The National Student Survey (NSS) is for final year undergraduates across the UK and is a unique opportunity for them to share their views on their student experience.
For NSS 2021, Southampton and Winchester students will be invited to fill in the survey from Thursday 4 February 2021. All eligible students will be sent an email invitation containing a personalised link to take part in the survey.
The Office for Students and the UK funding and regulatory bodies have chosen to include a new optional set of questions in the NSS questionnaire this year, to ask students about specific aspects of their experience during the pandemic. This past year has been a year like no other, so the Office for Students and the UK funding and regulatory bodies felt it was important to ask students about this aspect of their experience, particularly as the main survey focuses on their entire higher education experiences.
Who can complete it?
All eligible final year undergraduate students will receive their own individual link by email from Thursday 4 February from Ipsos MORI, who conduct the survey.
When does the survey run?
The survey will run from Thursday 4 February to Friday 30 April 2021.
How can I get involved?
For 2021, the OfS does not require universities to promote the NSS. However, we still need to meet threshold and are keen to avoid students being telephoned several times by Ipsos MORI. As such, UEB have agreed for limited and light touch communication to go ahead. We will continue to promote the NSS centrally through our student communications social media channels to encourage students to complete the survey.
Whilst we know that local promotion is effective in raising awareness of the NSS, please only do so if you consider this appropriate this year and have the time to do so. We are mindful that you know your students best and we understand that the current staff and student experience is far from ‘normal’! However, should you like to promote the survey, please do be sensitive to the current challenges students are facing and the Ipsos MORI communication schedule. Both the Student & Market Insight and Student Communications teams are happy to advise wherever possible.
