Best questions for student survey about scholarship information

Here are some of the best questions for a student survey about scholarship information, plus practical tips on how to ask them for better insights. With Specific, you can generate a conversational survey in seconds—designed for fast, actionable feedback.

Best open-ended questions to ask in a student survey about scholarship information

Open-ended questions give students space to describe their needs, challenges, and ideas in their own words—they’re perfect for digging into real-life experiences and surfacing new patterns that multiple choice questions might overlook. They shine when you want to discover the “why” behind a student’s actions or uncover hidden obstacles. Research even shows that AI-driven conversational surveys, which ask such questions and probe with follow-ups, capture answers that are more specific, relevant, and actionable than standard online forms [2].

1. What is the biggest challenge you face when searching for scholarship information?

2. Can you describe an experience where finding scholarship details was especially difficult?

3. Where do you usually search for information about scholarships, and why do you prefer those sources?

4. What information about scholarships do you find confusing or unclear?

5. How could the scholarship application process be improved for students like you?

6. What is the most helpful resource you've found so far for scholarship information?

7. Are there any types of scholarships or opportunities you wish you knew about sooner?

8. What motivates you to apply (or not apply) for scholarships?

9. If you could change one thing about how scholarship information is provided, what would it be?

10. Is there a time when you needed scholarship support but couldn’t find what you were looking for?

Best single-select multiple-choice questions for student scholarship information surveys

Single-select multiple-choice questions come in handy when you need structured, easy-to-quantify data or want to nudge students into self-reflection without overwhelming them with open-ended requests. For many, it’s easier to select an option than to type a long answer—this creates a comfortable entry point, and you can always add a follow-up question later to explore their reasoning.

Examples:

Question: Where do you most often look for information about scholarships?

• School or university website

• Social media

• Guidance counselor

• Friends or family

• Other

Question: How clear do you find the information provided for scholarship opportunities?

• Very clear

• Somewhat clear

• Neutral

• Somewhat unclear

• Very unclear

Question: How likely are you to apply for a scholarship in the next year?

• Very likely

• Somewhat likely

• Not sure

• Unlikely

• Other

When to follow up with "why?" Asking "why?" as a follow-up works best when a student selects an answer that suggests confusion, a barrier, or surprising behavior. For example, if someone chooses “Somewhat unclear” about scholarship information, prompt them: “What makes the information unclear for you?” This can uncover valuable, actionable insights about what’s not working and why.

When and why to add the "Other" choice? Always consider including “Other” when you’re not sure you’ve covered every situation, or when experiences might differ widely. Follow up to ask students to describe what they meant—this open space is often where the most unexpected, critical feedback surfaces.

NPS question for student scholarship information surveys

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) question asks: “How likely are you to recommend this source of scholarship information to a friend or classmate?” It uses a 0–10 scale and is widely used for measuring overall satisfaction and advocacy—here, it helps you gauge broad sentiment about the resources you provide. In education, this kind of benchmark is valuable for quickly pinpointing gaps and tracking improvements over time. Try creating an NPS survey focused on scholarship information using Specific.

The power of follow-up questions

The real strength of automated follow-up questions lies in their ability to transform vague answers into rich, clear insights. AI-driven follow-ups adapt in real time—just like a skilled interviewer—to clarify, prompt examples, or ask “why.” This can be a game-changer: a field study found that such conversational, AI-powered surveys led to responses that were far more informative and precise than traditional, static forms [2].

• Student: "I couldn’t find the eligibility requirements."

• AI follow-up: "What part of the eligibility requirements was unclear or missing for you?"

How many followups to ask? In our experience, 2–3 smart, on-topic follow-ups give you most of the needed context—longer dialogues risk driving drop-off. With Specific, you can set a maximum depth and the AI will gracefully move to the next question once it’s collected what you need.

This makes it a conversational survey. The dialogue and probing turn your survey into a true conversation—not just a form. Respondents stay engaged, participation rises, and the data gets deeper.

AI response analysis, unstructured insights: Analyzing free-text can seem overwhelming, but with AI tools like Specific's response analysis, distilling key themes—even from complex, open-ended answers—is fast and reliable. Try it and see how much more you learn.

These automated follow-ups are a new standard—don’t take our word for it; generate your own survey and try the experience.

How to prompt ChatGPT for great student scholarship survey questions

If you want to brainstorm or co-create survey questions using AI (like ChatGPT), give it context and a clear goal:

Start simple to get a quick list:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for Student survey about Scholarship Information.

But you’ll get far better results with detail. Specify context—like demographic, setting, or what you want to learn:

We’re running a student survey to improve scholarship information on our university website. Our aim: understand current resources, common challenges, and missing information. Generate 10 open-ended questions that will help us get meaningful feedback.

Next, ask AI to organize:

Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.

Finally, double-click into the themes you actually care about. (“Application process,” “Finding resources,” etc.)

Generate 10 questions for the categories ‘Application process’ and ‘Information clarity.’

What is a conversational survey?

A conversational survey is exactly what it sounds like: a feedback process that mimics a real dialogue. Instead of static forms, you interact with an AI agent that adapts, probes, and follows up based on what you share—just like talking to a research expert. Using AI survey technology, this experience feels more human, keeps students engaged, and produces richer insights.

How does this differ from old-school surveys? Take a look:

Why use AI for student surveys? AI survey generators don’t just save time—they allow you to gather more actionable feedback, improve response rates, and dig deeper with less effort. With advances in AI-based survey methodologies, you can expect highly personalized and context-aware conversations—even with large respondent groups. This tech shift is why modern teams rely on AI-driven survey tools over old static forms.

If you’re curious how it all comes together, check out our guide on how to create a student scholarship survey to see Specific in action, with step-by-step tips for every method.

Specific is committed to raising the bar for feedback—offering best-in-class user experience, AI-powered question generation, automated follow-ups, and seamless response analysis for truly conversational surveys.

See this scholarship information survey example now

Experience firsthand how conversational surveys with AI-driven follow-ups unlock deeper insights—engage your students, get better feedback, and design smarter scholarship resources. Start creating your own survey in minutes and see the difference.