The number of students saying that they were satisfied overall with the quality of their course fell by 7% in this year’s National Student Survey.
Student satisfaction has fallen across the country in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the University of York’s results mirroring an 8% fall in student satisfaction nationally.
In one of a number of questions added specifically for the pandemic, only around four in ten students across the country felt that their university took proper steps to support their wellbeing.
The UoY’s results also showed that less than half of students believe that YUSU effectively represents their academic interests, the 7th lowest result from Russell Group universities and significantly below their ‘benchmark’ (the University’s expected result given its mix of students).
However, UoY students were more positive about their academic representation from YUSU than in 2020, the only question in the survey of which results improved.
10% fewer students said that they received timely feedback in the survey, and 8% fewer said that staff valued their views on their course.
UoY has now dropped from 5th to 8th in student satisfaction of the Russell Group universities.
One second year computer science student told York Vision that they weren’t surprised at the drop in satisfaction, saying: “for all the Uni says about how it’s working to maintain standards despite the circumstances, Zoom seminars aren’t the same as what we had. I really can’t fault students for thinking that nine-grand is slightly unreasonable for what they’ve been getting.”
In some other areas, UoY performed better than their benchmark expected, including in questions regarding course advice and guidance available, timetabling, and library facilities.
Overall, York was significantly above its benchmark on 12 questions, compared to only two in 2020, despite all of these questions seeing students feeling more negative.
A UoY spokesperson said: “We have worked hard to provide a supportive and rewarding student experience during the pandemic, which has been reflected in the scores for many of the subject areas, with seven ranked first in the Russell Group for satisfaction.
“Our tailored approach to teaching and learning has been well received by many of our students, and we have continued to invest in the wider student experience, committing extra resources to our mental health support, financial assistance and our sporting and social activities.
“Our students have shown such remarkable resilience and patience during the pandemic and we will continue to listen to student feedback to develop and evolve how we support our community of learners.”