St Andrews top in the UK for student experience

The top university in the United Kingdom for student experience is the University of St Andrews, according to a definitive higher education guide published today (Sunday 24 September 2017).

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018 named the University of St Andrews the UK University of the Year for Student Experience 2018. It’s the second year running that Scotland’s oldest university has walked off with a University of the Year title. Last year it was UK University of the Year for Teaching Quality.

The Guide also reveals that St Andrews has again been ranked the top university in Scotland and 3rd in the UK behind Oxbridge, 17 places ahead of its nearest rivals in Scotland.

The Times and Sunday Times University Guide, which celebrates its 20^th anniversary this year, is the definitive guide for prospective students.

Welcoming the news, St Andrews Principal Professor Sally Mapstone said: “Top-quality student experience is at the heart of what makes today’s universities meaningful and successful. At St Andrews we recognise that students rightly expect high-level research-led teaching and matching extra-curricular facilities and opportunities.

“We’re delighted to have picked up a University of the Year Award two years running for our strengths in precisely these areas, and it says much for higher education in Scotland that our institutions remain capable of competing with the very best in the UK.”

Lewis Wood, President of the St Andrews Students’ Association, said: “St Andrews offers students an unparalleled student experience. These fantastic results cement our position as a world-leading university. Our students have long recognised the exceptional quality of learning and teaching, as well as the overall student experience on offer at the University.

“Both the University and the Students’ Association work hard to continue to improve upon the world-class student experience we provide to every student. I feel very proud to have been a part of this and I hope this news encourages students from around the globe to continue to apply and contribute to the University of St Andrews.”

‌‌The Sunday Times ranking completes a highly successful year for the University of St Andrews. Scotland’s oldest university was top in the UK for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2017, again underlying the University’s commitment to our students. St Andrews also secured a Gold Award, the highest possible, in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), a new assessment of the quality of teaching and the undergraduate experience at universities across the UK.

Alastair McCall, Editor of The Sunday Times Good University Guide, said: “A second successive University of the Year award for St Andrews speaks volumes about the quality of student life on the Fife coast. Last year’s award for teaching quality has been followed up with success as our University of the Year for Student Experience.

“Both awards relate to the annual National Student Survey in which St Andrews has an enviable record. Students have demonstrated both the high regard in which they hold the teaching they receive and also the quality of their wider student experience.

“Student life here is very different to the bright-lights-big-city experience others can offer, but no less fun because of it. Great traditions, a close-knit community and a location where it is hard to tell where the town stops and the university begins, puts students at the heart of everything. It’s a winning combination.”

Issued by the University of St Andrews Communications Office. Contact Christine Tudhope on 01334 467 320 / 07526 624 243 or [email protected].