Administration Instructions

Procedures

NSSE Shorts is locally administered. Each campus is responsible for administering the survey to their undergraduate students. A campus can choose to survey groups of students (e.g., first-year and sophomore students) or all of their undergraduate students.

The fall survey opens September 1, 2025 and closes December 15, 2025. The winter/spring survey opens January 15, 2026 and closes April 30, 2026. You can administer the survey at any time during these period.

Schools can administer the survey to students using email (see email templates in “Administration” dashboard page) or LMS. See Using Student Portals & Learning Management Systems for more details about uploading student-specific links to LMS. See the IRB-approved promotional text if you choose to use promotional materials.

 

Three Options for Administration

1. Using the institution-only specific survey URL with no personally identifiable student information

Data and results using this survey URL will provides the institution with summary results and data downloadable in real time. The institution will also be able to filter results by student responses to demographic questions (if applicable). Student responses using the institution-only specific links will be anonymous.

2. Student-specific links using masked student ID's.

Student-specific links will contain a student identifier. This identifier is created by the institution must be a masked student identifier that corresponds to the real student identification that is maintained in a crosswalk file by the institution. The campus also has the option to include up to 3 grouping variables that can be unique for each student. Common data included in these variables, but not limited to, student major, advisor name, and Pell Grant recipient. These custom fields should be maintained in the same crosswalk file with the masked/real student identification. 

NSSE Shorts will create and post to the dashboard the student-specific links for a campus to download. See the instructions in “Administration” dashboard page for more details uploading a student list to create unique survey urls.

With student-specific links, the institution will be able to monitor survey completions and follow up with only those who have not yet responded. The data also provides the institution the opportunity to reach out to students in a timely manner. For example, the campus can reach out to those students who are not sure they will return the next fall or are experiencing academic difficulties.

Data and results will provide the institution with summary results and data that is downloadable in real time. The institution will also be able to filter results by student responses and "grouping variables" (if applicable).

3. A combination of the two options above.

A campus can also use both URL formats. For example, an institution may use student-specific links for its first-year students and institution-only specific links for all other students.