Alumni questions that show what keeps graduates connected
Ask alumni how they stay in touch and what they want from the network, from reunions to mentoring students. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What alumni survey questions tell you
Alumni survey questions ask graduates how connected they still feel: whether they stay in touch, how they rate the newsletter, which activities interest them and whether they would mentor current students. The answers show alumni teams which events and programs are worth the effort, and who is ready to give time back.
Ask once a year, away from fundraising appeals, and before you plan the year's events. Send the link by email to your alumni list or show a QR code at a reunion, and pick six to eight questions. Put the contact and mentoring questions last, after alumni have said what they want.
Each written answer is read as it arrives and given a theme and a sentiment, so what would bring alumni back and the teachers they remember group together. Give each response an owner in the inbox, and send responses to HubSpot, so the alumni team follows up from one place.
- Questions
- 13
- Best asked
- Once a year, before planning events
- Industry
- Education
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 13 alumni questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
How connected alumni stay
Whether alumni stay in touch, how they hear from the school and how they feel about it, the baseline for every year.
- 01Yes / No
Do you stay in touch with people from your class?
Whether the graduate stays in touch with classmates. Results shows the share that said yes; select No to see which activities might reconnect those alumni.
- 05Multiple choice
How often do you hear from the school?
Three options on how often alumni hear from the school. A large share on Too often is a reason to send fewer messages before readers drift away.
- 03Stars
How would you rate the alumni newsletter?
A star rating for the alumni newsletter. Results shows the average and a bar per rating; ask it again after a redesign to see whether it moved.
- 10Emoji
How do you feel when you think about your school years?
How the graduate feels about their school years, on a row of faces. Results shows each face with its share; it works as a gentle early question, before the asks about giving back.
- 04Big scale
How proud are you to say where you studied?
How proud the graduate is to say where they studied, from 1 to 10. Results shows the average and a column per step; select a decade on the dropdown to compare generations.
What alumni want
The activities and network alumni want, and what would bring them back, for planning the year's program.
- 02Multiple choice
Which alumni activities interest you?
Picks every alumni activity of interest, from reunions to giving. Results shows bars with each share and count, the starting plan for the year's events.
- 13Ranking
Rank what an alumni network should offer
Alumni put job leads, mentoring, social events, learning and discounts in order. Results shows the average place per item, which tells you where to spend the alumni budget.
- 06Text
What would bring you back to campus?
Asks what would bring the graduate back to campus. The themes, such as a reunion, a talk or a game, show which events to plan.
Memories and giving back
What stayed with alumni, whether they hire from the school and who would mentor students.
- 11Text
Which teacher or class stayed with you?
Asks which teacher or class stayed with the graduate. The answers make good newsletter stories, with permission, and show which parts of the school leave a mark.
- 07Yes / No
Have you hired someone from your old school?
Whether the graduate has hired someone from the school. Those who answer Yes are good people to ask for job referrals and guest talks.
- 12Consent
May we list you as a mentor for current students?
Asks permission to list the graduate as a mentor for current students. Keep it near the end, and check each answer before anyone is added to the mentor list.
Who they are
The decade they finished and where to send news, so you can filter answers and keep the list current.
- 08Dropdown
Which decade did you finish in?
The decade the graduate finished in. Select one in Results to filter the whole page, so recent graduates and older alumni get events that suit them.
- 09Contact
Where should we send alumni news?
Asks where to send alumni news. Results shows a table of names and emails; use it in a survey shared by link, where you may not have current details.
Tips for asking about alumni
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask away from fundraising
Run the survey when no fundraising appeal is going out, so it doesn't arrive next to a request for money.
- 02
Ask before you plan the year
Send it a few months before the events calendar is set, so the activities alumni pick shape the program.
- 03
Keep the list current
Use the contact question in surveys shared by link, so alumni who changed their email can update it.
- 04
Follow up with willing mentors
Give each graduate who agreed to mentor an owner in the inbox, and get in touch within a week.
Add these questions to a survey
From the library to the first answers.
- 1
Open the library
In the Usertick survey editor, choose From library, filter by industry and topic, and add several questions at once.
- 2
Or paste your own list
Paste questions reads up to 10 questions from any text on Free, 100 on Starter and 200 on Pro and above, keeps your wording and picks an answer type for each.
- 3
Choose where it runs
Show the survey on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.
- 4
Read the answers
Results counts every score and choice, and Usertick reads each written answer and files it by topic, on every plan.
Templates and more questions about alumni
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
Once a year, a few months before you plan events, and away from fundraising appeals. Schedule the email up to 30 days ahead when you have a date.
Six to eight. Start with staying in touch and the activities that interest alumni, and put the contact and mentoring questions last.
Yes. Show the survey's QR code at the event, and alumni answer on their own phones on the hosted survey page.
Yes. Select a decade on the decade question in Results, and the whole page filters to the alumni who chose it.
Yes. The question library comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.
Yes. Once a question is in your survey, reword it, change its options or its answer type, and add logic to skip it for some answers.
Yes. The library is translated into Usertick's built-in languages, and in any other language it shows in English for you to translate.
Listen better, act faster, and build what truly matters.
Start free, see what your customers mean, and get each answer to the person who can act on it.
- 150 responses a month on Free
- Every channel and AI analysis
- No card needed