Spring 2026 Student Satisfaction Survey

Introduction

The Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI) is an online survey developed by Ruffalo Noel-Levitz that asks students to rate several campus-related items in terms of both importance and satisfaction.  Individual survey items are rolled up into the following survey scales:

• Academic Advising/Counseling
• Academic Services
• Admissions and Financial Aid
• Campus Climate
• Campus Support Services
• Concern for the individual
• Instructional Effectiveness
• Registration Effectiveness
• Responsiveness to Diverse Populations
• Safety and Security
• Service Excellence
• Student Centeredness

From the survey results, institutions can identify areas where they are, and are not, meeting student expectations.  The results may be used to guide strategic action planning, strengthen student retention initiatives, and chart progress toward campus goals.

The Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI) was last administered at Lake Superior College during the Spring of 2024.  The Priorities Survey of Online Learners (PSOL) was administered during the Spring of 2025.

Methodology

The Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI) was administered from March 16 through April 24, 2026, to LSC’s Spring 2026 “core” student population, excluding students enrolled in customized training, continuing education, and College in the Schools (CITS) courses. Of the 3,206 students eligible to participate, 242 completed the survey, resulting in a response rate of 7.5%. To encourage participation, students were offered the opportunity to enter a drawing for one of eight $20 IceHawk Café credits. While the response rate remains below the desired level, it represents a modest improvement over the most recent student satisfaction survey, the Priorities Survey for Online Learners (PSOL), administered in Spring 2025, which achieved a response rate of 5.9%.

The Spring 2026 SSI was administered directly by Ruffalo Noel-Levitz, with students self-selecting their program/major by name. Most of the survey items, including ten campus-specific items, were rated by respondents for both importance and satisfaction based on the following Likert scale:

1 – Not Important at all / Not Satisfied at all
2 – Not Very Important / Not Very Satisfied
3 – Somewhat Unimportant / Somewhat Dissatisfied
4 – Neutral
5 – Somewhat Important / Somewhat Satisfied
6 – Important / Satisfied
7 – Very Important / Very Satisfied

The performance gap is the importance score minus the satisfaction score.  The smaller the performance gap, the better LSC is doing at meeting student expectations.  Survey items with a large performance gap score suggest areas for potential improvement.

Results

Demographics

Student responses to the standard demographic items are presented in Table 1.   In addition, LSC administrators included two custom demographic items within the survey, and responses to those items are presented in Table 2.

Table 1.  Standard demographic items for survey respondents (N = 242)

Gender

• Male: 22%
• Female: 69%
• Other: 3%
• Prefer not to respond: 1%
• No Response: 5%

Race/Ethnicity

• Students of Color: 20%
• White: 77%
• Prefer not to respond: 2%
• No Response: 1%

Residence Classification

• International (not U.S. citizen): 3%
• Out-of-state: 12%
• In-state: 82%
• No response: 3%

Age

• Traditional (<=24): 52%
• Non-Traditional (> 24): 43%
• No response: 5%

Class Load

• Full-time: 65%
• Part-time: 33%
• No response: 2%

Employment

• Full-time: 19%
• Part-time: 64%
• Not employed: 14%
• No response: 3%

Educational Goal

• Certification or Vocational/Technical program: 12%
• Associate degree: 65%
• Transfer to another instiution: 12%
• Other: 11%

Current Residence

• Rent room or apartment off campus: 37%
• Own house: 23%
• Parent’s home: 28%
• Other: 12%

Enrollment Status

• Day: 90%
• Evening: 7%
• Weekend: 1%
• No response: 2%

Disabilities

• Yes: 16%
• No: 81%
• No response: 3%

Table 2.  LSC Custom Demographic Items (N =239)

I’m enrolled in online classes because:

I attend elsewhere but needed a class	3%
I’m choosing online due to the pandemic	>1%
My class(es) was ONLY available online	31%
I prefer taking classes online	21%
I’m not taking any online classes	45%

I’m enrolled at LSC and intend to:

Transfer before finishing my program	3%
I’m just taking some classes	5%
Complete transfer program, then transfer	10%
Graduate, then enroll in another program	14%
Graduate from my chosen career program	69%

Institutional Strengths: Survey Items

Ruffalo Noel-Levitz defines Strengths as items rated with high importance and high satisfaction. These are specifically identified as items above the mid-point in importance (top half) and in the upper quartile (25%) of the satisfaction scores (Table 3).

