Student survey policy and register

Student Survey Policy

The University’s Student Survey Policy governs surveying of the student population at the University of Auckland.

All large-scale surveys of students, whether as part of institutional or academic research, must be approved by the Pro Vice-Chancellor Education. This allows the management of survey timeframes and increases understanding of the purposes and outcomes of collecting information from students.   

The approval requirement also protects the University's core institutional surveys of students:

  • SET Course and Teaching Evaluations: Last 2 teaching weeks of each term
  • Learning and Teaching Survey (annual: September - October)
  • New Students Survey (annual: March (week 3 or 4 of semester))
  • Graduate Destination Survey (annual: November)
  • International Student Barometer (every two years)
  • Doctoral Exit Survey: (ad hoc - on submission of dissertation)

Link to the Student Survey Policy 

I want to survey students - what do I need to know?

  • All surveys for the purpose of academic research require ethics approval from the University of Auckland Human Participants Ethics Committee 
  • Large-scale surveys of students for institutional research purposes must apply for approval from the Pro Vice-Chancellor Education
  • Exemptions to the requirement for approval include: small-scale surveys; service feedback surveys; and the AUSA Survey on the Student Services Levy and other small scale surveys conducted by AUSA

Survey sponsors wishing to conduct surveys of University of Auckland students should fill in and submit the Student Survey Proposal form.  The proposal will be assessed by the Academic Quality Office and approved by the Pro Vice Chancellor Education, if suitable. 

Link to Student Survey Proposal Form

Planning a survey of students?

If you are applying to survey University of Auckland students, please consult the Student Survey Calendar to consider the best timeframe for your survey, as well as whether the information you need may have been obtained already in another survey.  You may contact the survey administrator listed on the Student Survey Register.

Student Survey Calendar

Survey Administrator Sample type Date(s) in 2025
New Student Survey Campus Life Census: all new first-year undergraduate students March (tbc)
International
Student Barometer		 International
Office		 Census:
all currently enrolled international students 		 May-June (tbc)
Follow-up
Survey Summer Start		 Cheryl Martin Census:
all Summer Start participants		 March
Survey
on Compulsory Student Services Fee		 Campus Life Census:
all students		 August (tbc)
Student
Disability Services service feedback survey		 Student Disability Services Census:
all students who self-declared a disability, and students with disabilities who have registered with Student Disability Services		 26/8/2025-
6/9/2025
Learning
and Teaching Survey 		 Academic Quality Office Census
of all undergraduate and coursework postgraduate students
August-Sept (tbc)
Research on Academic Integrity in New Zealand (RAINZ) Jason Stephens Large sample of students Sept-Oct (tbc)
Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students Faculty of Business and Economics Census: all enrolled students November (tbc)
NZ
Students Annual Wellness Study

Faculty of Law

 - tbc
Graduate
Destination Survey		 Planning and Information Office Census Oct-Nov (tbc)
Doctoral
Exit Survey		 School of Graduate Studies Sample:
completing doctoral students		 Variable -
ad hoc survey upon completion
Summative
Evaluation of Teaching		 Academic Quality Office Census:
all enrolled students in courses		 Variable -
at the conclusion of teaching period for each course
Clinical
Students Wellbeing Survey		 Schools
of Optometry, Pharmacy, Medicine		 Census Variable -
ad hoc survey upon completion
Doctoral
Confirmation Survey

School of Graduate Studies

 Census:
Doctoral candidates, at the time they are awarded a status of confirmed.		 to be confirmed

Questions?

If you have any questions about surveying students at the University of Auckland, please contact quality@auckland.ac.nz