From: Sandy Welsh, Vice-Provost, Students
Joshua Barker, Dean, School of Graduate Studies and Vice-Provost, Graduate Research and Education
Date: January 21, 2026
Re: National Survey of Student Engagement and Graduate Student Experience in the Research University Survey 2026 (PDAD&C #23)

In the coming weeks, the University of Toronto will be participating in two major surveys: National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and Graduate Student Experience in the Research University (gradSERU). We are writing to request your cooperation in ensuring we secure the highest response rates possible for these important institutional surveys. 

National Survey of Student Engagement is a survey that measures the quality of undergraduate education. The survey captures important information such as in-class experiences, working with classmates, interacting with faculty and budgeting time. The survey also includes a set of questions about experiences with academic advising. The results of the survey are used to identify the strengths of U of T education and identify priorities for change. This is the ninth time U of T has participated in NSSE. The institutional dashboard from our 2023 administration of the survey can be found here.

NSSE is scheduled to launch on Monday, February 23, 2026 and will close by Monday, May 11, 2026. Participating students are eligible for one of 30 $100 gift cards (TBucks, UberEats, or SkipTheDishes). The division with the highest participation rate will receive $2,000 to put towards undergraduate student activities of their choice. To help increase participation, we have also put together some promotional materials that units can use in your communications with students.

GradSERU is a survey for graduate students that gives them the opportunity to tell us about what’s working well, and not so well, from admissions, financial support, and supervision, to their research and teaching experience, program climate and awareness of university resources. The results of this comprehensive study inform the development of programs, curricula, research opportunities, and student services, while also providing a great way to track our progress over time. See the 2023 results through the SGS dashboards.

GradSERU will run for all graduate students from March 10 to May 5, 2026. Graduate students who complete the survey will be entered into a draw to win one of 30 $100 VISA gift cards. The division with the highest participation rate will receive a $2,000 incentive to put towards graduate student activities of their choice.  Promotional resources from SGS will be shared with graduate units at a later date.

Survey fatigue can significantly and negatively affect response rates. For this reason, we ask that you refrain from conducting surveys of undergraduate and graduate students during this period as much as possible. Please encourage your students to take part in these important surveys and help us improve the student experience at the University of Toronto.

If you have any questions about the NSSE survey, please contact David Newman, Executive Director, Student Experience at david.newman@utoronto.ca.

For questions regarding gradSERU, please contact Brian Desrosiers-Tam, Assistant Dean, School of Graduate Studies at brian.desrosierstam@utoronto.ca.

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.