Table 3.  Institutional Strengths in Order of Importance

• Nearly all of the faculty are knowledgeable in their fields.
• The campus is safe and secure for all students.
• I am able to experience intellectual growth here.
• Campus item: Important materials (such as the syllabus, assignments, grades, etc.) for each of my courses are readily available online.
• Campus item: The campus classrooms, restrooms, and common areas are clean.
• Campus item: The tutors in the Tutoring and Learning Center are helpful and approachable.
• There are convenient ways of paying my school bill.
• There is a good variety of courses provided on this campus.
• Counseling staff care about students as individuals.
• Tutoring services are readily available.
• Students are made to feel welcome on this campus.
• On the whole, the campus is well-maintained.
• Admissions staff are knowledgeable.
• The campus staff are caring and helpful.*

* Higher Satisfaction vs National Community Colleges

For the strengths identified in the 2026 administration, LSC satisfaction scores exceeded those of the National Community Colleges comparison group on 6 of the 11 non-campus-defined items. By comparison, for the strengths in 2022, all LSC satisfaction scores for non-campus-defined items were higher than those of the National Community Colleges comparison group, with all differences statistically significant at the 0.001 level. In 2024, all but two items had higher satisfaction scores than the comparison group, and three of those differences were statistically significant at the 0.05 level. In 2026, one item showed a statistically significant difference at the 0.05 level. Overall, these results indicate that LSC’s identified strengths in 2026 remain generally comparable to those of the 2022-2025 National Community Colleges comparison group, although the magnitude of the differences has decreased since the 2022 administration.

In addition to the strengths above, the following item are associated with the highest satisfaction scores and/or lowest performance gap scores:

• This institution has a good reputation within the community.
• Bookstore staff are helpful.
• There are a sufficient number of study areas on campus.
• Library staff are helpful and approachable.

Institutional Challenges – Survey Items

Challenges are defined as items rated with high importance and either low satisfaction or a large performance gap. These are specifically identified as items above the mid-point in importance (top half) and either in the lower quartile (25%) of the satisfaction scores or in the upper quartile (25%) of the performance gap scores (Table 4).

Table 4.  Institutional Challenges in Order of Importance

• The quality of instruction I receive in most of my classes is excellent.
• My academic advisor is knowledgeable about the transfer requirements of other schools.
• Computers and/or Wi-Fi are adequate and accessible. *
• The quality of instruction in the vocational/technical programs is excellent.
• Internships or practical experiences are provided in my degree/certificate program.
• Faculty are fair and unbiased in their treatment of individual students. *
• Adequate financial aid is available for most students.*
• Campus item: It is easy to find scholarship information (deadlines, availability, etc.).
• Faculty provide timely feedback about student progress in a course. *
• The equipment in the lab facilities is kept up to date. *
• Financial aid counselors are helpful.
• My academic advisor is knowledgeable about the transfer requirements of other schools.
• The amount of student parking space on campus is adequate. *

*Lower Satisfaction vs National Community Colleges

In addition to the challenges above, the following items are associated with the lowest satisfaction scores and/or highest performance gap scores:

• Child care facilities are available on campus.
• This campus provides effective support services for single parents.
• Channels for expressing student complaints are readily available.
• My academic advisor helps me set goals to work toward.

LSC-Defined Survey Items

As noted previously, ten LSC custom items were included in the survey. Table 5 provides the Importance, Satisfaction, and Gap scores for each of those items, in order of importance.

