The University of Liverpool has seen significant improvements across all seven areas of the 2024 National Student Survey (NSS), placing it third overall in the Russell Group, based on performance across the whole survey.
The NSS is commissioned annually by the Office for Students (OfS) and invites final year undergraduates to provide feedback on their experience of the University, covering areas including academic support, student voice and learning opportunities.
This year, over 4,200 University of Liverpool students took part, giving a good response rate of 60%.
The University has received very positive results this year, increasing its positivity score across all themes of the NSS, with notable highlights including:
- Learning resources, which has achieved a positivity score of 90%
- Assessment and feedback, which has jumped to 76%, marking the University’s highest score to date in this area
- A positive score from students on academic support, which has increased to 87% from 83% in 2023
- Organisation and management, which 81% of students scored positively
- Communications around mental wellbeing support, which scored 77% (up 5% from 2023) and which follows a drive in this area to improve awareness of student support services
The positive performance is evident across all three faculties with notable achievements in many areas. Special congratulations go to the School of the Arts where all subject areas have achieved at least 95% positivity scores for ‘how good teaching staff are at explaining things on their course’.
Commenting on the University’s preliminary results Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tim Jones, said: “It’s fantastic news that we have built on last year’s positive NSS results and students are rating us highly in areas such as academic support, teaching on their course and student voice, all of which are fundamental to the first-rate student experience we want to offer.
“We have set out bold plans in our strategic framework, Liverpool 2031, not only to provide our students with the knowledge and skills they need to fulfil their ambitions but also to equip them in practical ways, with the confidence and know-how to stake their claim in a competitive jobs market and meet the needs of employers in their chosen discipline.
“Our 2024 NSS results show we are on the right track and we will be using this moment as a springboard to develop our student experience even further. My sincere thanks go to the 4,200 students who completed the survey.”
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education, Professor Gavin Brown, added: “Today’s results reflect the work that takes place across our University community year-round, to deliver quality teaching in an environment which nurtures our students and supports their wellbeing.
“There are so many highlights to take out of this year’s results but what is particularly impressive is that 46 subjects achieved a positivity score of 95% or above in one or more questions, including Dentistry, Veterinary Science, and Accounting.
“As always, the NSS has delivered useful new insights into many aspects of the student experience here at the University. Of course, there is always room for improvement and the feedback from students in the survey will help us to continue to deliver change where students feel it is most needed. These targeted improvements are only possible thanks to our final year undergraduates who took the time to complete the NSS and I extend my sincere thanks to them for helping to improve the University for future students.”