Student satisfaction as a topic generally helps academic institutions understand how well they are delivering on the student experience.
Understanding key insights of student satisfaction with surveys helps institutions improve everything from attendance to graduation rates.
Additionally, dissatisfaction can cause student engagement to drop, then drop-out rates increase and the university loses lots of money.
That’s why it’s so important to focus on students and their experiences to know what is impacting them directly. Especially getting ahead of any issues and maintaining high levels of satisfaction.
What Is A Student Satisfaction Survey?
A student satisfaction survey is a questionnaire sent by higher education institutes to their students.
The survey will measure how satisfied students are and ask them measurable benchmark questions on many different topics (like coursework; facilities and resources; and even extra-curricular activities).
Typically both quantitative and qualitative can be collected and used in the data analysis process through open and closed-ended questions but both are not always needed.
Regular student surveys really aim to keep satisfaction high by keeping issues out in the open and getting direct feedback frequently.
By knowing the details of your student’s experience, everything including academic, social, and other even more granular topics can be improved or fixed right away.
In the end, even though the institution focused on their students, they will still see more money coming in from keeping the students happy.
I recommend reading our case study, Using Surveys to Improve Student Attrition and Graduation Rates for more insights.
Our Top Reasons To Conduct Student Satisfaction Surveys
Surveying students about their overall satisfaction is crucial as it provides valuable insights into their experiences, allowing educational institutions to identify areas for improvement, enhance overall student engagement, and adapt their services to better meet the needs and expectations of the student body.
Here are the top reasons our education institution clients conduct student satisfaction surveys:
- Identify issues or improvement areas right away. Since students give direct feedback on the questions or topics asked about - things that need to be addressed or improved can be brought to your attention quickly, especially with an online survey.
- Improving trust and establishing communication. When an issue gets brought up by students and addressed by the institution, it gives a positive feedback loop and encourages students to be open and honest about their experiences. Which in turn will help improve student satisfaction even more.
- Benchmarking your levels for comparisons. Survey results and findings can be used to benchmark your institutional satisfaction level against others, including the industry standard. This is best for making strategic decisions in a competitive landscape where edges and advantages are needed.
Sample Questions We Love For Student Satisfaction Surveys
As a market research company specializing in higher education and K-12 education, our team has conducted several student satisfaction surveys. Based on our experience, there are several key questions we recommend including to gather the most impactful data.
Example student satisfaction survey questions we love to ask include:
- When you think of colleges and universities in your area, which comes to mind first? (Note: Measures unaided awareness)
- Which of the following colleges/universities are you aware of? (Note: List specific competitors here for aided awareness)
- Based on your knowledge, what is your perception of each of the following colleges/universities?
- How likely would you be to recommend [insert college/university] to a friend or family member?
- Please explain why you rated [insert college/university] as a [insert response] out of 10.
- What is most important when choosing a college/university to attend?
- How satisfied are you with each of the following courses/programs at [insert college/university]?
- How satisfied are you with each of the following professors at [insert college/university]?
- How satisfied are you with each of the following amenities/features at [insert college/university]?
- How do you learn information about colleges/universities that interest you?
Why Working With Us for Custom Student Surveys Is The Best
When it comes to asking the right questions to get the right answers, it can be tricky to know exactly what to say. Especially in a survey where wording and tone matter - you want to get it right the first time.
When you work with us at Drive Research, we’ll handle everything from question writing to survey programming to data processing and reporting.
Even things like recommending how to use the data to take action we can help you with. Our job is to make sure you end up with quality data you can use for business decisions, without the time and hassle it takes to try and figure it out on your own.
Frequently Asked Questions For Student Satisfaction Surveys
What should be on a student satisfaction survey?
- When you think of colleges and universities in your area, which comes to mind first? (Note: Measures unaided awareness)
- Which of the following colleges/universities are you aware of? (Note: List specific competitors here for aided awareness)
- Based on your knowledge, what is your perception of each of the following colleges/universities?
- How likely would you be to recommend [insert college/university] to a friend or family member?
- Please explain why you rated [insert college/university] as a [insert response] out of 10.
How do you measure student satisfaction?
Student satisfaction can be measured on both a quantitative and qualitative basis. Things to measure it with are things like financial performance, student engagement, and other things based on the goals of the college or university. The way to do it is typically with market research by benchmarking and surveys, which we’ve found to be best.
Contact Our Education Market Research Company
Drive Research is a full-service market research company that partners with K-12 schools, universities, and community colleges to measure student satisfaction, engagement, retention, and other key performance indicators.
Based on your objectives, we can recommend the best methodology (surveys, focus groups, in-depth interviews) to gather the unique insights necessary to improve your school.
To learn more about our services, contact Drive Research today.
- Message us on our website
- Email us at [email protected]
- Call us at 888-725-DATA
- Text us at 315-303-2040
Austin Parker
Austin has an extensive background in SEO as he's been blogging since 16 years old back when the internet was in its infancy. As fitting, he holds a Bachelor's degree in English with a concentration in creative writing.
Learn more about Austin, here.