Table 5.  Ten LSC Custom Survey Items

Lack of adequate food services and difficulty locating scholarship information continue to be areas of concern for students, as reflected by their relatively low satisfaction scores and high-performance gap scores. These same issues were also identified as concerns in the 2022 and 2024 administrations of the SSI. However, the performance gaps for both items narrowed in 2026 compared to 2024, indicating some improvement in students’ perceptions. In contrast, three of the LSC custom items were identified as campus strengths, as shown in the table above.

The three items highlighted in Table 5 were also strengths in the 2022 and 2024 administration of the SSI.  Two of the items, the mean satisfaction score decreased in 2026, one of the items satisfaction scores increased. In addition, the performance gap score associated with each item decreased in 2026 compared to 2024.

To put Table 5 figures into context, please refer to the survey item response options below.  The overall response ranges and mean scores (based on all survey items) for the three metrics are also provided:

Response Options

1 – Not Important at all / Not Satisfied at all
2 – Not Very Important / Not Very Satisfied
3 – Somewhat Unimportant / Somewhat Dissatisfied
4 – Neutral
5 – Somewhat Important / Somewhat Satisfied
6 – Important / Satisfied
7 – Very Important / Very Satisfied

Overall Ranges and Means

Importance: Range: 3.75 to 6.66; mean = 6.26

Satisfaction: Range: 4.14 to 6.48; mean = 5.99

Gap score: Range: -0.18 to 1.12 mean = 0.35

Results suggest that we meet student expectations with respect to most of the LSC custom items (Table 5). Most have satisfaction values well above the mean (5.99) and/or gap scores well below the mean (0.35). Furthermore, four of the items are among our campus Strengths.

Survey Scales

As noted in the Introduction, the individual survey items are rolled up into several survey scales.  The overall importance, satisfaction, and performance gap scores for each are provided in Table 6, both for LSC and the National Community Colleges comparison group.

Table 6.  Survey scales for LSC and 2022-2025 National Community Colleges comparison group, with mean importance, satisfaction, and performance gap scores.

*Statistically significant at p < .001

Of the 12 survey scales, Responsiveness to Diverse Populations had the highest satisfaction score, while Service Excellence demonstrated the smallest performance gap. In 2022, LSC reported higher satisfaction scores than the National Community Colleges comparison group across all 12 scales. By 2024, satisfaction scores on 4 scales fell below those of the comparison group, and in 2026, scores on 9 scales were lower. The largest negative difference between LSC and the National Community Colleges comparison group was observed on the Safety and Security scale in both 2024 and 2026, with these differences reaching statistical significance at the 0.001 level. These findings suggest a narrowing of LSC’s advantage relative to the comparison group over time.

Bottom Line Indicators

Overall, how satisfied are our students compared with students nationally?

How likely are our students to enroll again if they had it to do over?

