Why Student and Alumni Engagement Matters

Student engagement represents both the time and effort students invest in educationally purposeful activities and how effectively institutional resources facilitate their participation in experiences that matter to learning and development. Understanding how students experience UNT and how alumni reflect on that experience years later provides critical insights into whether we're delivering on our commitment to guide grit to greatness and prepare students for lives of meaning and purpose.

These measures reveal whether students feel connected to the university, supported in their development, and prepared for success beyond graduation. When students receive guidance at critical decision points like choosing a major or planning for post-graduation, they are better positioned to achieve their goals. By tracking satisfaction and engagement throughout students' time at UNT and into their alumni years, we can identify where our efforts are working and where we need to strengthen support, teaching practices, and opportunities for meaningful connection.

Unpacking the Data: Student and Alumni Satisfaction at UNT

UNT participates in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) for undergraduates, assessing student experiences across key areas: Academic Challenge, Learning with Peers, Experiences with Faculty, and Campus Environment. Recent results show that UNT students demonstrate strong engagement in collaborative learning and discussions with others. Overall, 80% of first-year students and 82% of seniors rate their educational experience as "excellent" or "good," though opportunities remain to enhance academic challenge and quality of interactions with administrative services.

The Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) survey provides insights into graduate students' experiences with research training, professional development, advisor relationships, and career preparation. Recent data show graduate students report high overall program satisfaction (87%) and strong confidence in their research and teaching competencies, with 84% feeling competent to extremely competent in research and 85% in teaching. Students also feel well-prepared across professional development areas, including specialized content knowledge (82%), communication (79%), and leadership (79%). However, graduate students identified opportunities to improve funding transparency, stipend adequacy, and career preparation for non-academic pathways.

In 2024, UNT administered the Alumni VOICE survey for the first time, establishing baseline data on how alumni perceive their UNT experience. More than 2,000 alumni responded across all graduation years. Results reveal that alumni view UNT as transformational, reporting the university played a significant role in their personal growth (mean score of 4.13 on a 5-point scale) and perceiving UNT degrees as high quality (3.78). Alumni expressed strong interest in opportunities to mentor current students, expand their professional networks, and access continuing education, which will guide future alumni engagement strategies and help us track long-term student success.

Strategic Priorities to Enhance Student and Alumni Engagement

Student satisfaction provides a foundation for understanding the broader dimensions of engagement. UNT will build on these satisfaction metrics by implementing evidence- and research-based practices that deepen student connections and track outcomes over time. Learn more about UNT’s student assessment efforts to cultivate data-driven practices.

  • Create integrated support for student success by strengthening education-to-career coaching and advising across the university, equipping faculty, staff, and advisors to provide personalized guidance aligned with students' interests and goals, timely information about career opportunities and outcomes, and ongoing support to help students develop plans and overcome barriers as they navigate their path to graduation and beyond. Learn more about student success initiatives at UNT.
  • Expand transformative learning experiences by increasing student participation in internships, research opportunities, study abroad, service-learning, and other high-impact practices that build the skills, connections, and confidence students need for meaningful careers, with embedded coaching support to help students integrate these experiences into their career planning.
  • Enhance quality of interactions by strengthening customer service across all student-facing operations, establishing service excellence standards, enhancing staff training, and improving responsiveness in interactions with administrative offices, ensuring every touchpoint reflects UNT's commitment to student success.
  • Build robust alumni mentorship and career networks to facilitate meaningful connections between alumni and current students through mentoring programs, networking events, and career development opportunities that extend the coaching and guidance students receive throughout their time at UNT and support their professional growth and strengthen lifelong engagement with UNT. Connect with the UNT Alumni Association.
  • Establish comprehensive alumni engagement tracking by building on the Alumni VOICE survey to create ongoing systems for understanding alumni outcomes, satisfaction, and engagement, using these insights to continuously improve the student experience and demonstrate the long-term value of a UNT education.

Methodology Notes

  • Student satisfaction is measured using data from the NSSE for undergraduate students and from the SERU survey for graduate students.
  • The NSSE survey is administered every 3 years, most recently in 2024. The SERU survey was most recently conducted in Spring 2025 with graduate students and will be followed by undergraduates in Spring 2026.
  • For undergraduate students, responses to the NSSE question "Please rate your overall experience at your institution" are collected, and the proportion of "excellent" and "good" responses are aggregated and presented above. In the future, we will disaggregate data to investigate low ratings for potential areas for intervention or deeper conversations.
  • For graduate students responding to the SERU survey, a range of questions is presented covering overall satisfaction, instruction, advising, and more.
  • Selected peers on NSSE survey results included southwest public institutions (2013), Texas public institutions 10k students or more (2016), emerging research peers (2019), and NRUF Texas peers (2021, 2024).
  • Alumni VOICE Survey was administered for the first time in 2024 to UNT alumni across all graduation years. The survey measures alumni perceptions of their UNT experience, current engagement with the institution, and preferences for future communications and involvement.