The 2025 Alumni Survey was conducted by the University of Northern Iowa’s Strategic Marketing Services (SMS) between February and May 2025, collecting 1,257 responses (1,117 complete, 140 partial). The goal of the survey was to research the effectiveness and impact of CAPS profession-based learning programs. Working together, CAPS and SMS developed an online survey instrument aimed at understanding how CAPS experiences both imparted professional skills as well as purpose (i.e. career exploration and self discovery) to its program graduates.

With a margin of error of ±2.6% at the 95% confidence level, the results represent a reliable portrait of CAPS graduates across geography, gender, and graduation year.

Compared with the inaugural 2023 survey, this iteration expanded to reflect a growing network of affiliates, new virtual programs, and early international pilots. Questions were refined to deepen insights into identity, confidence, and alumni engagement. We’re proud of this extraordinary response rate in an era when most young adults decline surveys. Their engagement signals not only gratitude, but an ongoing sense of belonging. In a time of technological disruption, this survey underscores that relevance and humanity are true differentiators in education.

Submit your email address in the box at the bottom of this page to download the the 2025 CAPS Network Alumni Impact Study. 

In a first-of-its-kind study, CAPS engaged University of Northern Iowa’s Strategic Marketing Services (SMS) to research the effectiveness of its programs and establish a set of benchmark metrics on the impact of profession-based learning for high school students. Working together, CAPS and SMS developed an online survey instrument aimed at understanding how CAPS experiences both imparted professional skills as well as purpose (i.e. career and passions) to its program graduates.

Over a three-month data collection period from November 2022 to January 2023, a total of 1,076 alumni responded, 71% of whom are recent high school graduates (within the last four years). SMS analyzed and segmented the data by gender, education level, income, high school graduation date, and student (post-secondary) vs. non-student status to uncover any meaningful differences between groups. The results—which are summarized in the pages that follow—are offered with a 95% confidence level and a +/- 2.65% margin of error.

Submit your email address in the box at the bottom of this page to download the Inaugural Alumni Impact Study.