Student Survey

The student experience survey is designed to help us understand what it’s like to be a student at St Cross. Your feedback is crucial in shaping improvements that enhance academic, social, and overall student life at the College.  

When students feel engaged and supported, they have a more positive university experience. An engaged student:  

• Feels a sense of belonging at the College  

• Values the academic and social opportunities available  

• Would recommend St Cross to others  

• Feels their voice is heard in shaping the student experience  

By taking part, you help us identify what’s working well and where we can improve, ensuring that St Cross continues to be a thriving, supportive, and inclusive environment for all.  

The best way to improve the student experience is by listening to students themselves. This survey allows you to share your views on College life—what you appreciate and what could be better. The results will guide decisions on how we can enhance facilities, events, welfare support, and other aspects of student life at St Cross.

You will be emailed the survey directly to your student email address during week –1 of Trinity term. This will be a link completely unique to you, so we ask that you do not share it with anyone else.   

The survey will close on Monday of week 3. It will not be possible to complete or amend your survey entry after this date.  

Yes! While participation is entirely optional, we strongly encourage you to take part. Your feedback will directly influence positive changes at St Cross, feeding into several College committees and being carefully considered by Staff, Fellows and Student Representatives.

The survey should take around 10-15 minutes to complete. It includes multiple-choice questions as well as space for you to provide written comments on any key issues you’d like to raise.

Yes. Survey responses are fully anonymised by the JISC Online Surveys software, meaning your individual answers are never visible. The Academic Office can see who has completed the survey for the purposes of sending reminders and arranging the free lunch incentive, but respondent data remains separate from the anonymised response data ensuring that your identity remains confidential.  
This means that you can be completely honest with your responses without them being tracked back to you personally. The College administers the Student Experience Survey according to strict confidentiality policies and takes this very seriously.  

We do encourage you to answer the survey as honestly and openly as possible to be able to make the most effective improvement actions, with the awareness that you are comfortable in the idea that all answers are aggregated.  

All personal responses are confidential. To help us better understand the student experience, results may be grouped by categories such as course type or length of study – to help us better understand where we need to take action. However, no reports will be generated for groups with fewer than five respondents, ensuring anonymity. All responses will be included in overall results, so every voice is heard. 

Survey results are broken down by key student demographics to help us focus on areas needing improvement. However, as stated above to protect anonymity, we will only consider grouped data for categories with at least five respondents.

If you choose to provide written feedback, your comments will be visible to College staff and may be included in reports considered at College committees. While your name will not be attached, please avoid including any personal details if you wish to remain anonymous.  

Absolutely! This survey is one of the key ways we gather student input to drive meaningful change. Sharing your thoughts will help drive real change, and your thoughts are unique – we want to hear from everyone. Your responses will directly inform decisions on student support, facilities, and activities at St Cross. 

Yes. The survey follows web accessibility best practices and is compatible with most screen readers. For further information please consult the JISC Online Surveys Accessibility statement. If you encounter any accessibility issues, please contact the Academic Office for alternative ways to complete the survey.  

The security of your information is important to us. All responses are handled in accordance with GDPR and data protection policies. The Academic Office securely processes and stores survey data, ensuring confidentiality. You can read the University’s Student privacy policy here. 

To thank you for your time, we are offering two incentives:  

• A free meal at St Cross: Once you complete the survey, you will receive a free lunch in our dining hall as a small token of our appreciation, available from the Monday after you submit your response.  To claim your two-course lunch (soup & main or main & dessert) give your name at the main till and ask for a ‘Student Survey lunch’. 

• All survey respondents will also enter a prize draw to win a pair of tickets to the College’s Summer Soiree at the end of Trinity term