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Local students more than satisfied with Higher Education experience

16 September 2010

Students in Northern Ireland continue to enjoy a better university experience than their UK counterparts.

Results of the sixth National Students Survey (NSS) once again show that local students believe their overall experience at University to be more satisfying than their United Kingdom counterparts, with 83 per cent of respondents in Northern Ireland being satisfied with their course compared to 82 per cent across the United Kingdom.

Responses from the 2010 survey have indicated a rise in student satisfaction at St Mary’s University College (94%) and Queen’s University Belfast (85%), with St Mary’s performance being particularly noteworthy as it was ranked fifth out of 292 UK institutions.

Praising the work of all those involved in the Higher Education sector, Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey, said: “These results demonstrate once again the value placed on high quality higher education by students and staff at our local institutions. Institutions are, and must continue to be, mindful of the need to ensure our students are provided with the best teaching and learning experience possible, and that our students are well prepared to meet the challenges of the national and internationally competitive markets.”

Students in Northern Ireland were particularly content with the level of academic support (75%), available learning resources (83%) and personal development (82%). In all of the key assessment areas, Northern Ireland institutions were rated at equal to or higher than their United Kingdom counterparts.

Notes to editors:

1.The National Student Survey (NSS) is commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) on behalf of the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), the Department for Employment and Learning (DELNI) and the other funding bodies. It is fully supported by the National Union of Students (NUS). The survey is administered by Ipsos MORI external link, an independent market research agency.

The NSS is a national initiative, conducted annually since 2005. The survey runs across all publicly funded Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and participating HEIs in Scotland.

2.Overall satisfaction rates at local institutions were:

· St Mary’s UC (94%),

· QUB (85%),

· University of Ulster (82%)

· Stranmillis College (73%),

The 2009 and 2010 National Students Survey Results for the UK and NI, including the overall ranking of all institutions, can be viewed at the Department for Employment and Learning’s website at 2009-and-2010-nss-results.xls

4.Media queries should be directed to the Department for Employment and Learning Communications Branch on 028 9025 7872. Out of office hours contact the Executive Information Service Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715 44