Evaluating student satisfaction at a top-performing UK university

This paper compares UK and non-UK students’ satisfaction with their teaching and learning experiences in higher education. Modules surveyed at a UK University, awarded Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) (Times Higher Education [THE], 2017), were examined to determine whether satisfaction is influenced by the percentage of UK and non-UK students registered per module. Students were grouped by residency, irrespective of nationality, to examine the different academic experiences in and outside the UK. UK students were defined as residing in the UK permanently and non-UK students as residing outside the UK, except during their studies. Findings indicated that although there were apparent links between residency and satisfaction, these differences may instead be attributable to other variables, such as class size. The results of this study question whether integrating non-UK students into large class sizes, in order to fulfil demand, has implications for the student experience.