Open University tops Scottish satisfaction list

The Open University has been rated top for student satisfaction in Scotland, according to the latest list produced by the National Student Survey (NSS).

The OU, the only university to span all the nations of the UK because student complete their studies remotely, scored 93 per cent for quality of student experience.

Campus-based universities also scored well, with Dundee and Glasgow scoring an impressive 90 per cent overall satisfaction, well above the UK sector average of 86 per cent.

RELATED CONTENT

Older students on the rise

OU's widening access role in Scotland 'absolutely critical'

Scottish universities to get governance overhaul

John D’Arcy, Acting Director for The Open University in Scotland, said the OU scores well because its flexible learning allowed people who faced “significant barriers” to learning to study.

“The success of any learning provider is best measured by its learners, and so to have our students express their satisfaction in this way is very important to us,” he said.

Around 70 per cent of OU students in Scotland are in full or part-time work.

Dundee came top in the UK in agreement to the statement ‘Staff have made the subject interesting’, while Dundee University Students’ Association (DUSA) remains the top university students’ union in Scotland.

Vice Principal Professor Karl Leydecker said: “This outstanding result is a tribute to the dedication of staff, both academic and professional services, right across the University.”  

The figures have been published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), and are based on a survey run by Ipsos Mori for UK funding bodies.

All other Higher Education bodies in Scotland received scores of over 80 per cent, except for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland which recorded a satisfaction rating of 79 per cent.