University of Chichester ranked in top third of higher education institutions

Results from the National Student Survey (NSS) ranked Chichester in 51st place for overall satisfaction out of 153 UK institutions.

Its degree courses also performed well across the board, while its learning community was voted among the best in 11th position.

The annual survey, which is based on the feedback of final-year students, placed the University’s overall satisfaction score at 85 per cent, ahead of the national average by two per cent. It means Chichester rises in the national university rankings, up one place on last year, which bucks the national trend.

Vice-Chancellor professor Jane Longmore said: “We take great pride in delivering high-quality teaching to both our undergraduate and postgraduate students, in small classes. We believe this is why our students continue to give us very positive feedback on the NSS.

“It’s perhaps more significant that we’ve maintained our high overall satisfaction score of 85 per cent despite the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. Our students are at the very heart of everything we do and this result demonstrates they are still receiving an excellent university experience even when we move some learning online.”

The NSS survey, which is commissioned by the Office for Students (OfS), polls final-year students about their time spent in higher education through 27 core questions, across eight areas. More than 330,000 students took part answering questions on the quality of their courses and their overall experience.

Among Chichester’s results were notable successes for psychology, which was given a 100 per cent overall satisfaction score and the number one ranking in the UK for its academic support as well as its learning community.

Many of the University’s other courses also received high ratings, including Early Years, PE, Sports Coaching, and Sports Therapy, whose students reported being 100 per cent satisfied.

Dr Mark Mason, the University’s deputy vice-chancellor for student experience, added: “These NSS results reflect our commitment to forging a learning community that gives our students a unique university experience that’s unlike anywhere else in the country.

“Our students have a real sense of belonging and this is complemented with high-quality academic support. Both of these facets contributed to our success in our NSS results, and we can feel assured that we have built one of the most outstanding learning environments in the UK.”

Chichester’s highly-ranked NSS results are the latest in a series of league tables successes, which includes being voted a top 20 UK university at this month’s Whatuni awards and named as the fourth most-environmentally-friendly university by the government last year.

For more on how the University of Chichester provides an inclusive and enriching experience of higher education for its students, visit www.chi.ac.uk/about-us.