The University of Staffordshire is celebrating a landmark result in the NSS 2026, ranking 7th in the UK for overall student positivity
University of Staffordshire is outperforming the sector average across all seven NSS themes
I'm delighted that our university is now in the top 10 in the country in Higher Education. These results are a genuine milestone for our University. To see every single theme improve, and every theme now outperforming the sector, tells us that the changes we've made together are working.
The results, published today by the Office for Students, show the University’s overall student positivity rate has risen 7.6pp to 89.1% – with the institution outperforming the sector average across all seven National Student Survey (NSS) themes:
- Teaching on my course: 90.5% (sector average 87.8%, 2.7pp above)
- Learning opportunities: 89.7% (sector average 85.5%, 4.2pp above)
- Assessment and feedback: 89.3% (sector average 82.1%, 7.2pp above)
- Academic support: 92.0% (sector average 89.2%, 2.8pp above)
- Organisation and management: 85.4% (sector average 80.7%, 4.7pp above)
- Learning resources: 89.9% (sector average 89.0%, 0.9pp above)
- Student voice: 86.4% (sector average 80.4%, 6.0pp above) – ranking the University 4th in the UK for this theme
The results also reflect growing engagement from students, with the survey completion rate rising from 71.2% to 77.7% – with 3,000 students sharing their views on their course experience.
Professor Philip Plowden, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Staffordshire, said: “I am delighted that our university is now in the top 10 in the country in Higher Education. These results are a genuine milestone for our University. To see every single theme improve, and every theme now outperforming the sector, tells us that the changes we've made together are working.
"This isn't down to one team or one intervention – it's the result of colleagues right across the institution, in every school and every service, putting students at the heart of what they do. I want to thank every member of staff for their part in this achievement, and for the continued commitment that will keep us moving forward."
Professor Raheel Nawaz, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Education and Research at the University of Staffordshire, added: "We are thrilled with this year’s results, and the scale of improvement is a real reflection of the grassroots effort happening across the organisation.
“Every single student interaction with every single member of staff – academic and professional services alike and of course our Students' Union colleagues – has played a part in getting us here. I'd like to thank everyone for their hard work and dedication throughout the year; this is genuinely a university-wide achievement, and one we should all be proud of.”