NSSE survey shows student satisfaction levels at 33 universities

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) targets first-year and senior-year students with questions about their university experience. In 2013, 27 Canadian schools and 20,795 students took part in the survey, a response rate of 37 per cent. NSSE is designed to measure student engagement and best educational practices, delivering feedback for university administrators. American and Canadian schools are measured on engagement indicators such as effective teaching and a supportive environment, and high-impact practices such as service learning and study abroad. The higher a school’s scores, the better the chance, according to NSSE, that its undergrads are getting the most out of their university experience. There are also a small number of “satisfaction” questions, results of which are shown here. These NSSE charts include schools that conducted the survey in 2012, unless they repeated the exercise last year. Responses are ordered according to the percentage who chose the highest level of satisfaction, e.g. “excellent.”