Student survey reveals consistently high levels of satisfaction at Reading
Thursday, 27 September 2012
'We are proud that our students consistently rank Reading as one of the top university experiences in the UK'
The University of Reading has once again been ranked in the top 25% of higher education institutions in the UK for the quality of the student experience it provides.
Our students gave Reading courses an 88.5% satisfaction rating in the National Student Survey 2012, ensuring that the University maintains its consistent success in the annual survey of student satisfaction.
Three of the University's departments - Archaeology, Clinical Language Sciences and Mathematics, scored 100% satisfaction levels, with a further 14 departments being rated at 90% or above - Typography, Art History, Classics, Philosophy, Law, English Language, English Literature, German, Management, Real Estate and Planning, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Geography and Environmental Sciences, Statistics and Cybernetics & Electronic Engineering.
Students Unions were rated for the first time in the survey this year and Reading University Students Union (RUSU) was rated as the sixth best student union in the country.
Year on year, Reading students have rated the quality of the teaching on their courses highly. In 2012, their replies to the survey have rated staff as good at explaining things (91%), the enthusiasm of the teaching staff (89%), their courses are intellectually stimulating (88%) and staff make their subjects interesting (84%).
Vice-Chancellor, Sir David Bell said: "This year's National Student Survey results once again demonstrate the quality of the student experience we offer at Reading. We are here to provide a stimulating, challenging and supportive academic experience to talented young people and we are proud that our students consistently rank Reading as one of the top university experiences in the UK.
"In an education environment in which students are investing heavily in their futures, it is more important than ever that all students have the best information on which to base their decisions, so that everyone has access to the best education. Data such as the NSS is, of course, just one of the many criteria upon which students and parents will base their decisions. Nothing is a proper substitute for going to see for yourself and that is even more true when it comes to choosing a university."
The NSS is a key component of the new Key Information Set (KIS) data source, published this week, which will provide clear and easily understood information on undergraduate courses to prospective students and their parents.
James Fletcher, President of RUSU, said: "We are very pleased that RUSU was rated amongst the top six students unions in the UK. More broadly, RUSU and the University, working together, will ensure that students here receive a university experience that provides more than just a degree so that they can leave education with the necessary skills to achieve in the job market."
The next opportunity for prospective students to visit the University take place on Saturday 6 and Saturday 27 October. Thanks to the incredibly hard work of the University's staff and student ambassadors these are undoubtedly going to be as successful as ever in showing the University in the best possible light.
The NSS figures are available on the Unistats website, http://unistats.direct.gov.uk