National Student Survey

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions concerning the NSS at Sussex.

What is the NSS?

The NSS is a survey of all final-year students in the UK about the quality of their academic experience. The survey provides students with an opportunity to make their opinions on their higher education student experience count at a national level. The results are analysed and used to compile a year on year comparison of data which:

  1. Helps prospective students make informed choices of where and what to study.
  2. Enables the participating institutions to identify and improve in areas where they may have let their students down.

The NSS is now in its eighth year.

How do I take part?

The 2013 NSS took place at Sussex between February and April 2013.

The 2014 survey will go live in spring 2014.

Eligible students will receive an email from polling company Ipsos MORI inviting them to complete the survey online.

How did Ipsos MORI get my email address and phone number?

Students' contact details are provided to Ipsos MORI by the University. The participants and their answers remain anonymous throughout the entire survey process.

Students will be asked for some personal identification information in order to verify that they were eligible to take part.

Can I change or retract my responses once I have completed the survey?

No, Ipsos MORI only accepts the first set of survey responses from any student. Subsequent completions of a survey are discarded. Once a student completes the survey it is not then possible to change or withdraw their survey responses. The survey responses given reflect students' opinions at the time they are surveyed.

On occasion, students contact Ipsos MORI to request if they may complete the survey again. This will only be permitted where students responses are not valid, for example where errors have been made in identification details and/or the number of questions answered. It does not permit students to 'change their minds'.

What's in it for me?

  1. We will give a £5 voucher to be spent in University-run catering outlets to every Sussex student who completed the NSS.
  2. We will also give £1000 to be spent on improving social space for students to each school of study at Sussex if 70% of their students completed the NSS.
  3. You will be helping future students make informed choices about what to study, and where to study it.
  4. You will be helping fellow Sussex students by sending a clear message to your University about what you think works well, and where improvements can be made. In the seven years the NSS has been running, numerous changes have been made at Sussex as a direct result of feedback from final year students. These include opening the Library 24-hours, new course evaluation questionnaires and new state-of-the-art buildings.
  5. You can help your school, department and tutors by providing them with essential feedback. Each year departments produce NSS action plans based on the feedback given.

Have students completed their final year when they take the survey?

The survey is for final year undergraduates only, although there are a few exceptions/additions (these can be read about at the NSS website). 

The survey typically runs in the spring. So, no, students will not have completed their final year when they take the survey.

Where are the results published?

The results are published online at the Unistats website (www.unistats.com), which aims to assist prospective students in making informed decisions about what and where to study.

How many Sussex students have completed the survey so far?

See our response rate updates.

I don't understand some of the terminology used in the NSS. What does it mean?

The NSS uses some general academic or student experience terms which are not used in all universities. This page gives a quick list of what these terms mean at Sussex.

  • "Feedback": comments from your teachers and peers on all aspects of your work = at Sussex feedback is given not only in response to assessments, but also in lectures, seminars, tutorials and individually via academic advising and office hours
  • "Academic support": the person who provides advice to you on your academic programme of study = at Sussex this mainly means your academic advisor, but it also includes input that you may have received from other academic colleagues in relation to course choice, and so on.
  • "Learning resources": this covers the range of resources - electronic library, Study Direct materials, hard copy study packs, periodicals, books and so on, across the full range of resources provided by the Library, ITS and your department;
  • "Personal development": all the elements in your studies which help you develop wider experience and skills = at Sussex these are often embedded in your academic programme and includes things like group working, time management and making oral presentations. But it also includes extra-curricular opportunities that you have experienced at the University, through clubs and societies, student volunteering/development projects, mentoring other students, student representation and/or involvement in the Students' Union, and so on.