In 2009, 208,000 students in the UK answered the survey, giving a response rate of 62%. Imperial had 890 students respond to the survey, a response rate of 51%.  This compares to a sector response rate of 66%, and Imperial response rate of 56% in 2008.

Graph 1 (below) shows the percentage of students answering "mostly agree" or "definitely agree" to the questions in each of the categories.  Imperial's results are compared to average results for the Russell Group and the Sector.  These results have been aggregated up to question category level.

Graph 2 (below) shows, for each College subject, the percentage of students answering "mostly agree" or "definitely agree" to NSS Q22, "Overall I am satisfied with the quality of my course."  Imperial's results are compared to the Russell Group and Sector averages.  Imperial has a higher level of satisfaction than both Russell Group and Sector averages in five subjects, and a lower level than both in seven subjects.  The College has a higher level than the Sector but lower than the Russell Group average in two subjects, and a higher level than the Russell Group Average but a lower level than the Sector in one subject.

Table 1 (below) shows the percentage of students for the College in 2009 and in 2008 answering "mostly agree" or "definitely agree" to each of the 22 NSS questions, compared to the Sector Average and Russell Group Average (RGA) in 2009.  The College has higher percentage levels of satisfaction in 2009 than in 2008 for 15 of the 22 NSS questions, and the same percentage level of satisfaction in 2009 as in 2008 for 5 of the 22 NSS questions.  The College has lower percentage levels of satisfaction in 2009 than in 2008 for two of the 22 NSS questions.

NSS questionImperial 2009 % SatisfiedImperial 2008 % SatisfiedSector 2009 % SatisfiedRussell Group 2009 % satisfied
 1. Staff are good at explaining things  85  84  87  89
 2. Staff have made the subject interesting  75  71  79  81
 3. Staff are enthusiastic about what they are teaching  80  78  83  86
 4. The course is intellectually stimulating  87  87  83  88
 5. The criteria used in marking have been clear in advance  58  58  70  64
 6. Assessment arrangements and marking have been fair  72  69  73  72
 7. Feedback on my work has been prompt  45  43  58  54
 8. I have received detailed comments on my work  42  37  63  52
 9. Feedback on my work has helped me clarify things I did not understand  46  40  57  50
 10. I have received sufficient advice and support with my studies  63  62  72  71
 11. I have been able to contact staff when I needed to  81  77  81  85
 12. Good advice was available when I needed to make study choices  66  65  69  67
 13. The timetable works efficiently as far as my activities are concerned  77  77  77  81
 14. Any changes in the course or teaching have been communicated effectively  76  79  70  76
 15. The course is well organised and is running smoothly  79  78  70  77
 16. The library resources and services are good enough for my needs  94  85  81  86
 17. I have been able to access general IT resources when I needed to  92  90  85  89
 18. I have been able to access specialised equipment, facilities or rooms when I needed to  83  80  76  80
 19. The course has helped me present myself with confidence  75  76  78  76
 20. My communication skills have improved  80  82  81  80
 21. As a result of the course, I feel confident in tackling unfamiliar problems  81  81  78  78
 22. Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of the course  85  85  82  85
Table 1: NSS 2009 Percentage levels of Satisfaction by Question for the College (2009 and 2008), the UK Sector Average (2009) and the Russell Group Average (2009).
Table 1: NSS 2011 Percentage Satisfaction by Question for the College (2010 and 2011), the UK Sector Average (2011) and the difference in percentage satisfaction between Imperial and the Sector Average (2011).