Higher Education Research Institute

What Higher Education Research Institute does

Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) is a non-profit research institute housed within the University of California, Los Angeles, and governed by the Regents of the University of California. Founded in 1973 to steward the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) originally created by Dr. Alexander 'Sandy' Astin in 1966, HERI administers six major longitudinal survey instruments through the HERI Survey Portal: the CIRP Freshman Survey (TFS), Your First College Year Survey (YFCY), Diverse Learning Environments Survey (DLE), College Senior Survey (CSS), HERI Faculty Survey, and HERI Staff Climate Survey (SCS). These instruments collectively track the student journey from college entry through graduation and capture parallel faculty and staff perspectives, supported by proprietary CIRP Constructs scored using Item Response Theory (IRT) for psychometric precision, CIRP Themes for theoretically-related item groupings, and CIRP Factors (DLE) derived from classical test theory. Over 15 million students at nearly 1,900 institutions have participated in the CIRP Freshman Survey since 1966, with nearly 1,300 institutions using Faculty Survey results since 1989.

HERI monetizes its services primarily through tiered subscription-based survey administration fees priced by institutional FTE enrollment (Tier 1 under 500 FTE at approximately $1,484, escalating to $10,600+ at Tier 10 for 20,000+ FTE) and faculty/staff count for non-student surveys, with a $1,000 refundable registration deposit. A non-trivial ancillary revenue stream comes from professional services: custom reports ($100-$175 for participating institutions, $1,750 for non-participating researchers), data files ($200 per survey/year; Trends Data Files $600), optional services including HERI-managed email distribution ($400), additional custom questions ($400), Data Merge ($350), Special Reports ($200/hour), and consortium participation. Go-to-market is direct-to-institution, reaching Directors of Institutional Research, Assessment Directors, and Chief Academic Officers via the HERI website, email newsletters, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Bluesky, complemented by a thought-leadership partnership with the American Council on Education (ACE) for joint report dissemination.

HERI operates as a single-location organization headquartered in the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies (SEIS Bldg., 300 Charles E. Young Dr. North, Los Angeles) and serves institutions across the United States. Customer use cases cluster around accreditation documentation (HLC, SACS, WSCUC), institutional research benchmarking, diversity and campus climate assessment, longitudinal student development tracking, and post-graduation outcome measurement, drawing a horizontal segmentation approach across four-year institutions, two-year community colleges, faculty cohorts, graduating seniors, and staff/administrators.

Name

Higher Education Research Institute

Legal name

Regents of the University of California

Website

https://heri.ucla.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Higher Education Research Institute is a UCLA-based non-profit that administers six longitudinal surveys covering the full college student journey to US colleges and universities, serving institutional research, accreditation, and benchmarking needs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Research and Survey Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Portfolio, Performance & Rubric-Based Assessment Platforms (EDAFADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ), Diagnostic & Adaptive Assessment Content (Skills/Readiness) (EDAGADAJ)

Keywords

• Higher education surveys
• Institutional research
• Student assessment surveys
• Longitudinal survey data
• Campus climate assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Survey Administration Fees: Combined survey administration and registration fees calculated based on total undergraduate FTE enrollment for student surveys or full-time faculty count for faculty/staff surveys. Institutions pay tiered pricing ranging from approximately $1,484 (Tier 1, under 500 FTE) to $10,600+ (Tier 10, 20,000+ FTE). Fees cover customer service support, campus reports, data file preparation, and consultation.
2. Custom Reports and Data Files: Additional revenue from custom reports (PowerPoint reports at $100, Custom Peer Reports at $150, Group Code Reports at $175), data files ($200 per survey/year), and Trends Data Files ($600). Non-participating institutions pay higher rates.
3. Optional Services: HERI-managed email distribution service at $400, additional custom survey questions (30 closed-ended and/or 5 open-ended) at $400, Data Merge service at $350 per survey/year, and Special Reports at $200 per hour.
4. Special Services and Consulting: Consortium participation (Report: Free prior to registration, $175 thereafter; Report and Data file: $400 plus $50 per institution), Personal Consultation at hourly rates, and Special Reports at $200 per hour.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HERI develops and administers a portfolio of six longitudinal survey instruments (the CIRP surveys) for colleges and universities, assessing students, faculty, and staff from college entry through graduation. It sells survey administration, custom reports, data files, and consulting to institutions for assessment, accreditation, and benchmarking.

