Results from this year’s National Student Survey (NSS) published today show a 72.3 per cent overall response rate from students on questions about their experiences of higher education.
The survey is one of the largest of its kind in the world, asking students across the UK about a range of factors, including their academic experience, teaching and assessments, and institutions’ mental wellbeing services.
Just under 346,000 final year students responded this year, and their answers provide information for prospective students to help them find the right course, as well as rich data to support universities and colleges to improve the experience for all their students.
For students studying in England, results included:
- 85.3 per cent responded positively to questions relating to ‘teaching on my course’ compared with 84.7 per cent in 2023
- 74 per cent responded positively to questions relating to ‘student voice’ increasing from 71.9 per cent in 2023
- 79 per cent responded positively to ‘how well information on their university or college’s mental wellbeing services was communicated’ increasing from 75.9 per cent in 2023
John Blake, Director for Fair Access and Participation at the Office for Students, said of the results:
“This year’s cohort of final year students have experienced significant disruption prior to and during their studies due to a range of factors, including the aftermath of Covid-19. This will no doubt have affected their overall student experience, and the fact that they have been studying under these circumstances is why I’m especially pleased to see that the overall figures across the sector mostly match or exceed last year’s outcomes.
“Universities and colleges will want to make good use of these valuable insights from so many students as they think about improving their courses. At the OfS, we will be using data from this survey to inform our approach to regulation, and to ensure that students’ voices continue to influence our work.”