Options and Rates

These rates are based on fall Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) headcount enrollment for students 18 and older.* Additional pricing details for your college are available through the CCCSE Pricing Guide. 

The base price of SENSE covers multiple services related to the survey administration, a dedicated college liaison for real-time support, data analyses, and reporting.

Note: For multi-college institutions and single colleges with multiple campuses, pricing is determined by IPEDS/accreditation status.

*For a number of purposes related to our work, it is important that we rely on publicly reported data that will ensure a degree of consistency and reliability across highly diverse institutions. For that reason, we base our survey administration fees and sampling numbers on enrollment data reported by IPEDS. In addition, CCCSE uses IPEDS data on certain variables describing college student populations, including student age, race/ethnicity, full-time vs. part-time enrollment, etc.

Multi-campus institutions that report to IPEDS as single entities and would like to receive campus-level reporting should contact info@cccse.org for administration design and pricing inquiries.

Invoices for SENSE will be sent to college presidents on or around October 1, 2026, with payment due by December 1, 2026.

All accredited associate degree-granting colleges are eligible to participate in the CCCSE surveys.

For colleges that award both associate and baccalaureate degrees, the CCCSE surveys are the appropriate choice when the majority of degrees awarded are at the associate level.

If a college is eligible for more than one discount, only the discount of highest value applies.

Commitment to Join SENSE and CCSSE
Administer both SENSE and the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) in either the same academic year or the same calendar year and receive up to a 40% discount on the base price of the second administration of the pair (percentage is dependent upon combination of other discounts, if any). The college will be billed for each survey administration during each survey’s normal billing cycle, unless other arrangements have been made. This discount applies only to a pair of back-to-back administrations of SENSE and CCSSE.

Discount for New Colleges
For colleges that are new to CCCSE surveys (have never participated in either SENSE or CCSSE), we offer a one-time 25% discount on the base fee of the first survey administration. For new colleges that register for the subsequent survey, the base fee of the second survey will be discounted 15%.

Discount for Statewide Consortia
Members of statewide consortia receive a 15% discount on the base price. A statewide consortium consists of all colleges in a state or state system. For statewide consortium colleges that register for the subsequent survey, the base fee of the second survey will be discounted 25%.

Contact us at info@cccse.org or 512-471-6807 for more information about discounts.

Colleges can administer SENSE in randomly selected classes or as a fully online survey. The in-class administration involves having students complete the survey using their computers or smart devices in classes selected for administration. Both modalities use the same survey instrument.

Online administration: The survey link is shared broadly to a census sample of all survey eligible students. Colleges promote survey participation in various ways, including via e-mail, text messaging, or the Learning Management System. Students typically take the survey in their own time using their personal computers, smartphones, or tablets. Colleges considering an online administration should review the SENSE FAQs and the primer for SENSE online administration response rates.

Device-Based, In-Class administration: CCCSE selects a stratified random sample of in-person courses in which the survey will be administered. After the college approves the sample, CCCSE prepares and ships survey packets to the Campus Coordinator for each selected class. The survey packets contain administration instructions, an administration script, and QR code cards with the survey link. Students complete the survey using their own personal computer, smartphone, or tablet (or one provided by the college). Although the college will not need to ship anything back to CCCSE, all surveys must be completed by the November survey deadline.

To facilitate real-time reporting, the survey is no longer available on paper; however, over several prior SENSE administrations, colleges using devices for the in-class administration achieved similar response rates as those using paper instruments. Additionally, colleges administering the device-based survey can share the survey link directly with all online-only students. If you have any questions about the device-based administration, please e-mail surveyops@cccse.org.

A consortium is a group of colleges with common interests, characteristics, or locations that wish to participate in a SENSE administration for the purpose of sharing data. Participation in SENSE consortia is free.

All colleges that participate as part of a SENSE consortium benefit from the following:

• The opportunity to administer special-focus modules in addition to the core survey at all colleges in the consortium (fees apply; see details and pricing below)
• Consortium comparison reports

Forming a SENSE Consortium
Select an individual from one of the institutions in the proposed consortium or from the sponsoring organization to serve as the Consortium Leader.

The Consortium Leader is responsible for the following:

• Coordinating communication among participating institutions
• Ensuring all consortium member colleges complete registration
• Submitting a Consortium Participation Agreement Form
• If a common consortium special-focus module is desired, facilitating the development or selection of consortium survey items (up to 12 items). Please see Special-Focus Modules for more information.

Please contact us at surveyops@cccse.org for more information about forming a consortium.

SENSE includes standard modules that allow colleges to explore issues most relevant to their students and institutional priorities.

All participating colleges receive access to standard modules at no additional cost, supporting early, holistic student success.

Standard Modules (included):

• Holistic Advising – Students’ experiences with integrated academic, career, financial, social, and basic needs support
• Basic Needs – Students’ ability to meet essential needs and express related concerns
• Mental Health & Well-Being – Access to mental health supports and the impact of mental health challenges
• Culture of Caring – Whether students experience the institution as welcoming, supportive, and responsive

Each administration includes up to two 12-item modules, one selected by CCCSE and one selected by the college. All colleges participating in SENSE 2026 will receive the Holistic Advising module and can opt to choose one other standard module.  

Colleges may also develop a custom module for institution-specific priorities (additional fee).  

Deadline: Finalized module selections are due by August 1.

If your college would like to submit custom special-focus module items, contact surveyops@cccse.org.

Custom items must be in the following format:

• Multiple choice
• No more than 5 response categories
• One response per item
• Self-contained (may not reference other items)

NOTE: When selecting additional items, be sure to check items against those on SENSE to avoid overlap.

Fee: $1,000 per custom special-focus module per college (in addition to SENSE base price)

Invoices for SENSE 2026 and any additional administration options will be sent electronically to the college president (cc: SENSE contact) on or around October 1, 2026, with payment due December 1, 2026. In some cases invoices for additional administration options may be issued separately. Pricing information can be found above on this page. Access to the SENSE online reporting system is dependent upon payment.

If an alternative invoicing or payment arrangement is desired, contact us at business@cccse.org or 512-471-6807.

CCCSE is part of The University of Texas at Austin, and as such the University is the vendor for all CCCSE surveys and services. On the University’s behalf, CCCSE can accept payments via check or ACH/EFT. The University’s Tax ID is 74-6000-203. CCCSE cannot accept credit card payments. E-payment information is available upon request. Please note that due to recent changes in USPS routes, our remittance address has changed. Checks should be made payable to The University of Texas at Austin. Payment instructions also will be included on the invoices.

Should you require a cost estimate in advance of invoicing for budgeting or pre-approval purposes, a W-9, or other vendor paperwork, please contact business@cccse.org.

Please note that while CCCSE does not require purchase orders for the survey administration, many colleges do require a purchase order to procure goods and services. CCCSE will accept purchase orders from these colleges and reference them in respective invoices. If the purchase order includes specific billing instructions, CCCSE will send the invoice accordingly rather than to the college president.

NEW Remittance Address:
The University of Texas at Austin
ATTN: CCCSE
PO Box 301136
Austin, TX 78703

If a college withdraws at any time after the college distributes the online survey link for the administration, there will be a cancellation fee equivalent to 25% of the total base membership fee. If payment has already been made, the college may elect to have the appropriate amount refunded or to have the remaining balance applied as a credit toward future services. If payment has not yet been made at the time of withdrawal, the college will receive an invoice for the appropriate amount, as stipulated in this policy. 

Please contact us at info@cccse.org or 512-471-6807 with questions about the cancellation policy.