data-informed decisions that foster equitable pathways to opportunity.

We hope you will join with your peers across the nation in learning how your students are experiencing their education-to-career pathway. We are grateful to support the hundreds of public institutions leading the way.

Participate in the Free State Opportunity Index Survey

Submit your contact information to take the first step toward potential participation.

This form does not automatically enroll you. Instead, it allows us to reach out and guide you through the process. Our team will be in touch soon to discuss the survey details.

We appreciate your interest and look forward to your potential involvement!

Upcoming Dates

Complete Steps to Participate: April 30, 2027
Survey Opens: March 1, 2027
Survey Closes: June 7, 2027

Available Survey Windows

March 1 – March 22
March 8 – March 29
March 22 – April 12
April 5 – April 26
April 12 – May 3
April 19 – May 10
May 3 – May 24
May 17 – June 7

Frequently Asked Questions

Value & Commitment

A: No, participation in the SOI Survey is offered at no cost to institutions.

A: The SOI provides valuable insights into students’ education-to-career guidance, work-based learning experiences, and outcomes. Participating institutions receive:

Customized reports
Benchmarking with peer institutions and a national sample
De-identified individual student results
Access to leading experts at Strada

These insights can inform and improve your institution’s programs and support services.

A: The first step is to complete and submit the Letter of Intent for your institution type. Your SOI Survey Team contact will then work with you through onboarding, including any required IRB review, data-sharing agreements, and survey planning activities.

A: Most institutions designate a primary contact to coordinate logistics, data submission, and outreach. Trellis provides support throughout the process to minimize administrative burden.

A: Institutions are welcome to participate in a single year; however, we encourage multi-year participation when possible. Engaging over multiple years allows your institution to track trends, assess the impact of interventions, and build a more comprehensive understanding of student experiences. While there’s no formal obligation for ongoing participation, longitudinal data can significantly enhance the value and utility of your results.

Survey Administration & Logistics

A: Yes, your State Opportunity Index (SOI) Survey Team contact can provide a preview version of the survey for your review prior to launch.

A: On average, students complete the survey in 10-12 minutes.

A: Yes, the survey is optimized for mobile devices and designed to meet accessibility standards, including WCAG compliance.

A: Trellis provides customizable outreach templates, including email language, social media posts, and flyer content. While survey links are individualized, we’re happy to help you find creative ways to promote participation.

A: The SOI Survey is open from March 1 to June 7, 2027 with institutions selecting a three-week window that best fits their schedule. Available survey windows include:

March 1 – March 22
March 8 – March 29
March 22 – April 12
April 5 – April 26

April 12 – May 3
April 19 – May 10
May 3 – May 24
May 17 – June 7

Please coordinate with your SOI Survey Team contact to confirm your preferred window.

A: At this time, we are unable to accept additional incentives beyond what has been discussed with your SOI Survey Team contact.

A: Absolutely! We’re happy to provide non-responder files as often as requested to support your outreach efforts.

Survey Design & Customization

A: The following elements are customizable:

Select demographic questions
Data-sharing agreements with your institution
Communications your institution sends to students about the survey

However, the core survey questions and the welcome page are standardized and cannot be modified. This ensures consistency across institutions and supports reliable benchmarking.

A: Unfortunately, we cannot include banners, images, or school colors in survey invitation emails or the survey itself. These elements may not load properly and can increase the risk of emails being flagged as spam.

A: The default survey links are individualized for each student, so there isn’t a single link that can be shared widely. Your SOI Survey Team contact will provide a student-facing promotional toolkit during onboarding and can work with your institution to identify additional outreach strategies as needed.

Data Requirements & Security

A: Institutions provide a student roster through Trellis’s secure file transfer system. Required fields include student contact information (such as email addresses and names) and a unique SOI student identifier. Your SOI Survey Team contact will provide a detailed data dictionary, file specifications, and secure file transfer instructions during onboarding.

A: Yes, the SOI Survey has been approved by BRANY IRB. Our approval can be downloaded here.

A: Trellis does not use the institutional data shared or the survey data collected for any purposes other than for research. Trellis will not contact students with marketing messages or distribute student-level data to third parties.

A: Trellis uses secure data handling protocols and stores all data in encrypted environments. Student-level data is de-identified before being shared with institutions. See here for our full data privacy policy.

A: Trellis maintains strong data security standards and can provide documentation commonly requested by institutions. Available materials include:

SOC 2 Type II report – available for our survey vendor, Qualtrics
HECVAT (Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Toolkit) – available for both Qualtrics and Trellis Strategies
ISO 27001 certification – available for Qualtrics

These documents can be shared with your institution’s IT, data governance, or compliance teams to support internal review and approval processes.

A: Yes, Trellis is happy to work with institutions to establish appropriate data-sharing agreements that align with institutional policies.

A: The SOI Unique Student Identifier is a code your institution assigns to each student solely for this survey. It allows Trellis and your institution to track responses without using personally identifiable information.

Please do not use official student IDs. The identifier can be numeric, alphabetic, or alphanumeric, but should not include special characters (e.g., slashes, number signs).

A simple approach is to number students sequentially (e.g., 1, 2, 3…). If duplicate IDs are found, we’ll ask you to reassign and resubmit the file.

Results & Reporting

A: Yes, Trellis provides de-identified, individual-level data for your students.

A: De-identified data files are typically available in August, followed by your institution’s custom report and infographic in October.

A: Yes, Trellis can provide additional analyses upon request at no cost. Please coordinate with your SOI Team contact to discuss your needs.

A: Yes, your report will include benchmarking data comparing your institution to peer groups and national averages. Custom peer groups can also be developed upon request, provided there are enough participating institutions with similar characteristics to support meaningful comparisons.