Students are satisfied with life at Welsh universities
When it comes to student satisfaction, it's a good time to be a student in Wales! If you've recently received your A-Level results and are coming to Wales to study, or if you already study in Wales, it looks like you have yet another reason to rejoice: 3 Welsh universities have been named amongst the top institutes for student satisfaction according to a survey by The National Student Survey!
Universities to smile about
Bangor and Swansea University received a 91% satisfaction rating from students this year, a massive 4% higher than the UK average score of 86%, and above the Welsh average of 85%. While The Open University retained its position at the top of the Welsh NSS table, it now shares this position with Bangor and Swansea. These universities now rank joint 8th overall out of all UK universities.
Cardiff University also received a score higher than the UK average, with 90% student satisfaction; this places the university third out of all Russell Group universities – an extremely impressive achievement!
A successful year
Moving down the list, most other Welsh universities remained relatively consistent in their positions, apart from Glyndŵr University, which saw its student satisfaction level rise to 80% this year, while Aberystwyth and Cardiff Metropolitan were just shy of the national average with a satisfaction rating of 83%.
The National Student Survey, which is now in its eleventh year and is completed by over 300,000 students, compiles satisfaction levels based on several key factors, including: teaching; assessment feedback; academic support; learning resources; personal development; student union; NHS practice placements; organisation and management, and overall satisfaction. This year’s results show that overall satisfaction has remained generally consistent. However, there have been several factors that have seen an improvement since last year, such as, teaching quality, academic support and personal development. This demonstrates that students in Welsh universities are embracing a more supportive university faculty, and using it to push themselves further.
With the rise in tuition fees a few years ago, and the recent announcement that there would be cuts to maintenance grants, it has never been more important that students feel their time at university is well spent and offers value for money, and these recent figures clearly demonstrate that nobody understands this better than the staff at Welsh universities. Dr David Blaney of Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, summarised the improved: “The strong performance of the Welsh higher education sector reflects the continuing work to enhance the student experience and provide students with an excellent learning environment.”
At CPS Homes, we hope that these universities continue to build on this year’s impressive results, to ensure that Wales becomes synonymous with a diverse-range of impressive academic standards!
If you’re attending a Cardiff-based university this September, and are looking for student accommodation, we have properties to suit every need, from one bed flats, to sprawling eight bed houses! Browse our list of available properties online, and please don’t hesitate to contact us or visit our student branch in Cathays if you need any assistance.
