18 August 2010
million+ warns that cuts could damage student satisfaction
Following the publication of the 2010 National Student Survey which tracks student satisfaction with their universities on an annual basis, Professor Les Ebdon, Chair of the university think-tank million+ and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire, said: “The maintenance of high levels of satisfaction is a tribute to the efforts and work of universities and their staff. There are now record numbers of students at UK universities and record number applying – these results indicate that studying at university continues to be one of the best decisions that people can make.
“However, the Government must not take these high levels of satisfaction for granted. With universities and students already facing budget cuts this year and the prospect of additional cuts as a result of the forthcoming Spending Review, Coalition Ministers need to think carefully about how they expect universities to absorb cuts without damaging our world-leading university system. Today’s outputs will always be a reflection yesterday’s inputs.
“As in previous years, the results in England, Scotland and Wales are very similar. There appears to be no direct correlation between student satisfaction as measured in this particular survey and Government fee polices. The effects of fee policies on student perception and participation need to be assessed using different measures.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
- million+ is a leading university think-tank, working to solve the complex problems in higher education www.millionplus.ac.uk
- National Student Survey information and data is available on the Hefce website and at www.unistats.com
- For more information, comment or interviews from million+ please contact Victoria Mills on 020 7717 1659 or 07900 277819