This year’s National Student Survey officially launches at Anglia Ruskin University on 8th February, and it will remain open until the end of April.

What’s it all about?  The NSS is the largest national survey of student opinion in the world.  Each year since it began in 2005 something over 300,000 final year undergraduate students have been involved. 

We are really keen for our students to take part.  Whether they feel that their time as a student was a really positive experience or feel let down in some way, the survey is their chance to make their opinions on their student experience count! 

The NSS surveys all undergraduate students in their final year. If you are eligible to participate in the NSS 2010 you will be contacted initially by email (by end February) and invited to fill in the survey online.  But the invitation email isn’t critical, because you can always go directly to www.thestudentsurvey.com where you can find out more about the survey and fill it in online.  When you complete the survey you will obviously be asked to provide some student identification details to ensure that you are eligible.

Online entry is possible right up to the end of April, but IPSOS-MORI, the market research people who run the NSS, will also post questionnaires to non-respondents and – be warned - if you still don’t respond they will start phoning you.  If you really do not wish to take part you can opt out of the survey at any time, but we hope that you would rather fill it in.  As soon as they receive your response, you are crossed off their target list and never bothered again.

In August the survey results will be published on the government backed Unistats website. This site has been specially designed to provide prospective students with official information to assist them in choosing what and where to study.   Additionally, in late summer the results will be fed back to us (anonymously) to help identify areas where we performed well and where we performed less well.

Julie Walkling, Director of Student Services, said, “I hope that all our final year undergraduate students will help us by completing the survey.  It is quick and easy to do and you will be providing valuable information both for prospective students and for our university. Anglia Ruskin really values our students’ opinions and makes plans for improvements based on what you tell us. Please help us by taking 10 minutes to complete the NSS.”