Leicester improves its student satisfaction rates for the third year running
The University of Leicester has continued its improvement for student satisfaction, recording a third consecutive year of improvement in the National Student Survey (NSS), the annual survey of students’ experience during their time at university.
Students rated us more positively in six of the seven themes in the survey. We are proud to say over 90% of our students were positive about the ‘Academic Support’ they have received and the ‘Learning Resources’ they have available during their course. Under 'The Teaching on my Course' theme 94% of students told us that staff were good at explaining things. In addition, for the third year running students have placed us in the top 20 of all UUK providers for listening to and acting upon their feedback in the ‘Student Voice’ theme. This is a testament to our long-standing commitment towards our partnership working with students and their Students’ Union representatives.
The 2026 National Student Survey results were published today (Wednesday 8 July). The NSS asks students across the UK to share their views on their academic support, teaching and assessments, and the wider student experience. Their feedback will provide information to help prospective students decide where and what to study. The results also produce rich insights to support universities and colleges to improve the higher education experiences of their students.
This year, more than 3,100 University of Leicester students took part, providing valuable insight into how students perceive their time at the University.
A number of subjects at Leicester were among the national top five for overall positivity* among the institutions that offer them. This included: Radiography (ranked 2nd); Classics (Ancient History) (2nd); Physiotherapy (3rd); Medicine (4th) and Archaeology (5th).
Linda Ralphs, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education and Learning Innovation) at the University of Leicester, said: “I am delighted that our students continue to report increasingly positive experiences at Leicester and that we have achieved a third consecutive year of improvement in the National Student Survey.
"These results are a testament to the dedication of colleagues across the University and the strength of our partnership with the Students' Union. Most importantly, they demonstrate the impact of listening to our students' feedback and acting on it.
"I would like to thank all our staff and our Students' Union for their valuable contribution, and most importantly our fantastic students who gave their time to participate in this important exercise.
“The results of the NSS provide a crucial insight into the experience of our students and how they feel about their education and being part of our community. While we are proud of our progress and will celebrate our continued success, we will also reflect on those areas where students are setting the bar higher for us.”
The NSS rise comes after the University experienced a rise of 12 places to =134th in the QS World Rankings 2027, last month. June also saw the news that Leicester had maintained its position as a top 35 UK University, in the Complete University Guide 2027.
* There is no longer a single question in the NSS that covers the overall view of students so, in line with the THE 2025 methodology, this is the average positivity score for questions 1-26 of the NSS ranked within UUK member providers.