Cost of Survey Participation
The cost of NSSE is very reasonable and is determined by undergraduate enrollment and whether or not an institution chooses to oversample. For example, an institution with a total undergraduate enrollment of 5,000 using the paper version (traditional paper survey with web option) would be charged a $300 Institutional Participation Fee plus a sampling fee of $4,500.
Undergraduate Enrollment |
Sample
Size Paper/Web+/Web-only |
Fee |
| Less than 4,000 | 450/1,800/All First-year & Seniors | $3,375 |
| 4,000 to 7,999 | 600/2,400/3,000 | $4,500 |
| 8,000 to 12,000 | 800/3,200/4,000 | $6,000 |
| More than 12,000 | 1,000/4,000/5,000 | $7,500 |
The fee structure in the table below is for small schools that have less than 400 students in their combined first-year and senior classes. The fee applies for either Web-only or paper administration and is based on combined first-year and senior enrollment.
Combined
First-year and Senior Enrollment |
Fee |
| Less than 200 | $1,500 |
| 201 to 300 | $2,250 |
| 301 to 400 | $3,000 |
Oversampling can be done at a cost of $7.50 per surveyed student if NSSE does the administration. If the institution chooses to oversample through local administration (distribution of surveys in classrooms, at residence hall meetings, etc.), the cost is $2.00 per surveyed student.
Web-only institutions (students receive all correspondence by e-mail and complete the on-line version of The Report) can also oversample for a cost of $1.50 per surveyed student.