The annual Times Higher Education Student Experience results have been announced with the University of Bath topping the list of top institutions after coming second last year.
The survey questioned 14,700 students across a total of 113 UK universities to identify the top places for learning throughout the country, rating each establishment on a number of factors.
Celebrating first position
Bath was rated highly by students in all 21 aspects of the poll but excelled in the quality of academic staff, number of degree courses and extracurricular activities, teaching facilities and the campus itself.
Although the university came out on top overall it shared the highest position for “good community atmosphere” with universities in Oxford, Sheffield and St Andrews.
Vice Chancellor at the University of Bath, Dame Glynis Breakwell, said that being awarded the number one spot finished off a great year for the university which also received a record number of applications.
The top 10
This year’s top 10 universities included two new entrants: the University of Surrey (rising a massive 28 places to sixth position) and Newcastle University (10th position).
Loughborough University was awarded second place, rising from eleventh, after being considered the best university for sports and teaching facilities.
Its Student Union (SU) was also rated as the best in the country alongside those found at the University of Dundee and the University of Leeds.
President of Loughborough SU, Rob Whittaker, explained that while people always think of sports when the university is mentioned it’s actually their achievements in other areas which are “really important for providing an excellent student experience”.
This was a sentiment shared by James MacGregor, the Director of YouthSight who collect the data for the survey.
He added that this year’s results highlight just how much can be achieved by universities dedicated to improving student experience.
The full top ten list is as follows:
- University of Bath
- Loughborough University
- University of Sheffield
- University of Cambridge
- University of Oxford
- University of Surrey
- University of East Anglia
- University of Exeter
- University of Leeds
- Newcastle University
Are you a recent graduate? Which university did you go to and how does it measure up? How supportive is your university in terms of career planning?
