NSSE has provided invaluable information to administrators, faculty, and staff across the seven University of Maine campuses needed to make changes to improve the student experience.
James H. Breece, Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, University of Maine System
What is a response rate?
Response rate is simply the percentage of students in the sample that complete the survey. The NSSE institutional average has been about 40%, with institutional rates ranging from the low 20s to the mid 80s.
Click a category below to see a breakdown of average response rates in the NSSE 2005 survey administration by different institutional types.
Carnegie Classification-
Institutional Types Number of Institutions Average Response Rate Doctoral-Extensive 53 33% Doctoral-Intensive 40 32% Master's 225 36% Baccalaurate Liberal Arts 93 49% Baccalaurate General Colleges 69 39% - Institutional Control (Public/Private)
-
Institutional Types Number of Institutions Average Response Rate Public 240 33% Private 278 45% - NSSE Administration Mode
-
Institutional Types Number of Institutions Average Response Rate Paper 172 35% Web Only 167 42% Web Plus 189 39% - Barron's Selectivity Rating (Noncompetitive to Most Competitive)
-
Institutional Types Number of Institutions Average Response Rate Noncompetitive 32 32% Less Competitive 73 34% Competitive 197 36% Competitive Plus 26 38% Very Competitive 107 42% Very Competitive Plus 23 51% Highly Competitive 39 43% Highly Competitive Plus 17 52% Most Competitive 14 55% - Institutional Locale (Large City to Rural)
-
Institutional Types Number of Institutions Average Response Rate Large City 100 38% Mid-size city 159 39% Urban fringe of large city 91 38% Urban fringe of mid-size city 38 36% Large town 22 36% Small town 93 42% Rural 25 40% - Region
-
Institutional Types Number of Institutions Average Response Rate New England 49 40% Mid East 96 38% Great Lakes 76 41% Plains 55 44% Southeast 137 38% Southwest 34 30% Rocky Mountains 12 40% Far West 52 38% Canada 10 43% - Total Undergraduate Enrollment
-
Institutional Types Number of Institutions Average Response Rate Less than 500 12 52% Between 501 and 1000 43 50% Between 1001 and 2000 123 43% Between 2001 and 3000 69 42% Between 3001 and 5000 88 39% Between 5001 and 10000 88 32% Between 10001 and 20000 80 32% More than 20000 25 31% - Full-time Student Percentage
-
Institutional Types Number of Institutions Average Response Rate More than 90% Full-time 202 44% Between 80% and 90% Full-time 139 36% Between 60% and 80% Full-time 128 35% Less than 60% Full-time 49 34% - Female Student Percentage
-
Institutional Types Number of Institutions Average Response Rate More than 90% Female 17 55% Between 70% and 90% Female 34 39% Between 60% and 70% Female 157 38% Between 50% and 60% Female 243 38% Between 30% and 50% Female 52 37% Less than 30% Female 15 53%