Satisfaction guaranteed

Students at the University of St Andrews have voted themselves the most satisfied in the country – according to a new survey published today.

The National Student Survey has named St Andrews the top mainstream university in the UK for satisfied students, placing it second only to The Open University.  It is the second year running that St Andrews has figured highly in the independent survey – last year it was third in the UK.

The NSS, now in its third year, is an annual evaluation of how satisfied students are with the quality of their higher education experience.  This year it canvassed the opinions of 177,000 final-year students at 148 institutions, which included eight Scottish universities.  Students were asked to rate their satisfaction on elements such as teaching, assessment, academic support and personal development.

According to the NSS results, The Open University had the highest satisfaction rate, with 95%, closely followed by St Andrews at 94%, two percent up from last year.

The NSS results follow high rankings in three independent University league tables published this summer – The Times Good University Guide, the Good University Guide and The Guardian University Guide all placed St Andrews top in Scotland and within the UK top five.

University Principal and Vice-Chancellor Dr Brian Lang said, “We congratulate The Open University – to maintain first place in the National Student Survey is a considerable achievement.

“In St Andrews, we are very pleased to be part of a strong performance by Scottish universities in this year’s survey. While it is gratifying to have done so well in an independent assessment of student satisfaction, the true value to St Andrews of participation in the NSS is its ability to help us focus on those areas where we need to do even better.  The detailed results are already allowing us to shape policy to further improve the learning experience of the students of the future.”

ENDS

Issued by the Press Office, University of St Andrews
Contact Gayle Cook, Claire Grainger or Niall Scott on 01334 462529 / 467227 / 462530 / 462244
Ref: Student satisfaction 120907
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