THE Student Experience Survey 2017 results

The best universities in the UK for student experience – as decided by current students – have been revealed

March 23 2017
By Seeta Bhardwa
Student experience survey

Harper Adams University takes the top spot in Times Higher Education's Student Experience Survey results for 2017, in only its second year of being eligible for the survey. 

The agricultural institution is the first specialist university to top the poll. Last year’s number one, Loughborough University, has slipped down to second place.

The University of Sheffield, the University of Leeds and the University of Surrey round off the top five universities in the UK, as voted for by students.

The results are based on the responses of more than 15,000 undergraduates rating their university across 21 measures based on a seven-point rating from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree”. The survey was appended to YouthSight’s Student Omnibus Surveys and all respondents were members of YouthSight’s student panel. 

Analysis of the 2017 Student Experience Survey

Student Experience Survey 2017: methodology
Student Experience Survey 2017: analysis of the 2017 results
Student Experience Survey 2017: hear from students at the top institutions
Student Experience Survey 2017: down on the farm at Harper Adams
Student Experience Survey 2017: bright stars of Northern Ireland
Student Experience Survey 2017: expectations are high for learning resources
Student Experience Survey 2017: Sheffield Union holds key to satisfaction
Student Experience Survey 2017: home comforts on campus
Student Experience Survey 2017: the shape of things to come in higher education

This year, the presentation of the results has changed slightly. Universities are still given points for 21 separate attributes, but there are now seven composite groups made up of up to five of the 21 attributes. The seven composite groups cover: academic experience, university facilities, societal experience, student welfare, accommodation, industry connections, and security. 

Student Experience Survey 2017: overall results

Rank University name Overall score
1 Harper Adams University 85.8
2 Loughborough University 85.4
3 University of Sheffield 83.2
4 University of Leeds 82.6
5 University of Surrey 82.5
6 Falmouth University 82.3
7 University of Oxford 82.1
8 Newcastle University 82.0
9 Queen’s University Belfast 81.9
10 Keele University 81.5
11 Edge Hill University 81.4
12 Bangor University 81.2
=13 University of St Andrews 80.9
=13 University of Bath 80.9
=15 University of Chester 80.8
=15 University of Dundee 80.8
=15 University of East Anglia 80.8
=18 Royal Veterinary College 80.7
=18 University of Reading 80.7
20 University of Birmingham 80.6
21 Lancaster University 80.4
22 University of Nottingham 80.1
23 University of York 79.7
=24 Durham University 79.5
=24 Cardiff University 79.5
=24 Nottingham Trent University 79.5
=27 Swansea University 79.4
=27 University of Exeter 79.4
=29 University of Cambridge 79.3
=29 University of Manchester 79.3
31 York St John University 79.2
32 University of Stirling 79.0
33 Heriot-Watt University 78.9
34 University of Glasgow 78.7
35 Aberystwyth University 78.6
=36 St George’s, University of London 78.5
=36 University of Portsmouth 78.5
=36 Northumbria University 78.5
39 University of Derby 78.4
40 Coventry University 78.3
41 Robert Gordon University 78.1
=42 University of Bristol 77.9
=42 University of Southampton 77.9
44 University of Winchester 77.8
45 University of Strathclyde 77.7
=46 University of Worcester 77.6
=46 University of Leicester 77.6
=46 University of Warwick 77.6
=49 University of Lincoln 77.5
=49 University of Liverpool 77.5
=51 Liverpool Hope University 77.1
=51 University of Central Lancashire 77.1
53 Aston University 77.0
54 University of Gloucestershire 76.9
55 Brunel University London 76.7
56 Bournemouth University 76.6
57 De Montfort University 76.5
=58 Teesside University 76.4
=58 Imperial College London 76.4
=58 University of Edinburgh 76.4
=61 Ulster University 76.3
=61 Sheffield Hallam University 76.3
=61 Manchester Metropolitan University 76.3
64 University of Hull 75.9
=65 Queen Margaret University 75.7
=65 Cardiff Metropolitan University 75.7
=67 University of Salford 75.6
=67 University of Sussex 75.6
=69 Leeds Beckett University 75.5
=69 University of the West of England  75.5
71 University of Aberdeen 75.4
72 University of Kent 75.3
73 Plymouth University 75.2
74 University Campus Suffolk 75.1
75 University of Huddersfield 75
76 Newman  University 74.9
77 Oxford Brookes University 74.6
=78 University of Essex 74.5
=78 Queen Mary University of London 74.5
80 Arts University Bournemouth 74.4
=81 Southampton Solent University 74.1
=81 Liverpool John Moores University 74.1
83 University of Cumbria 74
=84 Bucks New University 73.9
=84 Royal Holloway, University of London 73.9
86 Edinburgh Napier University 73.8
87 Canterbury Christ Church University 73.7
=88 Soas, University of London 73.6
=88 Bath Spa University 73.6
=88 King’s College London 73.6
=91 Goldsmiths, University of London 73.1
=91 University of Bradford 73.1
=93 University of Wolverhampton 72.8
=93 Anglia Ruskin University 72.8
95 Norwich University of the Arts 72.5
=96 University of Hertfordshire 72.4
=96 University College London 72.4
98 University of Greenwich 72.2
99 Glasgow Caledonian University 71.9
100 University of Bedfordshire 71.8
101 University of Wales Trinity Saint David 71.4
102 University of Roehampton 71.3
103 University of East London 70.9
104 Staffordshire University 70.6
=105 Middlesex University 70.4
=105 University of Sunderland 70.4
=105 University of Brighton 70.4
=105 Birmingham City University 70.4
109 Abertay University 70.1
=110 University of South Wales 69.9
=110 Kingston University 69.9
112 University of Northampton 69.1
=113 University of West London 69
=113 University of the West of Scotland 69
115 University of Westminster 68.2
116 City, University of London 67.1
117 University of the Arts London 67
118 University for the Creative Arts 66.4
119 London School of Economics and Political Science 66
120 London South Bank University 65.4
121 London Metropolitan University 64.2
122 The Open University 61.2

