The NSS and data sharing
The survey is conducted by Ipsos, an independent research agency. It is commissioned by the Office for Students (OfS) on behalf of the UK funding and regulatory bodies in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
As described in the conditions of enrolment at Kent, and as the survey is a task carried out in the public interest, your contact details will be transferred to Ipsos for the purpose of the NSS only.
Personal data is held in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. All your responses will remain strictly anonymous and at no point will you be identified to us. Any personally identifiable data will be securely deleted by Ipsos after the survey closes and will not be shared with any third parties. More information is available on the NSS website.
FAQs
If you do not want the University to share your data with Ipsos for the purposes of the NSS, please email dataquality@kent.ac.uk
If you have any questions for Ipsos you can email thestudentsurvey@ipsos.com
The NSS matters because it makes a tangible difference to the experience students have at university. By completing the survey, you can make it clear what is – and isn't - working for you.
At Kent, we also rely on your feedback to identify what needs improving within the student experience. As a result of previous feedback from the NSS we have been able to implement the following changes:
- Invested in fast and reliable next-generation Wi-Fi
- Extended Nexus helpdesk’s opening hours in Templeman
- More pets as therapy
- Created new types of study space on campus.
You can find out more on the Your Uni, Your Say webpages.
The published NSS results help prospective students make informed decisions of where and what to study. The data is published on the OfS and Discover Uni websites.
You will be asked to respond to questions relating to various aspects of your academic experience. You will also be given the opportunity to provide comments on your overall student experience at Kent.
The student guide on inappropriate influence sets out what the NSS is and how it is promoted by universities and colleges.
The guide details what may constitute inappropriate influence when promoting the NSS and the types of promotion universities and colleges are, or are not, allowed to undertake.
It provides details on the help and support available to students - if they feel they are being or have been influenced in how to respond to the survey, along with the process in place to investigate allegations of inappropriate influence and what happens in case of a breach of guidance.
The survey can be completed online from 8 January until 30 April.
Ipsos should contact you by email first, on Thursday 30 January 2025. The email will contain your unique link to the survey.
They will also contact you by text message and approximately three weeks later, Ipsos will contact students who have not filled in the survey to ask them to do it on the phone.
Once you have completed the survey, you will not be contacted by Ipsos for this purpose again.