National Student Survey results 2020
Thursday, 16 July 2020
84% of undergraduate final year students are satisfied with their overall experience at the University of Reading, according to the 2020 National Student Survey (NSS) published today. This is above the sector average of 83%.
Our students reported improved satisfaction across most areas, including ‘Learning resources’ (from 75% to 80%), ‘Student Voice’ (67% to 71%) and ‘Organisation and management’ (from 76% to 78%).
‘Organisation and management’ (78%) and ‘Learning community’ (77%) are both above the sector averages of 74% and 76% respectively.
At discipline level, six areas achieved an overall satisfaction score of 90% or above, including: Clinical Language Sciences (96%); Degree Apprenticeship Scheme (93%); Mathematics and Statistics (92%); Meteorology (92%); Biological Sciences (91%); Law (90%) and Archaeology (90%).
2,559 University of Reading undergraduate finalists completed the National Student Survey (NSS) this year, representing a pleasing 70% response rate.
We work in partnership with our students to support them to achieve their goals, both personally and academically. Feedback from surveys such as the NSS is hugely valuable, allowing us to hear from students to understand what’s working well and where we need to improve, and take action accordingly
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Robert Van de Noort said:
“We are very grateful to all our students who took the time to share their feedback with us in this year’s National Student Survey.
“Over'all satisfaction at Reading has remained steady this year, and I am pleased to see improvements in key areas such as such as Assessment and feedback’, ‘Learning resources’ and ‘Student Voice’.
“This is the result of the dedication and commitment of colleagues across the institution, working closely with students to support their learning and enhance their university experience. Although most of the responses were submitted before we moved teaching online as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, these results are also indicative of all of the hard work to make this transition as smooth as possible for our students. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my colleagues for everything they have done to contribute to this achievement.
“As ever, the survey results do also highlight areas where we need to improve. Our 2020-2026 Strategic Plan sets out our commitment to fostering an environment where our students can excel, academically and personally, alongside putting our diverse community at the heart of everything we do. We will be guided by these principles to address issues raised through the National Student Survey, and other channels, to make improvements for the benefit of all our current and future students and colleagues.”
Thank you to all colleagues across the institution for their valuable support in promoting the NSS and other surveys to eligible students.
The full results are publicly available on the Office for Students website.
Next steps
Data from the NSS and UK Engagement Survey (UKES) will be analysed in detail and shared with Heads of School and Function. The results will be considered by the relevant University committees to identify common themes and areas for improvement. We will keep colleagues and students updated with progress and action taken.