The results are in for the 2026 National Student Survey (NSS). The NSS, one of the largest surveys of its kind globally, collects final-year students’ opinions on a range of topics, including teaching quality, assessments, and mental well-being services. Every university in the UK takes part, as well as colleges and smaller institutions, with 361,953 students taking part in the latest survey.
Within the NSS, there is a dedicated question about how well the Students' Union effectively represent students' academic interests. We are thrilled to announce that we have scored 80.8%, a 1.98% increase in student opinion on this question compared to last year's survey and our highest ever score. The SU has consistently performed above the UK sector average, and this year we are 3.08% higher than the sector average.
Chief Executive Ryan Bird commented “We're delighted to see our NSS score for The SU rise again this year, especially having achieved our highest ever score, and well above the sector average. Representing students' academic interests and experience is core to our purpose, and this result reflects our relentless focus on improving the lives of Bath students. We're looking forward to building on this progress in partnership with students and the University over the coming year”.
Helen Slater, SU Education Officer added “It’s so exciting to see this result continue to rise! A huge thank you to all of our engaged student leaders, especially our reps, for sharing feedback, taking initiative, and helping us make positive changes to the academic experience. The SU is always here to listen to your ideas and priorities, and every conversation helps us better represent your academic interests. I’m always keen to hear from even more of you about what matters most, so we can keep making positive changes together!”
The University has also performed really well seeing lost of increases in scores across the survey and with the majority of scores over 80%. We will be working with them to look into some of the areas where we feel there are opportunities for improvement to be made or to continue the successes seen in this year's results,
Huge thanks to all our amazing student leaders, Officers, and SU staff who work tirelessly to contribute to the student experience, which has been reflected in such a positive score.