University of Hertfordshire ranked 14th in the UK for student satisfaction

The University of Hertfordshire has been ranked 14^th* out of 123 UK universities for student satisfaction after achieving its strongest-ever performance in the National Student Survey (NSS) 2026.

Published yesterday (Wednesday, 8 July), the results place Herts among the highest-performing universities in the country for student experience, with students rating their experience more positively than those at many leading Russell Group institutions, including Oxford and Cambridge. With an overall positivity score of 87.04% – its highest ever result – the University was also the top-ranked university in the East of England and outperformed the sector average across all seven themes of the survey.

Managed by the Office for Students, the NSS gathers independent feedback from final-year students on all aspects of university life, including teaching, learning opportunities, academic support, assessment and feedback, organisation and management, learning resources and student voice.

Students particularly praised the University's support, communication and responsiveness to feedback, with strong year-on-year improvements across a number of key measures. They included:

• +4.9 percentage points for communication about mental wellbeing support (87.9%)

• +4.7 percentage points for students believing their feedback is acted on (85.1%)

• +4.0 percentage points for students finding their course intellectually stimulating (88.9%)

• +3.2 percentage points for how well students felt the University listened to, valued and acted on their opinions (83.9%)

• +3.0 percentage points for students feeling free to express their ideas, opinions and beliefs (90.2%)

Professor Anthony Woodman, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire, said:

"These results are a tremendous endorsement of the dedication, expertise and care shown by colleagues across the University every day. To achieve our best-ever NSS performance and be ranked 14th in the UK for student satisfaction is something we can all be incredibly proud of.

"What makes these results particularly special is that they come directly from our students. Their feedback tells us that students value the quality of teaching, support and opportunities they receive at Hertfordshire, and that our commitment to delivering an outstanding student experience is making a real difference.

"As one of the most influential measures used in UK university rankings, the National Student Survey is an important indicator of league table performance. These results provide further evidence of the University's rising reputation and our commitment to delivering an exceptional student experience."

The achievement builds on the University's recent success in the Complete University Guide 2027, where Herts rose 12 places, reflecting growing recognition of the quality of its academic offer and student experience.

With Clearing now open, the latest NSS results provide prospective students with independent evidence of the quality of the University of Hertfordshire experience. Based entirely on feedback from final-year students, the survey remains one of the most trusted measures of student experience in UK higher education.