Student satisfaction rates increase again at LJMU

Student satisfaction levels at LJMU have risen again this year, with the university scoring above the sector average in the majority of themes in the National Student Survey 2026.

More than 4,000 final year undergraduates took part in the independent national survey earlier this year, answering a wide range of questions about their university experience.

LJMU improved in six of the seven themes in the survey and was equal to last year’s result in the other. The university was also above the sector average in six out of the seven themes and matching the higher education average in the other.

LJMU’s performance improved at a faster rate than the higher education average across eight out of 10 areas (the seven core themes and three additional questions).

It is encouraging that our students’ responses to the survey place us above the sector average in so many areas. This demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that everybody who studies at LJMU receives an outstanding student experience, with a wide range of support in place to enable them to thrive at our university.

Professor Clare Milsom, LJMU’s Registrar and Chief Operating Officer

LJMU’s scores across the NSS themes

• Teaching on my course: 88.1% (matches the sector average)
• Learning opportunities: 87% (1.2% above the sector average)
• Assessment and feedback: 84.8% (1.9% above average)
• Academic support: 90.2% (0.9% higher than average)
• Organisation and management: 85.5% (Above average by 4.6%)
• Learning resources: 91.7% (2.9% above average)
• Student voice: 81.4% (1.4% higher than sector average)

Highlights of the survey findings

Just a few of our high scores were for:

• How good our teaching staff are at explaining things
• How intellectually stimulating our courses are
• Developing knowledge and skills for the future
• Fairness of marking and assessments
• Library and IT resources
• Communication about mental wellbeing support

Specific questions in the survey which showed the biggest year-on-year improvement were:

• How often is the course intellectually stimulating? (increased by 3.15% from 2025) 
• How clear is it that students' feedback on the course is acted on? (3.8% improvement)
• How well organised is your course? (3.7% improvement)
• How well communicated was information about your university's mental wellbeing support services? (3.3% increase)
• How well does the students' union represent students' academic interests? (up by 3.1% from last year)

I am confident that our ongoing investment in the student experience and key initiatives such as our Framework for High Quality Teaching and Learning mean we are in a great place to build on the positive outcomes of NSS 2026 in the new academic year.

Professor Phil Vickerman, LJMU’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience)

Professor Clare Milsom, LJMU’s Registrar and Chief Operating Officer, said: “We’re extremely pleased to receive this positive set of results from our final year undergraduates, which show strong performance across every single theme of the National Student Survey at LJMU.

“It is encouraging that our students’ responses to the survey place us above the sector average in so many areas. This demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that everybody who studies at LJMU receives an outstanding student experience, with a wide range of support in place to enable them to thrive at our university.” 

Professor Phil Vickerman, LJMU’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience), said: “Thank you to the thousands of students who completed the survey for their time in doing so and I can assure them that we take on board every bit of feedback they have provided to help improve the student experience even more. 

“Thanks also go to all of our staff at LJMU, both in our faculties and across our professional services. These positive NSS results are a reflection of their expertise and their dedication to making every contact with our students count and ensuring LJMU is a fantastic place to study."