Scottish student satisfaction 'top in UK'

Image caption, Students were asked about every aspect of their university experience for the survey

The satisfaction rate for students in higher education is greatest in Scotland, a survey has suggested.

The National Student Survey revealed an overall satisfaction rate for course quality of 86%, the same as in 2010.

The study covered 265,000 students in the UK. Overall, England ranked at 83%, as did Wales and Northern Ireland.

However, the NUS said there was still room for improvement, with satisfaction about feedback from institutions in Scotland remaining at just over 50%.

Only 54% of students in Scotland felt their feedback was prompt, with 57% feeling feedback on work had helped clarify things they did not understand.

Graeme Kirkpatrick, depute president of NUS Scotland, said: "It's excellent news that for students in Scotland the overall satisfaction rate with their university remains high, but there is a lot of room for improvement.

"The vast majority of students are satisfied with their course, which is great, but there are clearly still serious concerns over the quality of feedback from lecturers and tutors and the speed it takes to get feedback.

"Universities receive huge sums for their research work, but must not forget to provide quality teaching as well.

"When close to half of students in Scotland are dissatisfied with the quality of their lecturer's feedback, there's still a lot of work to do."

Satisfaction rates

The Open University remained top for student satisfaction in Scotland at 93%, along with St Andrews also at 93% and Glasgow at 90%.

Students at the University of Aberdeen and the University of Stirling were the joint-third most satisfied on 88%, while the University of Edinburgh had a figure of 85%.

The lowest score was at the Glasgow School of Art on 73%. Glasgow Caledonian University came in at 82%, while the University of Strathclyde recorded 87%.

The University of Dundee and Robert Gordon University both recorded an overall satisfaction rate of 86%.

The Ipsos MORI survey covered 14 of the 19 higher education institutions north of the border, along with the Open University.