National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) assesses key aspects of first year and senior students’ undergraduate experience, including students’ engagement in educational practices that have been shown to be linked with learning and student success.
The NSSE was developed and is administered by the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research.
For the 2026 NSSE, 19% (n=678) of first-year and 11% (n=436) of senior Kent campus students responded to the survey from February through May 2026. Current and historical full NSSE survey reports are available here.
% Overall Experience as “Excellent” or “Good”
One aspect of the survey asks students about High Impact Practices (HIPs) that are undergraduate opportunities known for positive associations with student learning and retention. Kent State values these practices that can be considered life-changing:
- Facilitate learning outside the classroom
- Require meaningful interaction with faculty and peers
- Provide frequent and substantive feedback
- Demand considerable time and effort of the practice
- Encourage collaboration with diverse others
The following depicts the percentage of Kent State students who responded as either already participated or plan to participate in the following HIPs:
First-Year Students
- 47% Service Learning
- 31% Research with Faculty
- 29% Learning Communities
Seniors
- 78% Internships or Field Experiences
- 62% Culminating Senior Experience
- 53% Service Learning
- 39% Research with Faculty
- 32% Study Abroad
- 27% Learning Communities
Top 5 Highest Performing Items Relative to Regional NSSE Participants
| NSSE Question | KSU | Great Lakes Public |
| Discussions with…People with sexual orientations other than your own KSU ("Very often" or "Often") | 73% | 64% |
| Discussions with…People from countries other than your own KSU ("Very often" or "Often") | 58% | 50% |
| Discussions with… People of races or ethnicities other than your own ("Very often" or "Often") | 78% | 72% |
| Tried to better understand someone else's views by imagining…his or her perspective ("Very often" or "Often") | 77% | 73% |
| Discussions with… People from economic backgrounds other than your own ("Very often" or "Often") | 78% | 74% |
| NSSE Question | KSU | Great Lakes Public |
| Participated in a study abroad program ("Done or in progress" or "Plan to do") | 32% | 19% |
| Discussions with…People from countries other than your own ("Very often" or "Often") | 61% | 51% |
| Discussions with…People with sexual orientations other than your own ("Very often" or "Often") | 74% | 66% |
| Institution emphasis on providing support to help students succeed academically ("Very much" or "Quite a bit") | 80% | 73% |
| Institution emphasis on helping you manage your non-academic responsibilities ("Very much" or "Quite a bit") | 71% | 65% |
