NSS 2017

09 August 2017

Students at Aberystwyth University’s Department of Mathematics have given teaching on their course a satisfaction rating of 94% in the 2017 National Student Survey (NSS).

Published Wednesday 9 August 2017, the results of the latest NSS also show overall student satisfaction with learning resources at 94% and academic support at 93%.  

For the subject of Mathematics and Statistics, the Department is rated first in the UK for satisfaction with learning resources; second in the UK for learning opportunities, and third in the UK for satisfaction with teaching on the course and assessment and feedback.

The Department’s score is part of a wider success story at Aberystwyth University, which is rated the best in Wales and one of the top five higher education institutions in the UK for overall student satisfaction, according to the NSS.

The results show that overall satisfaction amongst students at Aberystwyth University stands at 91% - seven percentage points higher than the UK figure of 84%.

Professor Simon Cox, Head of Mathematics at Aberystwyth University, said: “"We listen to our students and we provide a rich learning environment - that’s the clear message about Mathematics and Statistics at Aberystwyth from this year's National Student Survey. Mathematics staff are excellent at explaining the subject (1st in the UK) and the course provides depth (1st in the UK) while linking together different ideas in all areas of maths and stats. We work hard to provide prompt and useful feedback on our students’ work: the department has retained its position as one of the best for Learning Resources (1st in the UK), Academic Support (2nd in the UK) and Assessment and Feedback (3rd in the UK)."

If you’re interested in studying at Aberystwyth University’s Department of Mathematics and finding out why our students are so satisfied with their courses, it’s not too late. We still have some clearing places left for the 2017-18 academic year or you can come along and visit during one of our Open Days.

The NSS figures follow closely on the heels of the latest employability figures for UK universities which showed that 95% of graduates were in work or further study six months after leaving Aberystwyth University in 2016.

The National Student Survey is carried out annually by IPSOS Mori on behalf of the UK’s higher education funding councils and interviews more than 300,000 final year students in Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

It asks students to score their university across a wide range of questions including quality of teaching, assessment and feedback, academic support, organisation and management, learning resources, learning community, the student voice and overall satisfaction.

Aberystwyth University’s rankings are based on the overall satisfaction question and use the list of higher education institutes from The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018.