A typical NSSE administration cycle runs from registration opening in early-July to Institutional Reports delivery in mid-August. Once an institution registers, it can begin strategizing promotion, recruitment, and customization. We encourage you to click through the resources linked within the timeline before registering. 

Contact NSSE with questions regarding the administration timeline.

Administration Timeline Overview

Summer: Register and Plan

• Register for NSSE (July to October)
• View NSSE webinars on survey administration
• Plan promotion and recruitment strategy

Fall / Winter: Survey Prepartion

• Customize NSSE: choose Topical Module(s), join a consortium, submit a custom item set, and customize end-of-survey, open-ended student comment question.
• Develop materials: population file, recruitment messages, message schedule, and participation incentives
• Implement promotional strategy
• Coordinate survey communications with campus IT professionals
• Determine whether student portal or learning management systems can be used for posting survey links

Winter / Early Spring: Survey Launch

• Survey administration opens (late February/early March)
• Monitor administration progess with NSSE-provided resources
• Send up to 3 additional reminder messages from school servers

Late Spring: Survey Close

• Customize comparison groups and major field groups
• Survey administration closes (May)

Summer / Fall: Data & Reports Released

• Institutional Report delivered and made available online; data files downloadable
• Major Field Report in Tableau
• Report Builder  updated with new data
• Annual Results delivered

For a more comprehensive administration timeline, visit the Administering NSSE webpage.