Term 1 Survey

“I am very pleased with the course module coverage and the teachers are great.”

“I hate how long the classes are. I cannot be attentive for 3 hours.”

“The campus offers many opportunities for personal and professional growth.”

“I am doubting whether the knowledge I will gain here will actually be something I use.”

“The student union and UOE collectively have managed to make UOE a mini city! It has everything.”

“I wish I have received more support.”

The Term 1 Survey

In December, over 1,000 students completed our very first Term 1 survey.

See how students found the start of the year, and how this compares to other surveys.

UNIVERSITY

Students rate their experience positively

92% of students rated their Essex experience positively, up 1% compared with the most recent end-of-year survey.

Loughton students stood out, with 66% rating their experience as “very satisfied.”

belonging increases

81% of students felt they belonged at Essex - a 4% increase compared with the end-of-year survey. Including the new intake, this was a great early sign of growing community on campus.

university NPS rising

Essex’s Net Promoter Score (NPS), which shows how likely students are to recommend The University of Essex, jumped from +1 in 2021/22 to +29 in Term 1 - an impressive rise.

Students who would recommend Essex praised the positive overall experience and high-quality education.

Those who wouldn’t often cited mixed experiences but still mentioned campus facilities positively.

opportunity to increase engagement

75% agreed they could engage with opportunities at Essex. It’s the first time we asked this, and while it’s positive, it highlights room for improvement for the quarter of students who disagreed.

anxiety is a significant issue

For the first time, we had data confirming anxiety as the main barrier to engagement (26%). Other reasons included needing to prioritise paid work (21%), expensive travel (19%), and timetable clashes (17%).

COURSE

course NPS rising

Students were more likely to recommend their course, with the NPS climbing from +4 in 2021/22 to +32 in Term 1.

confidence in academic skills falls SLIGHTLY

75% said they felt confident in their academic skills, down from 82% at the end of the previous year.

Confidence was highest among Loughton students (89%) and lowest in Colchester (74%). Postgraduate students also scored higher than undergraduates (81% vs 73%).

sense of cOURSE Community GROWS

65% said they feel a sense of community on their course, up from 63% at the last end-of-year survey.

Loughton students stood out again, with 94% reporting strong course community. Postgraduates also scored higher (71%) than undergraduates (63%).

Explore our Tableau dashboard

We’ve shared the headline results, but you can explore further by campus, department, or demographic through our custom Tableau dashboard (created with the brilliant PDI team - thank you Naomi, Stephen and Megan!).

👉 If you need access, email poquery@essex.ac.uk

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

92% of students rated their Essex experience positively.
University and course NPS scores rose significantly (+28 over three years).
81% of students felt a sense of belonging - matching the highest ever recorded.
Anxiety was flagged as the number one barrier to engagement.