Norland continues to outperform most universities in the National Student Survey
11 July 2024
Norland is delighted to announce that it has once again outperformed most universities in the UK in the National Student Survey (NSS), the benchmark for measuring the quality of universities from the students themselves.
Norland scored significantly above the national average in teaching, academic support, learning opportunities, assessment and feedback, organisation and management, the learning community, student voice and wellbeing services. Most notably, given its unrivalled focus on preparing students for their future careers, Norland achieved an exceptional 99% satisfaction rating from students for how well the course developed the knowledge and skills they will need in the future, well above the national average of 83%.
Norland performed particularly well in teaching and learning, with a 100% rating for how well teaching staff explained things, 97% of students describing the course as ‘intellectually stimulating’ and a 96% overall satisfaction rating well above the sector average of 85%. Another strong area is learning opportunities which received a 95% overall satisfaction rate, compared to the national average of 82%.
The NSS result continues an outstanding year for the 132-year-old institution. In September, Norland was awarded Gold in all categories of the national Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 – the highest standard possible – putting it in the top 12% of higher education providers nationally. In April, Norland was named the top small or specialist provider in the UK at the Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCAs). Its fourth WUSCA win and the seventh year in a row in the top two.
Norland Principal, Dr Janet Rose, says: “We are extremely proud of our team for the pivotal part they have played in helping us to achieve such exceptional results in the National Student Survey. This year’s results – alongside our TEF Gold award for outstanding student experience and outcomes and our fourth WUSCA award – is testament to the hard work of our academic, student support and professional service teams, who consistently strive to make sure the experience our students receive is the highest possible quality. We are also so grateful to our wonderful students for endorsing their experience at Norland in such a powerful way.”
Dr Rebecca Digby, Head of Learning, Teaching and Research, added: “We are very proud of the NSS ratings as these are based specifically on feedback from our students, and how satisfied they are with their student experience at Norland. This year’s results demonstrate that we continue to perform strongly in all areas, particularly in our teaching, the learning opportunities that we provide and our support for academic study and mental wellbeing. Above all, we’re pleased to be able to offer Norland students with the rarest of prospects for graduates – 100% guaranteed employment opportunities with children and families.”