UK students still satisfied but effect of higher fees yet to be felt

By David Jobbins. UK students’ satisfaction with their courses is being maintained, according to the 2013 National Student Survey, published last Tuesday. The survey, conducted annually by Ipsos MORI since 2005, gathers opinions mainly from final-year undergraduates on the quality of their courses. Aimed at current students, the survey asks undergraduates to provide “honest feedback” on what it has been like to study their course at their institution.
The 2013 survey shows that 85% of respondents are satisfied overall with their course – the same proportion as in 2012. A further 7% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, while 7% were dissatisfied. The vast majority of students responding to the survey began their courses in 2010, two years before the government introduced its controversial policy under which universities in England were permitted to charge tuition fees of up to £9,000 (US$14,000) a year. More...