News

Student survey success

Published 27 September 2012

The vast majority of students have given the University of Brighton top marks and would recommend the university to potential students, according to a national survey.

Some 82 per cent gave the university a top rating and the figure climbed to more than 90 per cent among students on a host of courses.

The university was first in the country for satisfaction among students on its building courses, and was placed fourth for fine arts. Both scored 95 per cent. Subjects which increased year on year by 10 or more percentage points for overall satisfaction included building, marketing, journalism, music, education, and architecture.

More than 84 per cent of respondents said they would recommend the University of Brighton to potential students as a place to study, six percentage points higher than the sector average. And 94 per cent of University of Brighton part time students said they were satisfied with their courses, compared to the sector average of 88 per cent.

Students praised the university in every category including the standard of teaching and for making subjects interesting and intellectually stimulating. Almost 90 per cent of students said staff were good at explaining things, that they were enthusiastic, and that they felt valued during placements.

Construction students gave the university top marks

The Brighton and Sussex Medical School, run jointly by the universities of Brighton and Sussex, was rated four per cent above the UK medical school sector average, with 91 per cent overall satisfaction. The course received 98 per cent approval for being intellectually stimulating, 96 per cent satisfaction for the library resources, and 94 per cent for improving communications skills.

The National Student Survey (NSS), published today (27 September) by the Higher Education Funding Council for England, showed that 67 per cent of University of Brighton students responded to more than 40 questions about their experiences at the university. The response was two per cent higher than recorded in 2011.

Most students praised staff for the support and the advice they received, and said staff had boosted their confidence and improved their communications skills.

The NSS gathers feedback on students' perception of their courses from all UK universities to help inform future applicants where to choose venues for higher education, and to contribute to public accountability.

More than 5,000 final-year students at the University of Brighton were asked for their views on six areas of student experience including teaching, assessment and feedback, academic support, organisation and management, learning resources and personal development.

Professor Julian Crampton, the University of Brighton's Vice-Chancellor, said: "The results are very encouraging and show that the vast majority of students were happy and that they valued the quality and relevance of courses.

"Our aim is to ensure students graduate with skills required for their professional and personal development, and to help them make significant contributions to economic and social progress.

"The university provides an excellent teaching and learning environment for students and this survey is a valuable tool in helping us understand what is working well and where we need to improve. We shall be studying the results in greater detail and feeding back some of the changes we have introduced as a result of the survey to our students.

"More University of Brighton students responded to the survey than in 2011 and this too was encouraging. We urge all students to take part in this annual survey so that their views can help us make improvements when and where they may be needed.

"I would like to thank all our final year students who completed the survey and all staff for contributing to the quality of the student experience."