SurveyU Review 2025 – Shutdown Notice, Legacy Payouts, and Student-Friendly Alternatives

FunSurveys shutdown briefing

SurveyU at a glance

SurveyU spent more than a decade recruiting college students and recent graduates for paid surveys, focus groups, and campus interviews. The community built its reputation on fast PayPal payouts and occasional high-paying in-person assignments. In mid-2023 the operators quietly retired the platform, closed new registrations, and shuttered the SurveyU.com portal. As of February 2025 the domain returns a 403 “Forbidden” error, confirming the shutdown.

• Status: Permanently closed. Registration and login portals were decommissioned in August 2023.
• Focus: Youth and student research (ages 16–29), including on-campus intercepts, webcam interviews, and quick opinion polls.
• Former operator: A small New York–based research agency that partnered with larger firms for recruitment. The company was absorbed by a qualitative insights network in 2022.
• Legacy rewards: PayPal cash, Amazon and Visa gift cards, and prepaid debit cards for in-person sessions.
• Next steps: Contact the archived support inbox if you are owed money, then move to active panels listed below.

How SurveyU started and why it shut down

SurveyU launched in 2009 to help brands reach college students who were underrepresented on traditional consumer panels. The founders built relationships with campus organizations, student newspapers, and sororities to recruit members. Over time SurveyU provided respondents to research agencies covering fashion, food delivery, banking, and ed-tech. In 2018 the company expanded beyond the United States, opening recruitment for Canadian and U.K. students.

The business model relied heavily on manual coordination. Staff members scheduled focus groups, arranged travel stipends, and verified student IDs. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, SurveyU pivoted to webcam interviews and diary studies. That transition kept the panel afloat, but the owners struggled with rising compliance costs and competition from larger platforms.

In late 2022 a qualitative research network acquired SurveyU’s parent company. The new owners reviewed overlapping assets and decided to retire the SurveyU brand in favor of their flagship community. Members began receiving sunset emails in May 2023 advising them to cash out remaining balances. By August 2023, SurveyU’s login portal returned a 403 error, and the newsletter stopped sending campaign invites. No public relaunch is planned.

How the platform used to work

SurveyU operated as a hybrid panel. Members logged into a dashboard to see quick surveys paying $1–$3 each, while staffers emailed invitations for higher-paying qualitative studies. Opportunities fell into three buckets:

• Online surveys: Short questionnaires sourced from Cint, Dynata, and proprietary clients. Most paid $1 for 10–15 minutes, credited instantly to your account.
• Webcam interviews and diary studies: Paid $40–$125 depending on duration. These required reliable internet, quiet space, and occasionally product usage diaries over several days.
• In-person sessions: Focus groups, taste tests, or campus pop-up interviews. Pay ranged from $60 to $200, sometimes including travel stipends or free meals.

Because SurveyU vetted members manually, only active students or recent graduates could access the best assignments. Members uploaded student IDs or diplomas to qualify for premium projects. The platform also ran occasional text-message quick polls that paid $5 for a single opinion.

Legacy payout options and what happens to old balances

SurveyU handled cash-outs through a support queue. Once your balance reached $10, you could request PayPal or an Amazon gift card. Focus group payments were processed separately via prepaid Visa cards distributed on-site or mailed afterward. During the shutdown, SurveyU instructed members to cash out by June 30, 2023. Remaining balances were slated for automatic PayPal transfers by September, but several readers report that small amounts (under $5) remained pending.

If you are still owed money:

1. Email support@surveyu.com with “Balance Request” in the subject line.
2. Include your full name, the email associated with your account, approximate balance, and screenshots of completed studies if available.
3. Allow up to two weeks for a response. The inbox is monitored intermittently by the acquiring research network. If you do not receive a reply, follow up with a polite reminder.

We have confirmed as recently as January 2025 that the support inbox still replies to outstanding balance requests. Payments are issued via PayPal or digital gift card depending on the original reward type.

Referral program and campus ambassador legacy

SurveyU’s growth hinged on its campus ambassador program. Students earned $2 when a classmate signed up through their link and completed the onboarding survey, plus $1 when the referral finished a paid study. Ambassadors also received bonuses for hosting on-campus recruitment events. The program ended in March 2023, and referral links now redirect to the shutdown notice.

If you were a campus ambassador and still have pending bonuses, mention this in your support email. Provide event dates or screenshots of confirmation messages to help the team locate your records.

What happened to your data after the shutdown

SurveyU’s final privacy update (May 2023) stated that respondent data would be transferred to the acquiring research network for archival purposes. The company committed to retaining only the information required for legal compliance, deleting unnecessary data within 12 months of the shutdown. That means profile details, payment history, and study responses are stored securely but no longer used for new research invites.

If you want your data deleted, email privacy@surveyu.com or submit a GDPR/CCPA request through the archived portal link included in the shutdown email. Provide identifying details so the team can locate and erase your records. The acquiring network confirmed in 2024 that deletion requests are processed within 30 days.

Active research panels for students in 2025

While SurveyU is gone, several reputable communities still pay students and young professionals for their insights:

• Respondent – Matches participants to qualitative studies paying $20–$200. Filter by “Students” or “Young Professionals” to find relevant projects.
• FocusGroup.com – Schlesinger Group’s portal for online focus groups and taste tests, many of which seek college demographics.
• Recruit & Field – Qualitative research recruiter that frequently posts campus-friendly assignments and remote diaries.
• Surveys On The Go – Ideal for U.S. students who want quick mobile tasks between classes.
• Premise – Global micro-task app paying small amounts for local photo missions and price checks, popular among international students.

Most of these panels allow you to authenticate with a school email address or LinkedIn profile to confirm your student status.

General-purpose survey apps to pair with student panels

Round out your earnings by stacking student-centric communities with mainstream survey apps:

• Survey Junkie – Reliable Dynata panel with same-day PayPal payouts starting at $5.
• Branded Surveys – Daily poll streaks, leaderboard bonuses, and PayPal or gift cards from $5.
• AttaPoll – Mobile-first router aggregator paying cash to PayPal or Revolut from $3.
• SurveyRewardz – Offers higher-paying business and tech studies when your profile matches niche criteria.
• UpVoice – Passive browser extension that credits monthly Amazon gift cards for browsing social media sites.

Frequently asked questions

Is SurveyU coming back?
No. The acquiring research network confirmed that SurveyU’s technology and brand were retired. Any site claiming to relaunch SurveyU is unrelated and should be approached cautiously.

Can I still log in?
No. SurveyU.com returns a 403 error. Use the contact methods above if you need account assistance.

How do I prove I’m owed money?
Provide screenshots of completed surveys, payment confirmations, or email invites that show promised incentives. Even without proof, the support team can search by your email address, but documentation speeds up the process.

Did SurveyU sell my data?
No. According to the shutdown notice, data was transferred only to the acquiring research network for compliance reasons. It is not being resold to third parties, and you can request deletion.

What if I never received the shutdown email?
The message may have landed in spam or been blocked by campus filters. Reach out to support@surveyu.com with your details; the team can still verify your account.

Final verdict

SurveyU served students well for many years, but its closure reflects how costly it is to run a boutique research community in today’s compliance-heavy environment. Treat the platform as part of survey history: recover any leftover balances, request data deletion if desired, and migrate to active panels that welcome student voices. With Respondent, User Interviews, Survey Junkie, and the other alternatives listed here, you can continue earning rewards for sharing your opinions without relying on a defunct brand.