More than nine out of ten international students are satisfied with their experience at Newcastle University, according to an influential survey.

Latest results from the International Student Barometer (ISB) place Newcastle University 5th in the UK and 18th in the world with an overall satisfaction rating of 94% – a 1% rise on previous year.

Conducted by i-graduate, the ISB autumn 2016 is the biggest survey of its kind, reaching almost 160,000 students from 82 institutions in 17 countries. It covers a range of student experience aspects, including pre-arrival, arrival, learning, living and support.

International students placed Newcastle University among the best in the world for the learning environment on campus, giving a 96% satisfaction rate for expert lecturers and 93% for the quality of lectures.

The University also scored highly for student support (93%), living experience (92%), campus environment (96%) and campus safety (93%).

Satisfaction with Careers Service is ranked in the top 10 in the world with 93%. The digital library resources received 96%, putting it in the world’s top 5, while and physical library received a 95% satisfaction score.

Professor Richard Davies, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Engagement and Internationalisation, Newcastle University, said: “We believe that education and research transcend international boundaries andwe are proud to be a thriving global community, with approximately 6,000 international students from over 130 countries.

“The consistently high ISB scores are a great achievement. They reflect the commitment of everyone at Newcastle University who provides outstanding academic and personal support to our international students.”

Newcastle University Students’ Union received a 98% satisfaction rate, which is well ahead of the ISB average score.

Jack Taylor, President of Newcastle University Students’ Union, said: “We are extremely pleased with the results of the ISB as we have once again scored highly in terms of satisfaction levels with our international students.

“The Students’ Union works to encourage all students to engage in as many opportunities as possible throughout their time at University, so it’s great to see that we’re providing this to such a high satisfaction level for another year.”

Brynelle Myers, from India, enrolled on a Master’s degree in Oncology and Cancer Biology, after graduating with BSc Hons Biomedical Science at Newcastle University.

She said:  “Newcastle has earned its place in top ranking tables due to its excellent teaching quality. The lecturers are up to date with the latest research being conducted worldwide whilst keeping their lectures very engaging. They make it very interesting by linking videos, pictures and adding a bit of their own humour to liven up a lecture. The lecturers are very approachable and always willing to help at any point of time be it with regards to academics or a personal issue.”

Meenakshi Lachman, a postgraduate student from Malaysia, said: “The Master of Medical Education course seemed like a good addition to my undergraduate medical degree as medical professionals are expected to be involved in education more than ever.

“As students, we are able to interact with professionals working in the medical field and academics alike being able to share ideas with them and learn from their experiences. The University has great facilities which are very accessible throughout the course and help in the planning and executing of our research projects.

“Newcastle as a city is beautiful and student friendly, there’s never a lack of things to see and do. The university is in walking distance from most student accommodation sites making it incredibly easy to get around.”

Newcastle University also achieved high satisfaction score of 91% in the latest National Student Survey, placing it joint 12th in the UK against comparator institutions.

Date: Feb 23, 2017

  newcastle university