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NSSE data are used by faculty, administrators, researchers, and others for institutional improvement, public reporting, and related purposes. Launched in 2000 with the support of a generous grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts, NSSE has been fully sustained through institutional participation fees since 2002. This document provides an overview of NSSE 2019, including administration details, response rates, participating institutions, and respondent characteristics.

Survey Data and Methodology

Approximately 1.5 million first-year and senior students from 531 institutions (504 in the US, 19 in Canada, and 8 in other countries) were invited to participate in NSSE 2019. Of this population, 294,507 students responded to the survey. Less than half (47%) of these were first-year students and 53% were seniors.

NSSE’s sampling methodology calls for either a census of all first-year and senior students or a random selection of an equal number of students from each group, with sample size based on total undergraduate enrollment. Census administration is available only via email recruitment, in which students get a survey invitation and up to four reminders by email. In 2019, all but three participating institutions opted for this method rather than the regular mail option, in which sampled students get up to three messages by post and up to two email reminders.

Unless noted otherwise, the results presented below are from 510 institutions—491 in the US and 19 in Canada— that participated in NSSE 2019. Due to nonstandard details of their participation, 21 institutions are not represented. In these summary tables, as in each Institutional Report 2019, only data for census-administered and randomly sampled students are included. NSSE 2019 U.S. respondents profiled here include 281,136 first-year (46%) and senior (54%) respondents.

U.S. Participating Institutions

This pNSSE 2019 participating institutions and students reflect the diversity of bachelor’s-granting colleges and universities in the US with respect to institution type, public or private control, size, region, and locale (Table 1).

Institutional Response Rates

The average response rate for U.S. NSSE 2019 institutions was 28%. The highest response rate among U.S. institutions was 67%, and about three out of five achieved a response rate of 25% or higher. Higher average response rates were observed for smaller institutions and for institutions offering incentives (Table 2).

Institutions had the option to use their learning management system or student portal to recruit students. In 2019, 85 U.S. institutions chose this option, and the average share of respondents who accessed the survey this way was 28%.

Survey Customization

Participating institutions may append up to two additional question sets in the form of NSSE Topical Modules or consortium questions (for institutions sharing a common interest and participating as a NSSE consortium) (Table 3). Of the nine modules available in 2019, the most widely adopted was First-Year Experiences and Senior Transitions, followed by Academic Advising (Table 4).

U.S. Respondent Profile

Table 5 displays selected demographic and enrollment characteristics of NSSE 2019 U.S. respondents alongside all U.S. bachelor’s degree-seeking students for comparison. NSSE reports use weights as appropriate to correct for disproportionate survey response related to institution-reported sex and enrollment status at each institution. Table 6 provides additional details about U.S. respondents.

Canadian Respondent Profile

Canadian respondents profiled here include 9,091 students (58% first-year, 42% senior) from 19 institutions in four provinces, including nine institutions in Ontario; two in Alberta; five in British Columbia; and one from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Saskatchewan. Female students and full-time students accounted for about 69% and 90% of Canadian respondents, respectively. The average response rate for Canadian NSSE 2019 institutions was 42%, with the highest response rate being 81%. About three out of four achieved a response rate of 25% or higher.

About 16% of Canadian respondents were at least 24 years old. The majority of students providing ethnocultural information identified as Caucasian or White (67%), while 10% were multiracial, 6% Chinese, 6% South Asian, 3% Black, and less than 3% from each of nine other categories.