Research & Insight

(Previously the Annual Student Survey)

Every year, we ask about your experiences with all things KSU - from societies and sports clubs, to events, elections, and advice. This allows us to better understand the diverse experiences of our 19,000 membership. This is important because:

• It means we can better tailor our services to your needs.

• It means we (Student Officers and Academic Reps) can better represent your academic interests. 

Our 2024/25 Survey had over 1,000 responses - which is a massive improvement from last year! Thank you to all of you who got involved, and congrats to the lucky students who won cash prizes. 

We have gone away and done a load of analysis of these responses, which you can read in our Annual Student Survey Report.

We will now be working to ensure all Student Leaders have access to these findings so they can make change that matters to you.

If you're interested in being one of these Student Leaders, let us know by filling out this form. The deadline to become a Course Rep is xx/xx/xx

And then, in Spring 2026, we'll be conducting the next Kingston, Have Your Say! Survey - so stay tuned. 

(Previously Speak Week)

Since 2024, each term we go out to all campuses to ask your opinions on one or two things that matter to you. 

From 2025/26, findings from Kingston, Have Your Say! Weeks will be brough to Student Council, where leading student representatives will decide on how to follow up on your feedback.

You can find out what we learnt from Speak Week 2024 or Speak Week 2025 by clicking the links.

Every year, here at KSU we run a dedicated research project to better understand and improve an aspect of student life here at Kingston. 

In 2023, we were acutely aware that rising costs and ever-squeezed finances were impacting students. As your Union, we are here to help! 

So, we conducted a research project to better understand how your lives and experiences continue to be impacted by the rising cost-of-living. We carried out:

• Desktop research.
• Consultation with over 250 students - a survey, multiple focus groups, and in-person engagements across all campuses.
• Conversations with Uni staff, discussing themes that emerged from studnet consultations.

We brought all of this research together into one CoL Report, which included a set of actionable recommendations fo both us and the Uni to help you with the rising cost-of-living.

Our Research Project in 2024/25 focused on the experiences of Black students here at Kingston. We know that there is a significant awarding gap* between Black students and other students, and resolving this is a key priority for us and for the Uni.

So, with the support of our 24/25 Student Officer team (and a student staff member), we conducted a survey and focus groups to better understand the diverse experiences at Uni that can impact what grade you end up getting. 

From there, in consultation with Black students, we developed a set of recommendations for both us and the Uni to improve Black student experiences at Kingston. 

This is all available to read within our BSEP Report, published Summer 2025.

*In 2021-22, there was a 25.4 percentage points awarding gap between Black and White students at Kingston University. This means that 81.2% of White students were awarded a first or upper second class degree, and 55.8% of Black students were awarded degrees in the same class. This degree awarding gap is not exclusive to Kingston University, it is a widespread issue in higher education.

We will be conducting another research project for 2025/26, and your Student Officers are currently figuring out the most impactful theme for us to work on!