FAQ about the NSE

What is the National Student Survey (NSE)?

The National Student Survey (NSE: Nationale Studenten Enquête) is a nationwide survey on student satisfaction. Every year, almost all students in Dutch higher education are invited to participate and give their opinion on their course programme and their university or university of applied sciences. The results are used to inform prospective students about course programmes, via Studiekeuze123.nl as well as other outlets. In addition, participating university and university of applied sciences use the results to improve the quality of their course programmes.

Who is behind the NSE?

The National Student Survey is organised by Studiekeuze123. Research is carried out by the Dutch research institute MWM2.

Studiekeuze123 is the result of a cooperation by the Dutch Ministry of Education, the student organisations LSVb and ISO, umbrella organisations the Association of Universities (Universiteiten van Nederland), Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (Vereniging Hogescholen) and the Dutch Council of Training and Education (NRTO). Studiekeuze123 is wholly funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

When am I eligible to win one year’s statutory tuition fees?

To be eligible to win €2,209 (equalling one year’s statutory tuition fees), participants of the National Student Survey had fully completed the questionnaire in the period from 16 January up to and including 12 March. By now, the winner of the year's statutory tuitions fees is known and the prize has been rewarded.

Learn more about the prizes and the 2023 raffle

How did you get my email address and other information?

Because the university or university of applied sciences at which you study is participating in the NSE, we have received your email address from your institution. In addition to your email address, your institution sends us the following information:

The name of your school or university (the BRIN number);
The location name of your school or university (the BRIN serial number);
The city or town where your school or university is physically located;
The title of your course programme (CROHO code);
Whether your programme is full-time, part-time or dual work-study;
Whether you are a regular, post-master or pre-master student;
Whether you are enrolled in an originally remote-learning programme;
The level of your course programme (hbo or wo);
Whether you are a first-year student;
The language in which you receive your NSE invitation (Dutch, English or German).

Certain details may be added, if they are relevant to your course programme. They are:

The course programme variant, learning route or track you are pursuing;
Whether you are an art student;
A secondary email address that can be used to contact you (your school or university needs your permission for this);
Any labels your institution would like to use to monitor their NSE results, like whether you were part of the introductory period.

All the data we collect will be deleted on 13 October 2023.

What about my privacy?

Both Studiekeuze123 and your university or university of applied sciences value your privacy very highly. For more information, see www.nse.nl/en/privacy.

What do you do with the results?

The NSE results are used for:

Study-selection information. Prospective students can compare the scores of different programmes on Studiekeuze123.nl.
Improving education. Universities and universities of applied sciences use the results to determine where they can improve their programmes.
National monitoring of student satisfaction. Various organisations – including the Inspectorate of Education; the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW); the Expertisecentrum inclusief onderwijs; and umbrella organisations the Association of Universities (Universiteiten van Nederland) and Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (Vereniging Hogescholen) – use the results to monitor trends in student satisfaction over several years so that they can set their policies accordingly.
(Scientific) research. The NSE results are publicly available and retrievable for research purposes. On request, Studiekeuze123 will grant access to the NSE benchmark file. This is an anonymised file that does not comprise personal information.

Which parties do you share personal information with?

Studiekeuze123 processes participating students’ questionnaire results (without including email addresses) to create anonymised products and/or data files. These products and files are not traceable to individuals. Examples of these products are Studiekeuze123’s degree programme database (Studiekeuzedatabase) with the average satisfaction rates for each degree programme. Studiekeuze123 also publishes the NSE public benchmark file, which comprises all results, anonymised on an individual student level, for detailed analyses.

Studiekeuze123 does not transfer personal data to third parties without the explicit permission of the person concerned. The Dutch Expert Centre on Inclusive Education (ECIO) will receive a copy of the answers to the ‘Studying with a support need’ block of questions for purposes of research and informing prospective students on higher education course programmes. The file Studiekeuze123 sends to ECIO does NOT include personal data that can be traced back to you. ECIO only publishes aggregated data in the form of anonymised products.

I’ve lost the invitation email/link to the questionnaire. How can I participate in the NSE?

To be able to participate in the NSE, you need the personalised link we’ve sent you at the email address your institute of higher education gave us.

Did you lose your link to the questionnaire? Have it sent to you again by using the lost link tool at www.nse.nl/en. You can find the tool at the top of the page during the months it is possible to fill in the survey.

How can I unsubscribe from reminder emails?

If you don’t want to participate, you can find an unsubscribe link in every NSE email you receive. Click the link to unsubscribe and you won’t get any more reminders.

Can I fill out the NSE questionnaire on my smartphone?

Sure! You can fill out the NSE on your smartphone, on a tablet or a computer. You can even start it on one device and continue on another. For instance, you could start the questionnaire on your desktop computer and continue on your phone while you’re on the train. This works when you open the link from your email.

When is the deadline to take the survey?

Participating in the NSE 2023 was possible until 12 March 2023. Soon the new information regarding the NSE 2024 will be published.

When is the prize draw?

All students who completed the questionnaire are eligible to win a prize. The 2023 NSE prize winners have been drawn and notified after the survey closed.

Learn more about the prizes and the 2023 raffle

I’ve already taken the survey, but I’m still getting a reminder. Why is this?

Perhaps our reminder email was sent out at or around the time your questionnaire answers came in. We’re sorry for the inconvenience. Another possibility is that you haven’t yet fully completed the questionnaire.

I’m a part-time student. Can I take the survey?

Please do! We would greatly appreciate the input of part-time students. Some questions may be slightly less relevant to your daily experiences at your university or university of applied sciences. Still, try to answer in a way that’s as close to your experiences as possible.

I’ve recently graduated/I’ve recently dropped out. Why am I being invited to take this survey?

We would appreciate your participation in the NSE because you have only quit your programme recently. We would really like to hear your opinion on the programme you were enrolled in and your university or university of applied sciences.

What if I have another question?

If you have a question about filling out the questionnaire, you can send an email to student@nse.nl. If you have a question about how your university or university of applied sciences will use NSE data, you can ask the NSE contact at your institution.