Case Study ┃ Focus Groups & Surveys ┃ Higher Education
Read time: 5 minutes
Praxia Insights runs an ongoing brand-tracking study for a large four-year university. Our team surveyed 110 students and ran 17 focus groups with prospective students, undergraduates, and graduate students to learn how each group sees the university, then extended the tracker to the university's donors with a separate survey and results deck.
17
focus groups with students
110
students surveyed
3
student stages: prospective, undergraduate, and graduate
2025
to present, as an ongoing tracker
Project Summary
| Client | A large four-year university in the United States |
| Industry | Higher education |
| Services | Brand perception research, focus groups, survey design, data analysis, and reporting |
| Participants | Prospective students, current undergraduates, graduate students, and university donors |
| Methods | Student survey (110 respondents), 17 focus groups, and a donor survey |
| Deliverables | Student findings and analysis, plus a donor results slide deck |
| Timeline | June 2025 to present |
Table of Contents
- What did the university need to find out?
- How was the brand tracker designed and run?
- What did the university get from the study?
- Key Takeaways
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Work With Praxia Insights
What did the university need to find out?
The university wanted to understand how students see its brand at each point in their relationship with the school, starting before they apply and continuing through undergraduate and graduate study. A student who's still deciding where to apply thinks about a university differently from someone finishing a graduate degree there, so the university needed answers from each group separately and in their own words.
The university also wanted the research to work as a tracker, which means the study had to be repeatable so the university can compare results over time and see whether its brand is moving in the direction it wants.
How was the brand tracker designed and run?
A survey and focus groups working together
Our team paired a student survey with focus groups, so the university gets both the numbers and the reasons behind them. The survey of 110 students shows how views differ across groups, and the focus groups give students room to explain what shapes those views and describe their experiences in detail.
17 focus groups across three student stages
We ran 17 focus groups with prospective students, current undergraduates, and graduate students. Keeping each stage in its own sessions meant students talked with peers in the same situation, and it let our team compare what each group said about the university side by side during analysis.
Extending the tracker to donors
The university later asked our team to bring donors into the tracker. We designed and ran a donor survey and presented the results in a slide deck, so the university can see how donors view the school alongside what students said.
Analysis and reporting
Our team led the analysis and reporting for every part of the study, from the student survey and focus group transcripts to the donor results. The work started in June 2025 and is ongoing, with new rounds added as the university's questions grow.
What did the university get from the study?
The university now has brand research that covers every stage of the student relationship, and it can repeat the same study to see how perceptions change. Because the work is confidential, the university's name and specific findings aren't published here.
- Survey results from 110 students, broken out by student stage.
- Findings from 17 focus groups, describing in students' own words how they see the university at each stage.
- A donor survey and results deck, so the university can compare how donors and students see the school.
- A study design the university can run again to track changes in its brand over time.
Key Takeaways
- Praxia Insights runs an ongoing brand-tracking study for a large four-year university, starting in June 2025.
- The study combines a survey of 110 students with 17 focus groups across prospective students, undergraduates, and graduate students.
- The university extended the tracker to donors, with a separate survey and results slide deck.
- Because the study is designed as a tracker, the university can repeat it and compare results over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a university brand tracking study?
A brand tracking study measures how people see an organization and then repeats the same research over time, so changes in perception can be compared from one round to the next. For this university, Praxia Insights combined a student survey, focus groups, and a donor survey.
Why run separate focus groups for prospective, undergraduate, and graduate students?
Students see a university differently depending on where they are in their relationship with it. Holding separate sessions for each stage lets students talk with peers in a similar situation, and it makes it easier to compare what each group says during analysis.
Should a university brand study use surveys or focus groups?
This study used both. The survey of 110 students showed how views differed across groups, and the 17 focus groups explained the reasons behind those views in students' own words.
Can Praxia Insights run brand research for my college or university?
Yes. Our team designs and runs brand research for colleges and universities, including surveys, focus groups with students, alumni, and donors, analysis, and reporting. We can build the study as a one-time project or as a tracker you repeat over time.
Work With Praxia Insights
If you're planning brand research or focus groups for your institution, reach out and we'll talk through what you need.
