College of Humanities students amongst the happiest in the UK

Students from Theology and Religion, and Drama have exceptionally high levels of satisfaction with scores of 94%. Classics and Ancient History, English, French, History, Italian and Russian all have satisfaction ratings of 90% and above. Archaeology has experienced the largest yearly improvement with satisfaction levels rising by 11% compared to last year. All Humanities disciplines have received a student satisfaction rating of 85% or higher across all section averages.

The influential survey asks final year students to rate their university experience in seven areas: teaching, assessment and feedback, academic support, organisation and management, learning resources, personal development and overall satisfaction.

Commenting on the results of the College’s latest success, Professor Andrew Thorpe, Dean of the College of Humanities, said: “This is a very positive result for us. Maintaining the quality of the student experience is a key priority for the College, and it is extremely gratifying to see this reflected in the National Student Survey results. I am delighted to be able to say that our students are amongst the most satisfied in the UK.”

The University came top of the 24 leading UK research-led institutions in the pivotal survey’s results, which provide valuable information for prospective students, and help universities, colleges and students’ unions to further improve the education and services they provide. As well as topping this prestigious group, the University also maintained its position of 4th overall in the UK, improving its satisfaction score by 1% point to 92%.

Professor Janice Kay, Provost, said of the results: “The University prides itself on providing an outstanding student experience, so we are delighted that these results reflect all our hard work. Over the years, we have listened carefully when students have highlighted areas for improvement, and responded to their concerns. This approach has paid dividends and ensured we have always been in the top ten in the UK for the last nine years.”

The NSS is a national survey which has been conducted by Ipsos MORI annually since 2005. The survey runs across all publicly funded Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Further information can be found on the NSS website.