Product overview

HERI operates as a research institute offering a portfolio of six distinct survey instruments administered through the HERI Survey Portal. The core portfolio includes the CIRP Freshman Survey (TFS), Your First College Year Survey (YFCY), Diverse Learning Environments Survey (DLE), College Senior Survey (CSS), HERI Faculty Survey, and HERI Staff Climate Survey (SCS). These surveys form a longitudinal assessment cycle: TFS captures entering students, YFCY measures first-year development, DLE assesses campus climate and diversity experiences, and CSS evaluates senior outcomes—together enabling institutions to track student growth across the college experience. Faculty and Staff surveys provide parallel climate data from institutional personnel. Supporting offerings include Custom Reports, Data Files, and CIRP Constructs analytics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CIRP Freshman Survey (TFS) A survey collecting data on incoming college students' background characteristics, high school experiences, attitudes, behaviors, and expectations for college before classes begin. Created in 1966 and housed at HERI since 1973, it has surveyed over 15 million students at over 1,900 institutions.
• Your First College Year Survey (YFCY) Established in 2000, the first national survey specifically designed to assess the academic and personal development of students over their first year of college, helping institutions identify features that encourage learning, involvement, satisfaction, retention, and success.
• Diverse Learning Environments Survey (DLE) A survey capturing student perceptions of institutional and campus climate and student learning outcomes, focused on diverse student populations, with optional modules for Classroom Climate, Transition to the Major, Intergroup Relations, Spirituality, and Climate for Transfer.
• College Senior Survey (CSS) An exit survey for graduating seniors connecting academic, civic, and diversity outcomes with college experiences to measure the impact of college. When used with TFS, DLE, or YFCY, it generates longitudinal data on student growth.
• HERI Faculty Survey Conducted triennially since 1989, provides a research-based snapshot of faculty experience including pedagogical practices, goals and expectations, research and service activities, sources of stress and satisfaction, and campus climate perceptions.
• HERI Staff Climate Survey (SCS) Assesses campus climate for diversity from staff and administrator perspectives, designed to be administered alongside the HERI Faculty Survey and DLE survey to enable comparison of campus climate across students, faculty, and staff.
• HERI Survey Portal A web-based survey administration portal housing all six HERI surveys at one site, allowing institutions to manage survey administration, monitor response rates, download preliminary data, and access reporting packages.
• Custom Reports Custom Reports delivered as Microsoft Excel files containing aggregated data for institutions, peer groups, or comparison groups, including Institutional Profile, CIRP Construct, CIRP Theme, and Longitudinal Profile sub-reports.
• Data Files Annual Survey Data Files and Trends Data Files available for researchers and participating institutions, containing survey responses and CIRP Constructs scores.
• CIRP Constructs Unified measures for academic and educational outcomes created using Item Response Theory (IRT), providing institutions with precise measurements of student traits and experiences comparable across institutions and over time.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 15 million students at nearly 1,900 institutions have participated in CIRP surveys since 1966
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• American Council on Education (ACE)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerHERI partners with ACE and UCLA Education & Information Studies to release HERI reports highlighting key trends among first-year college students. This partnership amplifies HERI's research reach and credibility in the higher education community.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE): Indiana University-based program administering nationally benchmarked student engagement surveys to four-year institutions. Directly comparable to HERI's CIRP Freshman Survey and YFCY in target buyer (institutional research), methodology, and use for accreditation and improvement.
• Educational Benchmarking Inc (EBI): Provides customized benchmark surveys and dashboards to higher-education institutions on retention, student satisfaction, and campus climate. Closely comparable in B2B survey-as-a-service model, tiered institutional pricing, and assessment focus.
• Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS): Consortium of liberal arts colleges that shares survey instruments (e.g., HEDS Sexual Assault Climate Survey, Campus Climate Survey) and benchmark data. Closely comparable to HERI in serving accreditation and climate-assessment needs of smaller institutions.

Broad incumbents

• American Council on Education (ACE): Major higher-ed association and HERI's GTM partner. Overlaps with HERI through leadership research, policy reports, and institutional benchmarking, but operates as a broad membership organization rather than a survey-only vendor.
• ACT Inc. Large-scale educational assessment provider offering ACT testing, ACT Engage, and survey/research products to higher education. Comparable in psychometric rigor and institutional sales motion, though broader in K-12 testing.
• Educational Testing Service (ETS): Major nonprofit assessment organization with research and survey instruments used by higher-ed institutions (e.g., Major Field Tests, Proficiency Profile). Comparable in scale, psychometric depth, and institutional buyer relationships.
• EDUCAUSE: Higher-education technology association producing research, surveys (e.g., EDUCAUSE Core Data Service, student technology studies), and benchmarking tools. Overlaps with HERI in institutional research and benchmarking, though framed through an IT lens.
• College Board: Mission-driven membership organization operating national assessment programs and research (e.g., Trends in College Pricing, research on student persistence). Adjacent to HERI in higher-ed research publishing and longitudinal data assets.

Emerging players

• Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL): Enrollment management and student-success vendor running its own survey instruments (e.g., RNL Student Satisfaction Inventory, FSSE-style instruments). Comparable in serving institutional research and student-success buyers with recurring survey products.
• Qualtrics (Higher Education): Enterprise survey platform with a dedicated higher-education practice and benchmark datasets. Competes indirectly by enabling institutions to deploy in-house climate, engagement, and assessment instruments as alternatives to HERI.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HERIUCLA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heriucla
• Instagraminstagram.com/heriucla

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Higher Education Research Institute