The University of New England has retained its 5-star rating for student experience for an unprecedented 17 years, and taken out a raft of other awards in both the Canstar Blue and the Good Universities Guide.
The 2022 Most Satisfied Students questionnaire by Canstar surveyed over 12,500 people who attended an Australian university in the last 10 years to determine how universities rate across different student-centred categories.
Based on these customer satisfaction ratings, UNE is the only university out of 28 to be awarded 5 stars for Quality of Education received, Teaching Staff and Learning Resources.
It was also the only institution to be awarded five stars for the excellence of its online teaching across six categories, including quality of education, learning resources, career prospects, teaching staff and support.
Canstar Blue spokesperson, Jeremy Cheetham, said the fact that UNE has taken out not one but three Student Satisfaction Awards is a testament to its academic excellence and commitment to supporting students achieve their career and life goals.
“Online students consistently praised how UNE made them feel connected to the on-campus community with fantastic and engaging tutors plus teaching staff who were supportive and responsive.”
UNE’s highest increase in student satisfaction came in the category opportunities/career prospects after graduation, a key factor for students looking to enter the job market or upskill. The University also outperformed the market average in most of the other categories, rating especially high for overall satisfaction and student support.
“Every student's learning journey is unique, and our students make up an unusually broad and diverse demographic. They need their higher education experience to be rewarding in every sense,” Professor Simon Evans, UNE’s Interim Vice-Chancellor and CEO, said.
“It is our job as a University to help them achieve their study goals and provide them with the knowledge, skills and experience they need to succeed beyond UNE. These results show we are doing exactly that. It’s been a tremendous team effort and I thank everyone for their hard work and dedication.”
The Canstar results are underscored by UNE’s excellent results in the Good Universities Guide, released earlier this month.
As well as maintaining its 5-star recognition for the quality of its student experience, UNE scored five stars for teaching quality, student support and learning resources.
The Good Education Group, responsible for publishing GUG, also introduced new awards for both metropolitan and regional universities who have continuously outperformed their peers, year on year, for five years or longer.
UNE won three best regional university awards for overall quality of educational experience, level of student support and teaching quality, closely mirroring its Canstar Blue success.
“The ability to provide students with an excellent experience, year on year, determined by two very different instruments, highlights UNE’s ongoing commitment to student experience and success,” Professor Evans said.
