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Durham Students Amongst the Happiest in the UK

Their quality of life is remarkable, say university officials

Aug 11, 2009 09:01 GMT  ·  By
An image showing Durham University students enjoying a picnic with Durham Cathedral in the background
   An image showing Durham University students enjoying a picnic with Durham Cathedral in the background

According to this year's National Student Survey (NSS), just completed in the United Kingdom, it would appear that students at Durham University are still among the most satisfied in the country. This year's results confirm previous trends, which showed that the university provides a satisfactory environment for its attendants. In the recent top, DU is located on the eleventh position out of 155 participant universities in the UK.

The students themselves rated their satisfaction in seven areas of interest, including teaching; assessment and feedback; academic support; organization and management; learning resources; personal development and overall satisfaction. The end-result revealed that 88 percent of attending students were satisfied with the quality of their courses, a larger percentage than the national average of 81 percent. Rises in quality were most obvious in assessment and feedback, academic support and personal development.

“Durham has a reputation for offering an excellent academic experience and through our 16 residential colleges provides unparalleled opportunities for personal development. We are delighted with the results and over the next 5 years we will be investing £48m in extending our library and providing a new centre for student services that will house admissions, counselling, welfare support and careers advice. There’s no doubt this will further enhance the experience of the University’s students,” comments on the results of the study the DU Pro Vice-Chancellor of Learning and Teaching, professor Anthony Forster.

“The NSS results this year are very positive and show Durham’s success in providing an excellent academic environment and opportunities for personal development, both within colleges and in the wider university community. Students benefit from strong academic success, pastoral support, personal development and a good social life. The high number of students reporting overall satisfaction with their course shows that Durham remains one of the very best places to study,” adds the officer of Durham students’ Union Education and Welfare, Nicky Godfrey.