St Andrews top again

The National Student Survey 2009 has again named St Andrews the top mainstream university in the UK.

It is the fourth year running that Scotlands first university has figured at the top of the independent survey which measures how satisfied students are with the quality of their higher education experience.

92% of St Andrews final year students surveyed in Spring 2009 gave the University top marks for the quality of the learning and teaching experience, ahead of Cambridge University and the University of Leicester at 91% .

Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Dr Louise Richardson, said, “This is a hugely gratifying result for St Andrews and I believe for Scottish higher education. Scottish universities have performed strongly in this important barometer of the quality of our learning and teaching in the United Kingdom. It is the fourth year in a row that St Andrews has featured at the top of the NSS and demonstrates our deep rooted commitment to academic excellence and the student experience.”

The NSS is an annual evaluation of how satisfied students are with the quality of their higher education experience.  This year it canvassed the opinions of over 170,000 final-year students at over 140 institutions. Students were asked to rate their satisfaction on elements such as teaching, assessment, academic support and personal development.

The NSS results follow high rankings for St Andrews in the major independent University league tables published this summer – The Times Good University Guide and the Guardian University Guide both named St Andrews top in Scotland and within the UK top five.

Andrew Keenan, President of the Students Association, said, “These results show yet again that St Andrews’ students are the most satisfied in Scotland and amongst the top in the UK.  We’ve always known this is a pretty special place socially and academically, and we hope that everyone considering university will pay us a visit.”

More information about NSS 2009 is available at:  www.hefce.ac.uk/learning/nss/data/2009

ENDS

Issued by the Press Office, University of St Andrews
Contact Niall Scott on 01334 462244, email [email protected]
Ref: NSS 060809