Announced today (22 March) by Times Higher Education, the Student Experience Survey 2018 positions Newcastle University joint seventh in the UK, rising one place from 2017. This means the University is ranked in the country’s top 10 for the fourth consecutive year.

The survey ranks Newcastle University fourth overall for societal experience, which includes the views of students on extracurricular activities and societies, community atmosphere, environment on campus and around the university and social life.

In addition, the survey places the University fifth overall for students who would recommend it to a friend. 

Experience counts

Professor Suzanne Cholerton, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching, Newcastle University, said: “The consistently high satisfaction among our students demonstrates our key focus on delivering outstanding student experience and excellent environment for our students’ academic and personal development. It is a testament to the commitment and efforts by everyone at Newcastle University who helps our students make the most of their time while studying and living in Newcastle.”

Satisfaction with Newcastle University Students’ Union was also regarded highly by students. 

Ronnie Reid, President of Newcastle University Students’ Union, said: “’Our results in the Times Higher Student Experience Survey reinforce Newcastle University as a world-class institution that consistently and successfully strives to give students an amazing University experience. The perfect balance between outstanding academic teaching and life in the best student city in the country is the recipe for this success, and long may it continue.”

Rankings success

This latest excellent result for student experience sits alongside the University’s sustained success in a number of teaching and learning rankings, such as achieving a Gold Award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).

The 2017 National Student Survey found that 88% of Newcastle University students were satisfied with their time at Newcastle, while the International Student Barometer Autumn 2017 (ISB) results demonstrate a high level of satisfaction among students from around the world, with 93% of respondents stating they were satisfied with the University overall.

Alex Holdsworth, Computer Science student, said: "There is a society for every kind of person at Newcastle - you will struggle to find a club that you don’t want to join. I am a member of NUAXC (athletics and cross country) and NUCATS (computing and technology). Athletics has given me the chance to represent the university in sport, as well as making loads of friends along the way. This year I was elected as secretary of the club, and it has given me the perfect opportunity to combine responsibility with my hobbies. NUCATS showed me that there is so much more to a degree than simply completing assignments."

The survey is based on the responses of more than 20,000 undergraduates, who were asked to describe how their university contributed to a positive or negative experience on a seven-point scale, from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”.