Dear colleagues,
The National Student Survey (NSS) results were published yesterday, and I’m pleased to share that our University continues to perform strongly in many areas. We now rank 3rd in the devolved nations for overall student satisfaction,* with our score rising from 85.5 to 86.4 – a testament to the dedication and hard work of our academic and professional services staff.
For Overall Satisfaction (Q28) – measured in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland – we ranked 1st in the devolved nations for 13 subjects, including:
- Dentistry
- Business Studies
- Creative Writing
- English Studies (non-specific)
- French Studies
- Linguistics
- History of Art, Architecture and Design
- Theology & Religious Studies
- Law
- Mathematics
- Earth Sciences
- Others in biosciences
- Teacher Training
Our average positivity score across the UK has also seen a modest increase, from 84.3 to 84.6. However, our UK-wide ranking on this measure has dropped to 34th out of 122 institutions,** highlighting the need for us to reflect and act swiftly to ensure we remain competitive and continue to meet student expectations across all NSS indicators.
Nevertheless, there are many areas to celebrate. For positive responses we have ranked:
1st in the UK for:
- Business Studies
- History of Art, Architecture and Design
UK top five for:
- Linguistics (also 1st in Scotland)
- English Studies (also 1st in Scotland)
- Theology & Religious Studies
- Others in biosciences (also 1st in Scotland)
- Microbiology and cell science
- Biomedical Science
- Earth Sciences (also 1st in Scotland)
- Forensic and archaeological sciences
We also achieved excellent results for student voice (the right opportunities to give feedback on your course), ranking 3rd in the UK, and are 1st in Scotland for the balance between directed and independent study.
While these results reflect many areas of strength, the decline in our UK ranking on the average of positive responses is a clear signal that we must act decisively. In the coming weeks, we will hold meetings and workshops to explore the data in more depth and develop a shared action plan to address areas requiring improvement.
Further details will follow once we’ve completed our analysis. In the meantime, I want to thank each of you for your continued commitment to delivering an outstanding student experience.
Best wishes,
Jo-Anne
Jo-Anne Murray
Vice-Principal Education