Student Experience Survey 2018: best UK universities for student social life

The best universities in the UK for societal experience – as decided by current students – have been revealed

Student life

March 22 2018

Student Experience Survey 2018: best universities for student social life

View the overall results of the 2018 Student Experience Survey

While a key part of university is about studying and achieving a degree, it is also important for students to be able to have an active social life at university. Getting involved in extracurricular activities can help students to broaden their interests and bulk up their CVs as well as providing some time away from their studies.

Participants in the 2018 Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey were asked to provide a rating between “strongly agree” and “strongly disagree” on whether their university has:

Good social life
Good community atmosphere
Good extracurricular activities / societies
Good environment on campus / around university

The answers to these questions were then combined to give an overall rating of a university’s “societal experience”. University of Leeds taking the second place position.

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Student Experience Survey 2018: best UK universities for student social life
Student Experience Survey 2018: best UK universities for industry connections
Student Experience Survey 2018: best UK universities for facilities

The best UK universities for student social life 2018

Rank	University name	Societal experience score
1	Loughborough University	89.1
2	University of Leeds	87.8
3	University of Sheffield	87.3
4	Newcastle University	86.5
5	University of Bath	86.2
6	Harper Adams University	86.1
7	University of East Anglia (UEA)	85.8
8	University of Exeter	85.1
9	Cardiff University	85.0
10	University of Nottingham	84.9
11	University of Oxford	84.6
12	Swansea University	84.1
13	Durham University	84.0
14	University of St Andrews	83.9
15	University of Reading	83.8
16	University of Glasgow	83.7
=17	Lancaster University	83.5
=17	University of Birmingham	83.5
19	University of York	83.2
20	University of Dundee	83.1
21	University of Southampton	83.0
22	Falmouth University	82.8
=23	University of Surrey	82.7
=23	University of Bristol	82.7
25	Trent University	82.5
=26	Bangor University	82.4
=26	University of Manchester	82.4
28	University of Liverpool	82.2
=29	Aberystwyth University	82.0
=29	University of Sussex	82.0
=31	Royal Veterinary College	81.9
=31	University of Stirling	81.9
=33	Queen's University Belfast	81.8
=33	Keele University	81.8
35	University of Lincoln	81.6
36	York St John University	81.3
37	University of Strathclyde	80.6
=38	Edge Hill University	80.4
=38	Northumbria University	80.4
=38	Bournemouth University	80.4
41	University of Warwick	80.2
=42	University of Chichester	80.1
=42	University of Hull	80.1
=42	University of Essex	80.1
45	De Montfort University	79.7
=46	University of Cambridge	79.5
=46	University of Chester	79.5
=46	University of Edinburgh	79.5
49	Manchester Metropolitan University	78.9
50	Sheffield Hallam University	78.7
=51	Teesside University	78.5
=51	University of Leicester	78.5
53	St George's, University of London	78.4
54	University of Aberdeen	78.3
55	Canterbury Christ Church University	78.0
56	Robert Gordon University	77.9
57	University of Kent	77.6
58	Plymouth University	77.4
59	University of Winchester	77.3
60	University of Worcester	77.2
61	Aston University	77.1
=62	Glasgow Caledonian University	77.0
=62	University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE)	77.0
=62	UCL	77.0
=65	Heriot-Watt University	76.6
=65	King's College London	76.6
=65	University of Huddersfield	76.6
=65	University of Portsmouth	76.6
=65	Queen Mary, University of London	76.6
70	Royal Holloway, University of London	76.5
71	University of Hertfordshire	76.3
72	Bath Spa University	76.2
73	Leeds Beckett University	76.1
74	University of Gloucestershire	75.5
75	Coventry University	75.4
76	Liverpool John Moores University	75.1
=77	University of Derby	74.8
=77	Brunel University London	74.8
79	University of Salford	74.7
=80	Southampton Solent University	74.5
=80	Oxford Brookes University	74.5
82	University of Brighton	73.7
83	Birkbeck, University of London	73.1
84	Imperial College London	73.0
85	University of Roehampton	72.7
=86	University of Sunderland	72.5
=86	Goldsmiths, University of London	72.5
88	University of Central Lancashire	72.4
89	Edinburgh Napier University	72.1
90	University of Bradford	72.0
91	Kingston University	71.8
92	Staffordshire University	71.5
93	University of Northampton	71.4
94	Birmingham City University	71.1
95	University of Wales Trinity Saint David	70.9
96	Anglia Ruskin University	70.6
97	Ulster University	70.4
98	University of East London	70.3
=99	University of Cumbria	70.1
=99	Cardiff Metropolitan University	70.1
101	University of South Wales	70.0
102	Buckinghamshire New University	69.7
103	University of Westminster	69.1
104	Middlesex University	68.9
105	University of West London	68.6
106	University of the Arts London	67.8
107	University of Greenwich	66.7
108	University of Wolverhampton	66.6
=109	London School of Economics and Political Science	66.4
=109	City University, London	66.4
111	London South Bank University	65.8
112	London Metropolitan University	65.6
113	University of Bedfordshire	65.1
114	Norwich University of the Arts	64.6
115	University of the West of Scotland	62.0
116	University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI)	59.1