Preparing an accurate population file is the most important step in preparing for your NSSE survey administration. Exacting standards for population files are necessary to ensure valid and representative data, as well as meaningful institutional comparisons. All students from the list will be invited to participate.
NSSE is designed to collect the experiences of all bachelor’s degree-seeking students classified as first-year students or graduating seniors according to credit hour, not just full-time students in the traditional 18- to 24-year-old age range.
Include in the population file:
• Traditional age students and adult learners
• Full-time and part-time students
• Commuters and on-campus residents
• Distance education and online students
• Students from all campuses and institutions sharing the same IPEDS number
Special request: If you are sending messages from your campus servers, please include your team email (nssetm1, nssetm2, or nssetm3@iu.edu) in your population file so our NSSE Campus Liaison can confirm successful email delivery.
Do not include in the population file:
• Students enrolled in professional programs such as pharmacy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, etc., that terminate as master’s or doctoral degrees without earning a bachelor’s degree along the way.
• Students on branch campuses associated with a different IPEDS number. Campuses with distinct IPEDS numbers must administer NSSE independently.
What about transfer credits?
Please attempt to confirm transfer credits before creating your population file. If transfer credits are not processed before population file submission, include anticipated students and you can update the population file with revised eligibility status via a population file update starting in January.
Special Note: If your institution uses non-traditional enrollment or class-level status, like those of many online institutions, please contact your NSSE Team before creating your file.
Required fields: a unique student ID number; first and last name; email address; class level; full-time or part-time enrollment status; sex, and birth year.
Optional but recommended fields: race/ethnicity, ACT or SAT scores, up to five group variables of your choosing, and the Report Sample indicator.
Download the template from the Institution Interface, use the pre-designated column headers, and upload your file in csv file format. Submit the population file using the Institution Interface only. Do not email files containing student records to NSSE; any files sent by email will be immediately deleted.
You can submit files at different times during survey preparation and administration.
Submit your first population file using the provided template during customization in the fall.
A feature to update the file opens in late January. The update feature allows you to update information for students provided in the original file. The most common field updated is “eligibility” (used to remove students who are no longer first-year or senior students as defined in these instructions), but all fields except Student ID can be revised if necessary.
Note that new students cannot be added to the file via the update process since the population file is intended only for students enrolled in both fall and spring terms.
You can continue to update eligibility through April.