The University of New England has been ranked the top public university nationally for the quality of its undergraduate student experience according to survey results released on Wednesday.
Surpassed only by Australia’s three private universities, UNE exceeded the national averages in Learner Engagement, Teaching Quality and Student Support for an overall satisfaction rating of 84.1% as measured by the 2018 Student Experience Survey (SES).
UNE also performed exceptionally well when it came to overall postgraduate student satisfaction with their coursework, placing second nationally behind the University of Divinity – a private provider.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Annabelle Duncan, said the survey results validates UNE’s ongoing work to redesign the mechanics of tertiary education through innovative on-campus and online delivery.
“UNE was established as Australia’s first regional university in 1954 with a vision to teach people and not courses,” Prof. Duncan said.
“Ever since, and regardless of where they are, our students are our focus: their engagement, satisfaction and wellbeing underpins everything we do. We use forward-thinking online and interactive technologies to bring education to them. And we back it up with ongoing guidance and support.
“The SES results are clear acknowledgement that we are on the right track and that our students value their UNE experience.”
Over 280,000 students participated in the survey with UNE amongst the top 10 universities for response rate.
The survey results also backs up UNE’s standing in the 2019 Good Universities Guide, released in late 2018, which awarded the University the top five-star rating for overall student experience.
The Student Experience Survey collects data on key facets of students’ higher education experience annually. The results are published on the Quality Indicators of Teaching and Learning (QILT) website, which provides prospective students with relevant and transparent information about Australian higher education institutions from the perspective of recent students and graduates.
