National Student Survey (NSS) 2024 – Five Things to Know

The NSS results are released on Wednesday 10 July - mark your calendars for Thursday, when the comprehensive NSS results will be unveiled. 

As we await the results of this year’s survey, here are five key points to understand about the NSS: 

1. NSS champions the student voice 

The NSS is administered by the Office for Students (OfS) and is a pivotal way in which students can candidly share their experiences. All universities across the UK take part, as well as many colleges. The survey covers a spectrum of topics, including teaching quality, assessment, feedback, support services, and resource availability - reflecting how well students feel heard throughout their time at our university. 

2. NSS helps us improve the student experience 

The NSS is crucial for gathering student feedback, helping us identify and implement changes to enhance the student experience in Manchester. This feedback is instrumental at both local and sector levels, driving quality improvements and enhancements across the university. 

3. Students have been keen to share their views 

It's important to receive feedback from as many students as possible to ensure the insights we gain are meaningful, and results can only be published if at least 50% of students complete the survey. The official response rate will be revealed on Wednesday but thanks to the tireless efforts of colleagues across the university, our own measurements suggest that more students have completed the survey than in 2023. 

4. The format of the survey remained the same as 2023 

For 2024, the format of NSS questionnaire remained unchanged, having undergone several significant updates in 2023. Last year was the first time we had explicit questions about mental health and wellbeing, and freedom of expression. 

The questionnaire uses the Likert response scale, giving students the option to strongly agree or disagree with a statement. Last year saw the removal of the middle option, ‘neither agree nor disagree’. This resulted in the introduction of a Positivity Score measure, calculated as the proportion of respondents who chose a positiveoption when answering the questions.  

As last year’s survey differed from previous year’s, we were unable to undertake any direct comparisons, however this year we will be able to use the data to identify areas we have improved or where we still have work to do. 

5. The results are just the first step… 

Following the release of the NSS results, the university will delve into the data to identify areas of strength and opportunities for growth. 

The results are used internally to inform improvements to the student experience, and externally to compile University league tables and inform future students' choice of university/course through the Discover Uni website.  

This analysis will help us to enrich the student experience and uphold our commitment to academic excellence. 

More information 

• For more details, visit the NSS webpages or reach out to the Taught Programme Enhancement Team at teachingandlearningsurveys@manchester.ac.uk.