26 April 2012

DUNDEE NUMBER ONE IN UK IN STUDENT EXPERIENCE SURVEY

The University of Dundee has been ranked best in the UK in this year's Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey.

The Times Higher Education student experience survey is one of the biggest polls of student opinion in the UK, gathering responses from more than 14,000 full-time undergraduates at 105 institutions.

Dundee was rated very highly across the board, scoring particularly highly on the questions of;

• Good central / convenient facilities (Dundee ranked 1st)
• Good accommodation (Dundee joint 2nd)
• Good students' union (Dundee 3rd)
• High quality facilities (Dundee joint 3rd)
• Best social activities (Dundee joint 3rd)
• High quality staff lectures (Dundee 4th)

Dundee's number one position this year follows a steady rise up the rankings - up from fifth position last year and eighth position in the previous poll to that.

"There is nothing more important to a University than the quality of the experience enjoyed by the students who attend it, so to come out top in the UK in a major survey like this is very encouraging," said Professor Pete Downes, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee.

"It is a credit to all staff across the institution and also to the Students' Association, with whom we have a very good relationship and who work very hard to help deliver quality to students in all aspects of campus life.

"Our ambition is to be Scotland's leading university, so we must build on this very positive result and work hand-in-hand with our students to achieve that."

Iain Kennedy, President of Dundee University Students' Association, welcomed the top ranking as "fantastic news".

"Dundee is a great place to come to University and it really is tremendous to see that being recognised in this survey," said Iain.

"We have worked very hard as a Students' Association, alongside the University, to deliver the best possible experience to students here. That covers everything from students having a real voice in the University's decision-making to having some of the best social activities of any institution.

"There are so many good things about being a student in Dundee. Almost all of the accommodation is either on campus or within a few minutes walk so there is a real 'student village' feel to the place, and at the same time we are right in the centre of a vibrant city. The University has invested a lot in facilities over the past few years and that has had a very positive impact on student life."

The University has completed a £200million campus masterplan in recent years which included building new student residences, a major extension to the Library & Learning Centre, and provision of new sporting facilities.

The University has also placed an emphasis on the student experience with the appointment of a Director of Student Operations, which has led to a more co-ordinated approach to service provision across the institution.

www.dundee.ac.uk/numberone.

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
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E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk
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