Policy on Student Surveys

Approval for internal student surveys that form part of an externally funded research project should be sought before the funding bid is submitted. Surveys that form part of either an undergraduate or postgraduate project should also be approved before the project is initiated. For surveys that will only involve students from within one School or College, permission for the survey should be obtained from the relevant Head of College. For surveys that will involve a broader cross-section of the student population, permission should be sought from the Clerk of Senate who will make the decision whether or not to grant permission in consultation with the President of the Students Representative Council. Approvals of this type should be sought prior to submission of the project for ethics approval.

All requests from external organisations to survey any group of students of the University should be referred to the Clerk of Senate who will make the decision whether or not to grant permission in consultation with the President of the Students Representative Council.

Note: “University Supported” projects (such as NSS), that include a student survey element, are exempt from this policy as appropriate mechanisms are already in place for their approval.  If there is any doubt whether a project is “University Supported”, the matter should be referred to the Vice-Principal (Learning & Teaching) for decision.