NSS: Outcome for 2024 survey announced
The 2024 National Student Survey (NSS) results, managed by the Office for Students (OfS), were released today (Wednesday, August 10). The university maintained its improved engagement from last year, with 72.5% of final-year undergraduate students completing the survey—1.9% lower than last year but with a larger number of overall respondents and aligned with the English sector average.
The 2024 survey questionnaire remains consistent with the 2023 version, following several significant updates last year. In the previous year, the survey explicitly included questions related to mental health, wellbeing, and freedom of expression. Additionally, 2023 marked the first time the survey adopted a 4-point Likert scale, eliminating the ‘neither agree nor disagree’ option. As a result, this year’s NSS allows for direct comparisons to the previous year using the new survey format.
The University’s 2024 results show an overall increase in our teaching results, with 82% of students responding positively, which is a 1% increase on last year. Students also continue to find our courses intellectually stimulating, with 85% being positive about them, down 1% from last year but ahead of the average response across England (84%).
On the newer question topics surrounding mental health and wellbeing, the university has also seen an improvement on last year, with 77% of students responding positively vs.75% last year. This however is still sitting behind the sector average of 79%.
The Students’ Union received a score of 72% for ‘supporting students’ academic interests’, which aligned with the sector average but was a reduction of 2% from last year.
The University has seen uplifts in aspects of assessment and feedback, and student voice, since last year, with student voice improving by 1%. Within the assessment and feedback questions, students’ positive response rate about the fairness of marking has improved (75% this year vs. 72% last year). Similarly, students responded higher than last year regarding their opportunities to feedback on their course (80% this year vs. 78% last year.) However, overall in assessment and feedback in particular, the University remains well below benchmark, and there are clear areas where improvement is required.
Students have also highlighted a decline in IT learning resources within this year’s results, with a positive response of 72% vs. 76% last year and an average across England of 85%.
Commenting on this year’s results Professor April McMahon, Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students, said: “The NSS survey is an important time to reflect on progress and areas where we need to do better. This year’s results reinforce our need to prioritise improvements in assessment and feedback and student voice. We thank every one of our students who completed the survey and told us about their experiences; we are very proud of our amazing graduates, whose Manchester degrees support them into excellent jobs and future opportunities.”
