The National Student Survey is now open! The NSS is an external survey, independent of the University. It gives you, as a final-year undergraduate, the chance to tell the world about your time at Sussex.
Managed by the Office for Students (OfS) and run by polling company Ipsos, the NSS is used to assess the quality of your degree as a whole. If you decide to take part, you should think back over all years of your course when responding.
Why take part?
Your voice matters
NSS results are made publicly available through the Discover Uni website. By taking the survey, you’ll help future students make decisions about which universities to apply to, just like you did.
You could win a graduation package worth £150
You could win one of 10 graduation packages worth £150 when you complete the NSS online. Each £150 prize will cover the cost of gown hire, two guest tickets and a basic photography package. This prize draw will run until the survey closes on 30 April 2024. The winners of these prizes will be picked at random by Ipsos.
Charity donation
The University will donate £1 to charity for every Sussex student that participates in the NSS. We will split this donation between charities chosen by students in a poll sent out in December:
- UNICEF (32% of the vote)
- Student Minds (24% of the vote)
- Rockinghorse Children’s Charity (22% of the vote)
- Surfers Against Sewage (15% of the vote)
- Little Green Pig (7% of the vote)
Free t-shirt
As a thank you for taking part in the NSS, students who show proof of completion (email confirmation) can also collect a free, exclusive University of Sussex t-shirt from NSS Helpers at the Student Centre or the Library (Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11am-2pm).
Spirit of Sussex Award points
You can log the NSS to get five points in the Co-Creation and Evaluation category for the Spirit of Sussex Award!
Check out this video from student and Digital Media Creator, Abby, for more about why you should consider taking part:
How to complete the survey
Fill in the NSS online at www.thestudentsurvey.com at any time up to 30 April. You should also receive an email from Ipsos on Thursday 1 February inviting you to complete the survey.
You will need to use your eight-digit student registration number, which you can find at the bottom of your student card or on Sussex Direct, and you will be asked for some information to verify you’re eligible to take part.
It takes around five minutes to answer the core survey questions.
Once you have completed the survey, you will not receive any further contact from Ipsos. If you don’t complete the survey, you’ll get reminders from Ipsos by email or phone.
In an email to all eligible students today (29 January), Professor Kate O’Riordan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education and Students), said: “Thank you in advance for playing your part and helping to shape the future for prospective students. Completing the NSS will only take you a few minutes, but your views will be very valuable for those who are now considering what to study and where.”
You can find more information on our NSS web page.