National Student Surveys

The NSS is a yearly, national survey of final year undergraduates studying at universities across the UK. It is conducted by Ipsos, an independent research agency, and is designed to capture feedback about your learning experience during the entirety of your course, in particular:

• teaching on your course
• learning opportunities
• assessment and feedback
• academic support
• organisation and management
• learning resources
• student voice
• healthcare, allied health and clinical practice placements (where applicable)
• mental wellbeing services
• freedom of expression

NSS results are used to compile university league tables to help future students choose a university. They also feed into the government’s Teaching Excellence Framework, which monitors and assesses the quality of teaching in England’s universities.

You should be eligible to take part in the NSS if you:

• are in your final year of study on a course longer than one year leading to undergraduate credits (FTE greater than 100) or a qualification such as Bachelor Degree, Foundation Degree, Higher Education Certificate or Diploma
• are on a more flexible part-time course (whose final year cannot be easily predicted) and in your fourth year of study.

If you do not complete the NSS after your initial invitation to do so, Ipsos will follow up with you via text message and, approximately three weeks later, on the phone. Once you have completed the survey, you will not be contacted by Ipsos for this purpose again.

You can opt out at any time by contacting Ipsos directly. You will not receive any further emails or personalised messages but will be included in the response rate.

The PTES is the only sector-wide survey of taught postgraduate students' learning and teaching experiences. It is overseen by the Higher Education Academy.

We value feedback from our postgraduate community, and by taking part you can help to make positive changes while you continue with your studies.

You are eligible to take part in the PTES if you are a taught postgraduate student studying on a Masters, Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma course, on any year of study.

Once the PTES is live, eligible students will receive an email from us with details of how to take part, followed my reminders at roughly fortnightly intervals (where relevant).

You can opt out of the PTES at any time by contacting our Student Experience and Insights team directly. You will not receive any further emails but will be included in the response rate.

The Higher Education Academy’s Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) is the only sector-wide survey to gather insight from postgraduate research students about their learning and supervision experience.

It focuses on your supervision, resources, research community, progress and assessment, skills, and professional development. 

You are eligible to take part in the PRES if you are a PhD, Doctoral or Research Masters student.

Once the PRES is live, eligible students will receive an email from us with details of how to take part, followed by reminders at roughly fortnightly intervals (where relevant).

You can opt out of the PRES at any time by contacting our Student Experience and Insights team directly. You will not receive any further emails but will be included in the response rate.