Each year, the University Office for Planning and Budgeting designs a questionnaire including core questions required by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. Questions on student satisfaction and outcomes are included in the longitudinal database. The survey is mailed to the entire graduating class in order to provide reliable unit-level data. The Survey Research Office at the University of Illinois at Springfield conducts the survey of its graduates. Two follow-up mailings of the questionnaire are sent to nonrespondents in order to make the results as representative as possible. Students were given the option of completing the survey online as of the survey conducted in 2001.
Since 1991, the Illinois Board of Higher Education has determined the survey schedule. The original schedule called for a one-, five- and ten-year-out survey to be conducted every three years. The current schedule calls for a one-, five- and nine-year-out survey to be conducted every three years. The list below shows the University of Illinois surveys that have been conducted for the Urbana and Chicago campuses since 1973.
| Survey Year | Graduation Year | Survey Time Line |
| 1973 | Class of 1972 | 1 year after graduation |
| 1974 | Class of 1973 | 1 year after graduation |
| 1978 | Class of 1973 | 5 years after graduation |
| 1983 | Class of 1973 | 10 years after graduation |
| 1976 | Class of 1975 | 1 year after graduation |
| 1977 | Class of 1976 | 1 year after graduation |
| 1981 | Class of 1976 | 5 years after graduation |
| 1986 | Class of 1976 | 10 years after graduation |
| 1991 | Class of 1976 | 15 years after graduation |
| 1979 | Class of 1978 | 1 year after graduation |
| 1982 | Class of 1981 | 1 year after graduation |
| 1994 | Class of 1984 | 10 years after graduation |
| 1987 | Class of 1986 | 1 year after graduation |
| 1993 | Class of 1988 | 5 years after graduation |
| 1990 | Class of 1989 | 1 year after graduation |
| 1992 | Class of 1991 | 1 year after graduation |
| 1994 | Class of 1993 | 1 year after graduation |
| 1995 | Class of 1994 | 1 year after graduation |
| 1996 | Class of 1991 | 5 years after graduation |
| 1997 | Class of 1988 | 9 years after graduation |
| 1998 | Class of 1997 | 1 year after graduation |
| 1999 | Class of 1994 | 5 years after graduation |
| 2000 | Class of 1991 | 9 years after graduation |
| 2001 | Class of 2000 | 1 year after graduation |
| 2002 | Class of 1997 | 5 years after graduation |
| 2003 | Class of 1994 | 9 years after graduation |
| 2004 | Class of 2003 | 1 year after graduation |
| 2005 | Class of 2000 | 5 years after graduation |
| 2006 | Class of 1997 | 9 years after graduation |
| 2007 | Class of 2006 | 1 year after graduation |
| 2008 | Class of 2003 | 5 years after graduation |
| 2009 | Class of 2000 | 9 years after graduation |
| 2010 | Class of 2009 | 1 year after graduation |
| 2011 | Class of 2006 | 5 years after graduation |
| 2012 | Class of 2003 | 9 years after graduation |