National Student Survey (NSS)

Eligible students received invitations and reminders to complete the survey from Ipsos, who organise the survey on behalf of the Office for Students. 

Final-year undergraduates can also complete the survey on the NSS website.  

UCL Colleagues can access NSS 2024 results through Tableau [UCL login required]. If you do not have access, please request this through MyServices.

The National Student Survey (NSS), in which all UK final year undergraduate students are invited to participate, has been run annually since 2005.

The NSS is managed on behalf of the Office for Students (OfS) by Ipsos, an independent survey research agency, which runs the NSS during the second term each year.

Students are asked to complete the NSS questionnaire online and may also be contacted with reminders by telephone. Students will also have the option to enter into a prize draw where 20 students will have the opportunity to win a graduation package that will support the cost of their graduation ceremony.  

The graduation package includes: 

• 1 x graduation gown hire
• 2 x guest tickets
• 1 x studio portrait
• Postage and packaging – up to £29.95.

The NSS covers the academic experience, including:

• teaching
• assessment and feedback
• academic support
• organisation and management
• learning resources.

The NSS is a UCL institutional priority and the data is also reported annually to UCL Council. The NSS results are also examined at the UCL Education Committee.

NSS results form part of the information shown on the Discover Uni website, alongside graduate destinations and salaries, student continuation rates, tariff points for entry and accreditation/professional recognition of courses across the UK. 

Key NSS documents for UCL staff

Assets and guidance for 2025 campaign are available to download on the template and guides webpage. 

The pilot Sexual Misconduct Survey

Please be aware that during the NSS period (sent to students 9 January to 30 April), the Office for Students is running a pilot survey of sexual misconduct. The survey will be offered to students by Ipsos after they have completed the NSS, but students do not have to take part. If a student does not wish to be presented with the opportunity to complete the sexual misconduct survey, they can email the Ipsos student helpline: thestudentsurvey@ipsos.com. 

Students who would like to access support services through UCL can contact our team of expert wellbeing, disability and mental health staff who provide a safe, confidential and non-judgmental space to discuss any issues that may be affecting them.

Please signpost students to the UCL support and wellbeing page and our support for those affected by harassment or sexual misconduct here.

We realise that discussing sensitive topics can be difficult and would like to remind you that UCL staff can access confidential, 24/7 mental health support with our Employee Assistance Programme: Staff Support Service.

UCL's NSS response rate incentive scheme

At UCL, departments can qualify for an additional allocation of funds to use in collaboration with students, when they achieve an NSS response rate of 70% or higher. The funds range from £250 to a maximum of £1,500 according to the size of the NSS-eligible cohort. 

Our 2024 NSS results