Cost of Survey Participation
Required Fees
The cost of survey administration includes a $300 Registration Fee (nonrefundable) and a Standard NSSE Administration Fee based on your institution's total undergraduate enrollment.
Standard NSSE Administration Fee
| Sample by Recruitment Method |
| Undergraduate Enrollment |
Email |
Regular Mail |
Administration Fee* |
| Fewer than 4,000 ** |
All first-year & senior students (up to 25,000 total) |
900 |
$3,375 |
| 4,000 to 7,999 |
1,200 |
$4,500 |
| 8,000 to 12,000 |
1,600 |
$6,000 |
| More than 12,000 |
2,000 |
$7,500 |
* Supplemental fees may be assessed for institutions requiring special processing or costs. See below for additional information.
** NSSE offers reduced fees for institutions with fewer than 400 first-year and senior students. See table below.
Administration Fee for Small Institutions
(combined first-year and senior enrollment of 400 or less)
Combined First-Year and
Senior Enrollment |
Sample Size
(For Email and Regular Mail) |
Administration Fee |
| 200 or less |
All first-year & senior students |
$1,500 |
| 201 to 300 |
$2,250 |
| 301 to 400 |
$3,000 |
Customization Options and Fees
Consortium Participation (Optional)
Participation in a consortium provides an opportunity to append extra questions to the end of the survey. Costs vary based on institutional size. Click here for fees and more information about consortia.
Modules (Optional)
Modules are short sets of additional questions on focused topics. Institutions may append one module to the end of the survey at no charge and may append a second module for $150. Institutions appending consortium questions may select only one module (at no charge). Click here for more information about modules.
Oversampling (Optional)
Institutions may add a NSSE-administered email recruitment oversample for $1.50 per student. Locally administered oversamples are not available for the 2013 administration.
Special Cases
NSSE may charge a fee to recover additional expenses for creating reports based on non-standard institutional conditions (e.g., institutions outside the US and Canada). These fees are typically identified during registration, but the need for special reporting is sometimes not identified until population files are processed. Contact your Project Service team for additional details.
Withdrawal Fees
NSSE incurs survey administration costs on behalf of institutions well before actual delivery of student invitations. Accordingly, all institutions that withdraw from NSSE will be billed the nonrefundable $300 Registration Fee. Additional cancellation fees for late withdrawals may apply, based on the schedule below. After January 25 all institutions will be billed the full NSSE invoice (both Registration and Administration Fees) even if they choose not to administer NSSE.
| Date of Withdrawal |
Billable Amount |
| Prior to December 1 |
$300 Registration Fee |
| Between December 1 and January 25 |
$300 Registration Fee + $500 Withdrawal Fee |
| After January 25 |
$300 Registration Fee + all Administration Fees |
Cost of Survey Participation
Required Fees
The cost of survey administration includes a $300 Registration Fee (nonrefundable) and a Standard NSSE Administration Fee based on your institution's total undergraduate enrollment.
Standard NSSE Administration Fee
| Sample by Recruitment Method |
| Undergraduate Enrollment |
Email |
Regular Mail |
Administration Fee* |
| Fewer than 4,000 ** |
All first-year & senior students (up to 25,000 total) |
900 |
$3,375 |
| 4,000 to 7,999 |
1,200 |
$4,500 |
| 8,000 to 12,000 |
1,600 |
$6,000 |
| More than 12,000 |
2,000 |
$7,500 |
* Supplemental fees may be assessed for institutions requiring special processing or costs. See below for additional information.
** NSSE offers reduced fees for institutions with fewer than 400 first-year and senior students. See table below.
Administration Fee for Small Institutions
(combined first-year and senior enrollment of 400 or less)
Combined First-Year and
Senior Enrollment |
Sample Size
(For Email and Regular Mail) |
Administration Fee |
| 200 or less |
All first-year & senior students |
$1,500 |
| 201 to 300 |
$2,250 |
| 301 to 400 |
$3,000 |
Customization Options and Fees
Consortium Participation (Optional)
Participation in a consortium provides an opportunity to append extra questions to the end of the survey. Costs vary based on institutional size. Click here for fees and more information about consortia.
Modules (Optional)
Modules are short sets of additional questions on focused topics. Institutions may append one module to the end of the survey at no charge and may append a second module for $150. Institutions appending consortium questions may select only one module (at no charge). Click here for more information about modules.
Oversampling (Optional)
Institutions may add a NSSE-administered email recruitment oversample for $1.50 per student. Locally administered oversamples are not available for the 2013 administration.
Special Cases
NSSE may charge a fee to recover additional expenses for creating reports based on non-standard institutional conditions (e.g., institutions outside the US and Canada). These fees are typically identified during registration, but the need for special reporting is sometimes not identified until population files are processed. Contact your Project Service team for additional details.
Withdrawal Fees
NSSE incurs survey administration costs on behalf of institutions well before actual delivery of student invitations. Accordingly, all institutions that withdraw from NSSE will be billed the nonrefundable $300 Registration Fee. Additional cancellation fees for late withdrawals may apply, based on the schedule below. After February 1 all institutions will be bill Registration fee and 90% of their Administration Fee even if they choose not to administer NSSE.
| Date of Withdrawal |
Billable Amount |
| Prior to December 1 |
$300 Registration Fee |
| Between December 1 and February 1 |
$300 Registration Fee + $500 Withdrawal Fee |
| After February 1 |
$300 Registration Fee + 90% of Administration Fees |