National Student Survey
The National Student Survey (NSS) is a national online survey about students' satisfaction with their programme of study, which has been conducted annually since 2005.
Final year undergraduates are surveyed annually, opening in January/February (the exact date is chosen by the institution - at UoM the survey usually opens after the completion of the January examination period) and remains open until a specified date in April.
The NSS focuses on the teaching and learning aspects of students' experience. The Office for Students (OfS) as the higher education regulator in England took over responsibilities relating to the running of the National Student Survey (NSS) from HEFCE in April 2018. The survey is still delivered by Ipsos MORI who commission Texuna Technologies to provide the results to institutions.
The survey asks final year undergraduates to provide feedback on their programme of study. The questionnaire sees students answer 27 core questions (see FAQs on the types of questions asked, on the NSS website), relating to the following aspects of the student learning experience:
- Teaching on my course
- Learning Opportunities
- Assessment and Feedback
- Academic Support
- Organisation and Management
- Learning Resources
- Student Voice
Students are also given the opportunity to give positive and/or negative comments on their student learning experience as a whole at their university/college.
How are the results used?
The University uses the results to measure the levels of, and changes to, undergraduate student satisfaction with their teaching and learning experience, and to identify areas for improvement. The findings contribute to the University's internal performance review, policy making and strategic planning processes.
OfS uses the results to give prospective students information which will help them to choose a university and degree programme. They do this through the Discover Uni website (see information on the Office for Students website).
The media uses the results to inform debate about the provision of higher education and to contribute to the construction of university league tables.
Further information
Visit the NSS website for further information about the NSS, including the questionnaire.
Latest information can be found on the Office for Students website.
For digital assets (including images for digital screens, social media and email footers), please see NSS Toolkit.
For results and response information, please see the links on the left of this page.
For internal queries, please contact the Taught Programme Enhancement Team in Teaching and Learning Delivery using the following email address: teachingandlearningsurveys@manchester.ac.uk.