National Student Survey 2023: Sector Response

The NSS gathers students’ opinions on the quality of their courses which helps to:

• Inform prospective students’ choices
• Provide data that supports universities and colleges to improve the student experience
• Support public accountability.

Every university in the UK takes part in the NSS, as do many colleges. Response rates are consistently high.

The survey questions and response scales have changed for NSS 2023. The changes include:

• A new 4-point item specific response scales will replace the Likert response scale
• A new additional question on mental wellbeing services
• A new additional question on freedom of expression, which will be asked to students in England only
• The final summative question will be asked to students in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland only.

The results of the survey highlights areas within education such as teaching, learning opportunities, student voice, Academic support, learning resources and mental wellbeing.

Read the full analysis here.

Sector Response

Vivienne Stern MBE, Chief Executive of Universities UK said:

“The results of the survey demonstrate universities’ ability to consistently deliver high-quality teaching that meets the needs and ambitions of students. Students have faced unprecedented challenges in recent years, but it is welcome to see the consistent focus of universities and their excellent staff on delivering quality learning recognised, with the majority of students feeling positive about their experience.”