Student satisfaction
When it comes to student feedback, our university stands out. Our students value their time with us, as can be seen from the outcomes of several nationally-recognised student surveys below.
National Student Survey
The NSS is a nationally recognised annual survey and completed by final year undergraduates in the UK. This includes Foundation degree students in the final year of their programme.
The survey provides students with an opportunity to give their honest opinions on what they liked about their time at the University College Birmingham, as well as things that they feel could be improved. We kindly ask that you consider your overall experience throughout the duration of your studies.
The National Student Survey (NSS) 2025 will be live for University College Birmingham students from 14 January to 30 April 2025. However, most universities, earmark a three-week period within the academic calendar that fits within assignments, trips, exams or placement. University College Birmingham will promote NSS to our final year students from the 17 March – 11 April. Alternatively, you can sign yourself in at www.thestudentsurvey.com and complete the survey independently.
The survey is administered by Ipsos, an independent market research agency, so answers remain anonymous at all times.
Sexual Misconduct Survey (SMS)
This year, following the completion of the NSS, all final year students nationally will be given the option of completing the Sexual Misconduct Survey (SMS). This survey is entirely optional, and you do not have to take part or answer any questions you don’t want to.
“The Sexual Misconduct Survey is intended to understand more about student experiences in this area. The survey is entirely optional. You may find some of the subject matter and questions in this survey cause you distress and the organisers of the survey, the Office for Students, recognise this. We appreciate that this is a sensitive subject and emphasises that completion of the Sexual Misconduct Survey is not compulsory, and it is possible to opt out in advance.
For more information, please download this document (PDF).
Data protection and privacy policy information
Ipsos MORI will text and call students who have not yet completed the survey. You can opt out of the survey by telling Ipsos MORI (via the survey website Link opens in a new window) that you do not wish to complete it. Ipsos MORI should not attempt further contact again once you have opted out.
As the survey is a task carried out in the public interest, your contact details will be transferred to Ipsos MORI for the purpose of the NSS only. All the data are held in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. All your responses will remain strictly anonymous and at no point will you be identified.
All information will be securely deleted by Ipsos MORI after the survey closes and will not be shared with any third parties. More information is available on the NSS website at Privacy Policy – National Student Survey : National Student Survey (thestudentsurvey.com).
University College Birmingham’s commitment to listening to the voices of its students has been recognised in the National Student Survey 2024.
The University scored 84.5% in the annual survey for taking on student feedback to improve courses and for clarity and fairness of assessments and marking, six percentage points higher than the sector average.
The institution also scored 77.1% in the student voice section of the survey on students’ experiences of higher education, three percentage points higher than the sector average. This follows the University winning best university with the best support in the region at the 2024 Whatuni Student Choice Awards.
Questions to students where the University particularly excelled included ‘to what extent are students’ opinions about the course valued by staff’?, ‘how clear is it that students’ feedback on the course is acted on?’ and ‘how well does the Guild represent students’ academic interests?’
The University also scored higher than sector average for how engaging staff make teaching and how well they support students in their learning, as well as how well courses developed students’ knowledge and skills for the future.
Inclusive and positive
Crucially, with mental health at the forefront of the higher education agenda, the University scored four percentage points higher than the sector average when students were asked how well the University’s mental wellbeing support services were communicated.
Overall, University College Birmingham scored higher than the sector average in six out of the seven key themes of the survey.
Professor Helen Poole, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Teaching, Learning and Digital), said of the results: “What stands out is our sheer commitment to listening to our students to make their overall university experience exceptional, from their courses to their mental health, as well as their graduate outcomes.
“The University has also been working hard to introduce alternative ways to teach and assess students to ensure everyone has the best chance to achieve their goals, which also shows through in this year’s survey results. I’d like to say a big thank you to all students and staff for making our university such an inclusive and positive place to study and thrive.”
More students voted
In terms of individual courses, more than 50% of the degrees at University College Birmingham, many of which are accredited by the University of Warwick, received a score of over 85% for academic support.
Students were even more invested in sharing feedback this year, with the response rate from University College Birmingham students rising from 76% in 2023 to 81% in 2024. The national response rate was 72.3%, equating to 346,000 students
There have been many accolades for University College Birmingham over the past year. In 2023, the University was ranked first out of 101 higher education institutions for postgraduate student support and resources in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES), the largest survey of its kind in higher education.
The University was also recognised by the Office for Students’ (OfS) Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) for delivering excellence in teaching and learning focusing on the areas that students care about the most: teaching, learning and achieving positive outcomes from their studies.
As well as winning best university and best student support in the West Midlands in the 2024 Whatuni Student Choice Awards, the University also won best postgraduate and international in the region.
If you like the sound of studying with us, please contact our Admissions team, who will more than happily talk you through our full range of courses and how to apply and enrol with us.
"What stands out is our sheer commitment to listening to our students to make their overall university experience exceptional, from their courses to their mental health, as well as their graduate outcomes."
Discover more
Student support
Whether you need support with your learning, finances, health and wellbeing or other areas, our range of dedicated support services are here for you.
Read more
How to apply
Learn more on how to apply for a college, undergraduate or postgraduate course at University College Birmingham.
Read more
Student life
Discover more about our University and living in Birmingham – all you need to know about our accommodation, Guild of Students and what life is like in our vibrant city.
Read more
University of Warwick accreditation
A wide range of our undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses, as well as some higher level apprenticeships, are accredited and awarded by the Universi…
Read more
Accommodation
Our halls of accommodation, The Maltings, is located at the heart of Birmingham, close to our campuses and a wealth of shops, restaurants and bars.
Read more
Fees and funding
Whether you need advice on childcare, bursaries, scholarships or free meals, we have people who can help.
Read more