Appendix – SSI Survey Items

1. Most students feel a sense of belonging here.
2. Faculty care about me as an individual.
3. The quality of instruction in the vocational/technical programs is excellent.
4. Security staff are helpful.
5. The personnel involved in registration are helpful.
6. My academic advisor is approachable.
7. Adequate financial aid is available for most students.
8. Classes are scheduled at times that are convenient for me.
9. Internships or practical experiences are provided in my degree/certificate program.
10. Child care facilities are available on campus.
11. Security staff respond quickly in emergencies.
12. My academic advisor helps me set goals to work toward.
13. Financial aid awards are announced to students in time to be helpful in college planning.
14. Library resources and services are adequate.
15. I am able to register for classes I need with few conflicts.
16. The college shows concern for students as individuals.
17. Personnel in the Veterans’ Services program are helpful.
18. The quality of instruction I receive in most of my classes is excellent.
19. This campus provides effective support services for single parents.
20. Financial aid counselors are helpful.
21. There are a sufficient number of study areas on campus.
22. People on this campus respect and are supportive of each other.
23. Faculty are understanding of students’ unique life circumstances.
24. Parking lots are well-lighted and secure.
25. My academic advisor is concerned about my success as an individual.
26. Library staff are helpful and approachable.
27. The campus staff are caring and helpful.
28. It is an enjoyable experience to be a student on this campus.
29. Faculty are fair and unbiased in their treatment of individual students.
30. The career services office provides students with the help they need to get a job.
31. The campus is safe and secure for all students.
32. My academic advisor is knowledgeable about my program requirements.
33. Admissions counselors accurately portray the campus in their recruiting practices.
34. Computers and/or Wi-Fi are adequate and accessible.
35. Policies and procedures regarding registration and course selection are clear and well-publicized.
36. Students are made to feel welcome on this campus.
37. Faculty take into consideration student differences as they teach a course.
38. The student center is a comfortable place for students to spend their leisure time.
39. The amount of student parking space on campus is adequate.
40. My academic advisor is knowledgeable about the transfer requirements of other schools.
41. Admissions staff are knowledgeable.
42. The equipment in the lab facilities is kept up to date.
43. Class change (drop/add) policies are reasonable.
44. I generally know what’s happening on campus.
45. This institution has a good reputation within the community.
46. Faculty provide timely feedback about student progress in a course.
47. There are adequate services to help me decide upon a career.
48. Counseling staff care about students as individuals.
49. Admissions counselors respond to prospective students’ unique needs and requests.
50. Tutoring services are readily available.
51. There are convenient ways of paying my school bill.
52. This school does whatever it can to help me reach my educational goals.
53. The assessment and course placement procedures are reasonable.
54. Faculty are interested in my academic problems.
55. Academic support services adequately meet the needs of students.
56. The business office is open during hours which are convenient for most students.
57. Administrators are approachable to students.
58. Nearly all of the faculty are knowledgeable in their fields.
59. New student orientation services help students adjust to college.
60. Billing policies are reasonable.
61. Faculty are usually available after class and during office hours.
62. Bookstore staff are helpful.
63. I seldom get the “run-around” when seeking information on this campus.
64. Nearly all classes deal with practical experiences and applications.
65. Students are notified early in the term if they are doing poorly in a class.
66. Program requirements are clear and reasonable.
67. Channels for expressing student complaints are readily available.
68. On the whole, the campus is well-maintained.
69. There is a good variety of courses provided on this campus.
70. I am able to experience intellectual growth here.
71. Campus item: Adequate tech support is available for students having trouble with their online accounts.
72. Campus item: I can usually find what I am looking for on the LSC website.
73. Campus item: The tutors in the Tutoring and Learning Center are helpful and approachable.
74. Campus item: Important materials (such as the syllabus, assignments, grades, etc.) for each of my courses are readily available online.
75. Campus item: It is easy to find scholarship information (deadlines, availability, etc.).
76. Campus item: There are adequate food services on campus (selection, hours of service, cost, etc.).
77. Campus item: Student Services, Library, Technology Help Desk, LSC Store, Payment Office, etc. have adequate hours to meet my needs.
78. Campus item: The campus classrooms, restrooms, and common areas are clean.
79. Campus item: There are valuable opportunities for students to connect with each other.
80. Campus item: The campus pursues efforts to make it more inclusive and equitable.
81. Institution’s commitment to part-time students?
82. Institution’s commitment to evening students?
83. Institution’s commitment to older, returning learners?
84. Institution’s commitment to under-represented populations?
85. Institution’s commitment to commuters?
86. Institution’s commitment to students with disabilities?
87. Cost as factor in decision to enroll.
88. Financial aid as factor in decision to enroll.
89. Academic reputation as factor in decision to enroll.
90. Size of institution as factor in decision to enroll.
91. Opportunity to play sports as factor in decision to enroll.
92. Recommendations from family/friends as factor in decision to enroll.
93. Geographic setting as factor in decision to enroll.
94. Campus appearance as factor in decision to enroll.
95. Personalized attention prior to enrollment as factor in decision to enroll