University Centre Somerset (UCS), the Higher Education offering of UCS College Group, has become the only university or university centre in the South West to exceed the national benchmark across all seven core themes of the 2026 National Student Survey (NSS), underlining the strength and consistency of the student experience it provides.
This achievement was unmatched by neighbouring universities and university centres across the South West.
Published annually by the Office for Students, the National Student Survey captures the views of final-year higher education students on every aspect of their university experience, including teaching, learning opportunities, academic support, learning resources and student voice.
University Centre Somerset exceeded the national benchmark across all seven themes, demonstrating consistently high levels of student satisfaction across every aspect of the student experience.
Highlights from this year’s results include:
- 95.7% positive for Teaching on my Course
- 93.7% positive for Learning Opportunities
- 93.0% positive for Assessment and Feedback
- 95.3% positive for Academic Support
- 94.3% positive for Learning Resources
- 92.3% positive for Student Voice
Students also rated UCS highly for wider aspects of university life, with 93.8% responding positively about information on mental wellbeing support and an impressive 98.5% saying they felt free to express their ideas, opinions and beliefs during their studies.
“These results are a tremendous endorsement of the learning experience we provide at University Centre Somerset. To exceed the benchmark across all seven themes is a fantastic achievement and reflects the dedication of our staff, the quality of our teaching and, most importantly, the feedback from our students.Â
We are incredibly grateful to every student who completed the survey. Their views help us continue to improve and ensure we provide an exceptional higher education experience for everyone who chooses to study with us.”Â
Dr Ashley Kempson, Dean of UCS.
The National Student Survey is one of the UK’s largest annual surveys of higher education students and provides valuable insight into the quality of the student experience across universities and higher education providers.