Times Higher Education ranks GCU student experience as the second most improved in the UK

Glasgow Caledonian University has been named as the second most improved university in the UK for student experience, in a survey by Times Higher Education.

GCU rose from 99th to joint 67th, the second-highest climber after Staffordshire University.

More than 20,000 students from across the UK were questioned on 22 aspects of student life, from teaching, facilities, and accommodation to personal support and social experience, as part of the online poll.

The survey comes after new figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency showed GCU had achieved its highest ever figure for degree completion, 80.9%, and its lowest first-year dropout rate, 6.8%.

Staffordshire University showed the greatest improvement in all aspects of the student experience followed by GCU, and the University of Sunderland, in the Times Higher Education 2018 UK Student Experience Survey.

Professor Pamela Gillies, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University, said: “We are delighted to receive recognition by our students of the outstanding learning environment and support our dedicated staff provide for them during their time with us.

“We have worked hard in recent years and invested to create a special place for our students at Glasgow Caledonian University and we are proud of our students’ achievements.

“We now have a beautiful city campus in the heart of one of the friendliest, most exciting and most sociable cities in the UK.

“Our students thrive in our university environment because of the accessibility of our wellbeing services, the personal engagement of our staff, our research-led teaching which embraces the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; and the many opportunities they have to study or volunteer abroad as part of our common good initiative; our brilliant Students Association and last but not least our strong links to industry."

John Gill, Editor of Times Higher Education, said: “Understanding the student experience has never been more important to universities, which are competing with one another to a far greater extent than they once did.

“That competition plays out in the academic experience, of course, but also the facilities and lifestyles on offer for those who choose to study at a particular institution.”