How language surveys can shape a multilingual university

Universities hold a wealth of institutional data about their students yet know far less about the rich linguistic repertoires they bring with them. Institutional data cannot capture the languages, language varieties and dialects that shape people’s identities, learning experiences and sense of belonging. If universities are serious about creating inclusive learning environments, they need to understand and value linguistic diversity. 

At my university, our biennial language survey has become a mechanism for listening to our community, informing decision-making and ensuring that student voices lead to meaningful action.

Listening to our community

In 2024, our Multilingual University Steering Group developed a university-wide language survey to better understand linguistic diversity and ensure decisions were informed by evidence rather than assumptions. Conducted every two years, the voluntary survey is open to students and colleagues across the university. It consists of 16 questions, distributed via Jisc, combining quantitative and qualitative responses. 

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It explores not only which languages, language varieties and dialects are represented, but also how these linguistic repertoires became part of people’s lives, how they are used and the value people attach to them. The survey is promoted through Blackboard, the Student Hub, campus events and QR-coded posters.

Rather than asking participants to identify a “first or “native” language, the survey begins by asking: “Which languages, dialects, accents or other language varieties are or have been part of your life?” Participants then identify Language A, the language they consider most important to them. This approach recognises that linguistic identities are dynamic and allows participants to define their own linguistic repertoires rather than fitting into predetermined categories.

The survey has revealed a level of linguistic diversity that registration data alone cannot capture. In 2024, 627 participants identified 133 languages and 61 language varieties. Although participation in 2026 was lower, 304 respondents still identified 102 languages. These findings demonstrate the breadth of linguistic diversity across the institution and raise an important question: what more might we discover if every member of the university participated?

Numbers alone tell only part of the story. Follow-up focus groups with 84 undergraduate and postgraduate students explored everyday language practices and experiences. Students described using their linguistic repertoires with family, friends and colleagues, as well as to translate readings, make notes and develop ideas. 

Many also viewed English as the shared language of teaching and learning. As one student explained, “We are unified through our use of English. It is one thing we all have in common and it is therefore more inclusive to use English.”

Perhaps the most significant finding was that students consistently linked the visibility of different languages across campus with a stronger sense of belonging. For them, seeing their languages represented signalled recognition, inclusion and respect for their linguistic identities.

From evidence to action

One of the first initiatives to emerge from these findings was the Multilingual Walls project. Working with an external graphic designer and our estates team, we developed multilingual wall vinyls featuring words and phrases drawn directly from the languages identified in the survey. Displayed across reception areas, classrooms and corridors, the installation includes Welcome, Hello, It all starts here and #WeAreWestminster. The aim was to make our linguistic diversity visible and demonstrate that multilingualism is a defining characteristic of our institutional identity.

Feedback from students and colleagues was positive. Many commented that the displays reflected the multilingual nature of the university and helped them feel represented. Others suggested extending the initiative across additional campuses. Some also challenged us to think beyond symbolic representation, prompting us to consider how multilingualism could be embedded more systematically across the institution.

Building on the findings of the 2026 survey, the Multilingual University Steering Group developed our first university-wide language policy, which is currently under consultation. The survey prompted an important shift in our thinking, from viewing multilingualism primarily as a student support issue to recognising it as an institutional responsibility.

The policy positions multilingualism as an institutional asset and embeds it across teaching and learning, student support, community and belonging, equality, diversity and inclusion, research and graduate employability, providing a framework for integrating linguistic diversity into everyday university life.

Rather than treating the survey as a one-off exercise, we use it as the starting point for an ongoing cycle of evidence-informed development. Findings are discussed with students and colleagues, translated into institutional initiatives and revisited through subsequent survey cycles. By sharing the findings across the university through the Multilingual University Steering Group, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion networks, CETI communications and university events, we ensure that multilingualism remains an ongoing institutional priority rather than a one-off project.

Listening, learning and acting

Our experience has shown that collecting data is only the beginning. What matters is how institutions respond to what they learn. For universities considering a similar initiative, our advice is simple: ask questions that matter, listen carefully to what your community tells you and, most importantly, act on the findings. People are far more likely to engage with a survey when they can see that their voices have shaped tangible change.

Ultimately, the success of a language survey is measured not by the number of responses it receives but by what a university chooses to do with them.

Katherine Mansfield is senior lecturer at the Centre of Education and Teaching Innovation at the University of Westminster.

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