Aberystwyth top university for student satisfaction in Wales

Overall satisfaction amongst students at Aberystwyth University stands at 90% - seven percentage points higher than the average UK figure of 83%.

Overall satisfaction amongst students at Aberystwyth University stands at 90% - seven percentage points higher than the average UK figure of 83%.

27 July 2018

Aberystwyth University students are amongst the most satisfied in Wales and in the UK as a whole, according to the annual National Student Survey (NSS) published today Friday 27 July 2018.

The latest NSS results show that overall satisfaction amongst students at Aberystwyth University stands at 90% - seven percentage points higher than the average UK figure of 83%.

Aberystwyth is rated the top university in Wales for overall student satisfaction.

Aberystwyth University also outperforms the sector in the UK and Wales in all nine areas covered by the NSS.

Professor Elizabeth Treasure, Vice-Chancellor at Aberystwyth University, said: “The latest NSS results crown a remarkable year for Aberystwyth University. Last month, Aberystwyth was awarded Gold under the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) and in September 2017, we were named 2018 University of the Year for Teaching Quality by TheTimes and Sunday Times Good University Guide. These achievements speak volumes about Aber’s talented and hard-working community of staff and students. As we celebrate these NSS results, we do not rest on our laurels and will use this valuable feedback to build further on these firm foundations of success.”

Professor John Grattan, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Student Experience at Aberystwyth University, said: “As a university, we put a huge amount of effort into ensuring we deliver the best possible education with a rigorous focus on how we monitor teaching, assessment and feedback, and how we track student performance during each year of their time with us. We have also invested significantly in recent years in our campus facilities and learning resources. Our continued commitment to providing an exceptional student experience is reflected not only in today’s excellent NSS results but also our TEF Gold award, and heartfelt thanks are due to our dedicated staff and students.”

Bruce Wight President of Aberystwyth University’s Students’ Union, said: “Congratulations to Aberystwyth University on outstanding NSS results yet again this year. It’s great to see Aberystwyth producing such consistent figures year on year for student satisfaction and from these latest results, it’s clear that we’ve maintained our high standards. I’m looking forward to another year of work with the University and being able to improve the student experience even further. I’m confident that by working closely together and listening to the student body, Aberystwyth will continue to be an institution renowned for its teaching excellence as well as its supportive, friendly and safe community environment.”

The National Student Survey is conducted by IPSOS Mori on behalf of the UK’s higher education funding councils and gathers the opinions of nearly half a million final-year students in universities, colleges and alternative providers.

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

The latest NSS figures follow closely on the heels of the awarding of Gold in the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) which was published on Wednesday 6 June 2018.

They also follow the latest employability figures for UK universities, which showed that 96.8% of graduates were in work or further study six months after leaving Aberystwyth University (HESA 2018).

Aberystwyth University is also the Times / Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018 University of the Year for Teaching Quality.