NSS 2026: positivity scores up across the board despite pressures

Students’ positivity about all aspects of UK higher education courses has increased despite the problems facing the sector, according to the latest National Student Survey (NSS) results.

Data published by the Office for Students (OfS) on 8 July shows that scores increased across all themes compared with last year’s findings, including in the organisation and management of courses, an area previously flagged as a concern by the regulator.

A total of 80.9 per cent of students expressed positivity regarding course management, up from 78.4 per cent last year.

Almost nine in 10 (88.1 per cent) of the more than 360,000 participants in the annual survey felt positive about their course’s teaching, up from 86.9 per cent the year prior.

And despite much-publicised disputes around free speech on campuses – relating to issues including the conflict in the Middle East, antisemitism and trans rights – the vast majority of students in England said they felt they could speak freely.

Some 89.7 per cent of students reported feeling able to express ideas, opinions and beliefs – up from 88.3 per cent last year and 86.4 per cent in 2024. The findings come a year on from the introduction of Ofs’ guidance on free speech on campuses.

On overall satisfaction – a question now asked only of students in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – scores were up across the board.

Students were most positive in Northern Ireland, with satisfaction reaching 84.3 per cent, compared with 83.5 per cent in Wales and 82.4 per cent in Scotland.

Overall in 2026, 85.8 per cent felt positive about their learning experiences, compared with 84.3 per cent of respondents in 2025.

And 88.8 per cent of students agreed they found it easy to contact teaching staff when they needed to, up from 87.5 per cent.

Students were also more positive about the ways their institutions communicated mental health support and their students’ unions.

Nonetheless, the survey – the largest of its kind – shows that individual providers have room for improvement.

The OfS said positivity scores for some institutions on questions surrounding organisation and management were “significantly lower than expected”.

Cranfield University, a postgraduate institution that is in the process of merging with King’s College London, saw its organisation and management score fall from 51.9 per cent to 50 per cent, while others, such as the University of Bath, continued to score highly in this area but nevertheless experienced a decline: from 85.8 per cent to 80.2.

Disabled students, meanwhile, continue to report lower satisfaction levels – with the most significant differences seen in responses to questions relating to organisation and management and student voice.

In a joint statement, the new co-chief executives of the OfS, Ruth Hannant and Polly Payne, said the results “should give us all confidence in the ability of our universities and colleges to deliver the high quality teaching, learning, and support that every student is entitled to”.

But they urged individual institutions to reflect on issues the scores may have uncovered. “We encourage institutions to view their individual results as an opportunity to think ambitiously about how they can continue to improve the quality of their offer across the board”, Hannant and Payne said.

“The results also suggest they should be thinking about how they can tailor their approach for different groups of students. It is concerning that disabled students continue to report worse experiences than their peers and we want to help institutions put this right.

“We are currently developing a new statement of expectations, which will set out what we expect of universities and colleges to ensure that disabled students can access, participate in, and achieve good outcomes in higher education.”

georgia.luckhurst@timeshighereducation.com