Glasgow Uni sets up task force after “disappointing” student survey results

Glasgow University is assembling a dedicated task group to tackle concerning findings from the 2024 National Student Survey (NSS).

The survey, which gauges the opinions of students across the UK, exposed troubling trends at both Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities.

Both institutions scored below the Scottish and UK averages on all seven assessed themes, including course teaching, organisation, and student voice.

Despite these two prestigious universities being the only two in Scotland to hold Russell Group status, they do not outperform other notable Scottish universities in the satisfaction category.

Glasgow’s overall satisfaction rating dropped to 75.9 per cent this year, a dip from 77.5 per cent in 2023, while Edinburgh’s slipped to 70.4.  By comparison, St Andrews University boasted an impressive 88 per cent satisfaction rate, positioning it as Scotland’s leader in student satisfaction.

Even other local competitors, such as Strathclyde (83.7 per cent) and Dundee (82.4 per cent), significantly outperformed Glasgow and Edinburgh.  The main area of concern was “organisation and management,” with only 66.6 per cent of Glasgow students rating it positively.

The National Student Survey (NSS), released in July, is one of the largest student feedback surveys globally, with nearly 346,000 final-year students participating in 2024. Among them, over 3,000 students provided responses about their experiences at Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities.

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A minute from a September meeting of Glasgow University’s ruling court underlined the level of concern among senior managers: “Despite some positives, SMG (senior management group) acknowledged that this was a very disappointing set of results overall, particularly noting the further divergence in relation to Russell Group universities, and the clear shift in the direction of travel in contrast with comparator institutions… A proposal to establish a Task Group to set in train actions which could be taken at University level to address the challenges identified through the NSS had been approved”.

Addressing Glasgow’s performance in the survey, a university spokesperson emphasised its commitment to enhancing the student experience.

“The University of Glasgow has a commitment to provide the very best experience for all our students, so that they can develop the skills and knowledge to be successful in their studies and their future lives and careers.”

While the formation of the task group is a promising first step, details on how it plans to improve student satisfaction remain unclear.