The University of Nottingham has received a total student satisfaction score of 86% in the 2015 National Student Survey.
The University’s score has lowered since last year, having achieved 88% in both 2013 and 2014.
The annual National Student Survey, ran by Ipsos MORI on behalf of higher education funding bodies, involved interviews with over 300,000 students to measure overall satisfaction.
Researchers posed 22 questions to university students, which fell under the categories of ‘the teaching on my course’, ‘assessment and feedback’, ‘academic support’, ‘organisation and management’, ‘learning resources’, ‘personal development’ and ‘overall satisfaction’.
In a list of the top 100 universities based on satisfaction, the University of Nottingham came in 73rd, alongside 12 other universities.
National results show that on average, student satisfaction has remained the same in the last year, with 2014’s results also reaching 86%.
Results from the 2015 survey were the first to include undergraduates who paid the higher tuition fees of £9,000, introduced in England in 2012.
The survey therefore deduced that despite the increase in tuition fees, 300,000 final year graduates were satisfied with their UK higher education experience.
“[Satisfaction was] testament to the hard work of university staff”
Nicola Dandridge, Chief Executive of Universities UK, attributes the unchanging national satisfaction rate to “the hard work of university staff”.
She said: “The shift in England from public funding to increased fees means that students are understandably, and rightly, demanding more from their university courses.
“Universities are responding to this and are also improving the amount of information to students about courses to ensure that their experience matches their expectations”.
Despite the stable national satisfaction rates, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, which helps to fund the National Student Survey, highlighted that the survey measured perceptions of quality rather than value for money.
34% of students in England also felt that they received poor or very poor value for money
A survey conducted by the Higher Education Policy Institute and the Higher Education Academy earlier this year found that, while 87% of the 15,129 respondents were fairly or very satisfied with their course, 34% of students in England felt that they received poor or very poor value for money.
The survey also revealed that satisfaction with the teaching on courses is significantly higher for quality of teaching – 87% – than with assessment and feedback, which was rated at 73%.
Tamsin Parnell
Image: University of Nottingham Ningbo
