19/08/2010

Aberystwyth University voted best in Wales again

Aberystwyth University has been voted the best in Wales for student satisfaction for the sixth consecutive year. It was also rated the fifth best in the UK.

The results are from an annual survey of students aiming to help inform the choices of prospective applicants about where and what to study. A total of 252,000 students participated in the survey this year, a response rate of 63.1%.

Overall satisfaction at Aberystwyth University remains very high at 92% - an increase of 2% on 2009 and 10% higher than both the Welsh and the UK average.

Students were asked questions grouped into seven areas: ‘the teaching on my course’, ‘assessment and feedback’, ‘academic support’, ‘organisation and management’, ‘learning resources’, ‘personal development’ and ‘overall satisfaction’.

Aberystwyth University subjects achieving a very strong performance in the survey for ‘Overall Satisfaction’ were:
• Agriculture
• Biology
• Celtic Studies
• English
• Physical Geography
• Sports Science

In 2008 a survey of students showed Aberystwyth was the top town in the whole of the UK for providing a sense of community and student safety.

Apart from the obvious quality of teaching and organisation at the university itself, the consistently excellent results in all fields are thought to be partly due to the relative size of Aberystwyth University in a small town, helping to create a community feeling and allowing students to interact well with local people.