Get the full results of the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2017

Explore the results in the seven composite areas (click the heading for full results in each category)

Academic Experience

Rank University name Academic Experience Composite
1 Harper Adams University 85.9
2 University of Oxford 84.9
3 University of St Andrews 83.1
4 Keele University 83.0
5 Bangor University 82.8

University Facilities

Rank University name University Facilities Composite
1 Loughborough University 89.3
2 Queen’s University Belfast 84.8
3 University of Leeds 84.6
4 University of Sheffield 84.5
5 University of Dundee 84.2

Societal Experience

Rank University name Societal Experience Composite
1 Loughborough University 88.5
2 University of Sheffield 88.3
3 Newcastle University 88.1
=4 Harper Adams University 87.9
=4 University of Leeds 87.9

Student Welfare

Rank University name Student Welfare Composite
1 Harper Adams University 83.7
2 Loughborough University 83.2
3 Falmouth University 80.7
=4 Royal Veterinary College 80.6
=4 Keele University 80.6

University mental health: taking student well-being seriously

Accommodation 

Rank University name Accommodation Composite
1 Harper Adams University 85.3
2 Lancaster University 84.6
3 Loughborough University 84.3
4 University of Sheffield 83.4
5 Edge Hill University 82.6

Industry Connections

Rank University name Industry Connections Composite
1 Harper Adams University 93.3
2 University of Bath 89.9
3 Loughborough University 89.5
4 London School of Economics and Political Science 88.7
5 Imperial College London 88.3

Security

Rank University name Security Composite
1 University of Surrey 87.3
2 Edge Hill University 86.6
3 University of Bath 85.8
4 Lancaster University 85.6
=5 University of East Anglia  85.5
=5 Loughborough University 85.5

Students were also asked if they would recommend their university

Rank University name Recommendation Score
1 Loughborough University 91.9
2 University of Sheffield 90.8
3 Newcastle University 90.6
=4 Heriot-Watt University 89.8
=4 University of Bath 89.8
6 Harper Adams University 89.4
7 University of Surrey 89.3
8 University of Leeds 89.2
9 University of Nottingham 88.9

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