Skip to main content
Story

UAL’s student voice and freedom of expression results score above sector average in National Student Survey (NSS), published by the Office for Students (OfS) today

a group of graduate students celebrating and throwing their hats in the air
  • Written byYana Kasa
  • Published date 10 August 2023
a group of graduate students celebrating and throwing their hats in the air
UAL Graduation for the Class of 2023, Royal Festival Hall, 2023, UAL | Photograph: Dave Poultney

87.6% of final year UAL students shared that they felt free to express their ideas, opinions and beliefs while studying at UAL, scoring above the sector average, according to results from the National Student Survey (NSS), published today.

Furthermore, UAL respondents noted their opinions on their chosen course were valued by the staff (75.7%) and their feedback was acted upon (65.65%). These results are also above sector average.

“We’re dedicated to providing our students with the skills they need to flourish in today’s changing world, and that means we need to listen to their needs, feedback and offer an environment where it is safe to explore a diverse range of ideas, opinions, and beliefs so today’s results around student voice and freedom of expression are very welcome. The extensive results of the NSS, along with data from other surveys, provide us with an opportunity to further understand where we’re best serving our community and where there is room for improvement. We’re currently reviewing all data from today’s survey results to bring about the change our staff and students wish to see at UAL.”

— Professor Roni Brown Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Education

Participation

82.8% of UAL’s final year students took part in the 2023 NSS survey (an increase on 74.3% the year before).

Nationwide, 339,383 students responded to the survey, which represents a 71.5 per cent response rate.

The NSS is an annual nationwide survey, one of the largest of its kind in the world. This year’s survey saw a change to format with new questions about mental wellbeing services, and in England, freedom of expression, as part of a wider review.

The updated survey asks final year students in the UK questions about a range of factors related to their academic experience, including the teaching on their course, assessment, and feedback, and how well courses are organised. New direct questions with item-specific response scales have also been introduced to improve students’ understanding and to enhance the accuracy of results.

For more information email l.donoughue@arts.ac.uk

Notes:

  1. The NSS is managed by the OfS on behalf of the UK funding and regulatory bodies – the Department for the Economy (Northern Ireland), the Scottish Funding Council and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.
  1. This year’s NSS was open to students from 11 January to 30 April 2023. 528 higher education providers took part in the survey. 339,383 students responded to the survey, which represents a 71.5 per cent response rate.
  1. Questions were asked on a four-point positivity measure, with a fifth ‘This does not apply to me’ option.
  1. There was a consultation on how this year’s NSS results would be presented.