- Over 357,000 final-year students
answered the call to feedback on their experiences of higher
education.
The National Student Survey (NSS) asks students across the UK to
share their views on their academic support, teaching and
assessments, and the wider student experience.
71.5 per cent of eligible students in the UK responded to the
survey. Their feedback will provide information to help
prospective students decide where and what to study. The results
also produce rich insights to support universities and colleges
to improve the higher education experiences of their students.
The survey results include data from different groups of
students, based on characteristics such as disability,
eligibility for free school meals, age, and ethnicity, allowing
universities and colleges to compare views across the student
population.
In the UK, all survey themes have seen an increase in positive
responses compared to 2024. For students studying in England,
results included:
- 86.9 per cent responded positively to questions relating to
‘teaching on my course' compared with 85.3 per cent in 2024
- 77.6 per cent responded positively to questions relating to
‘the student voice' compared with 74 per cent in 2024
- 78.5 per cent responded positively to questions relating to
‘organisation and management', but the survey found some
institutions are performing noticeably below their benchmarked
positivity score
- disabled students were less positive about their higher
education experience across all survey themes than those who did
not report being disabled, with the most significant differences
seen in responses to questions relating to ‘organisation and
management'.
John Blake, Director for Fair Access and Participation at the
Office for Students (OfS) said:
‘The NSS gives students the important opportunity to feedback on
their higher education experiences and helps future students take
the next step in choosing the right course for them. I'd like to
thank every final-year student who took the time to respond.
‘I'm especially pleased to see students providing powerful
feedback on their experience of teaching, a crucial part of their
higher education experience. The NSS is also useful for
identifying areas where there is room for improvement. In
particular, this year's results show that institutions across the
sector could be doing more to ensure disabled students are
getting the high quality higher education experience they are
entitled to.
‘We invite universities and colleges across England to draw on
these insights as they consider how to continue to improve their
courses. At the OfS, we'll be using these findings to help us
develop our understanding of what students want and need from
higher education – and the extent to which they're getting it.'
Explore the NSS 2025 results: National Student Survey
data: provider-level dashboard - Office for Students
Notes
- The Office for Students is the independent regulator for
higher education in England. We have recently consulted
on a new strategy for
2025-2030 which seeks to ensure that students from all
backgrounds benefit from high quality higher education,
delivered by a diverse, sustainable sector that continues to
improve.
- This year, the OfS used the NSS platform to invite all final
year students in England to complete a pilot of the sexual
misconduct survey (SMS) immediately after submitting
their NSS response. The two surveys were separate, and we aim
to publish the SMS results in September.
