THE Student Experience Survey 2017 results

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

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Seeta Bhardwa

Editor, THE Student

March 23 2017

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 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: 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	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