The National Student Survey (NSS) is an independent anonymous survey run by the Office for Students and is sent to final-year undergraduates across the UK.
The survey asks students about their course experience. The results not only enhance the student experience, but help future students decide where they want to study at university.
The NSS is open in Semester 2 every academic year.
The NSS is only open to final-year undergraduate students. The NSS 2024 is now closed.
Not all students in your course or department might be eligible. You can see who is eligible by downloading the target population from the NSS Student Data Wiki page (VPN required).
The NSS asks students a variety of questions about their undergraduate experience.
You can see the questions asked in the NSS. They include:
Students appreciate it when you provide detailed, useful and constructive feedback on their assessments to help them improve their marks next time. Similarly, receiving this type of feedback from students will help you better understand what changes could be made to improve your course. Characteristics of constructive student feedback include:
Students' comments must be in line with the University's Dignity & Respect Policy and Procedure. We encourage you to report offensive or discriminatory comments to your Head of Department and the Student Engagement Team by emailing studentengagement@bath.ac.uk
The NSS can be completed online or on a mobile device. It takes 10 minutes and is completely anonymous.
When the NSS is open, please direct your students to thestudentsurvey.com or show them the survey QR code, which can be found on the NSS Student Data Wiki page.
Students will also receive emails from:
The NSS 2024 is now closed.
There are a variety of ways you can encourage your students to complete the NSS.
The University's target response rate for NSS is 75%. Having a higher response rate means the results are more representative of your cohort and you can more confidently make decisions about if, and how, you make changes to enhance the student experience.
The University has best practice guidance and promotional resources to help you promote the NSS to your students.
Highlight to students that they could win one of three luxury prizes if they enter the prize draw by the survey closing date.
NSS results are discussed and used in several ways across the University.
You can view NSS results for the University and the rest of the sector by:
The anonymised responses will be discussed and used in Staff / Student Liaison Committees (SSLCs), Departmental Education Action Plans and committee meetings.
Think about how to close the feedback loop with your students next academic year. This could involve:
The NSS asks final year undergraduates studying in the UK about their experience at university.
Encourage your students to take part in the NSS.
For enquires and questions, please contact the Student Engagement Team.