Term 2 Survey

“It has been very overwhelming.”

“I have enjoyed It and done well on my assignments and found them interesting!”

“I have struggled with anxiety since the beginning of my degree.”

“Lots of SU events and I loved the Pebbles hunt”

“I don’t necessarily feel a part of the community"

“There has been a lot of stress floating around this term and it felt challenging to manage.”

The Term 2 Survey

In March, over 700 students took part in the Term 2 survey.

Find out how they rated their experience and how these results compare with Term 1.

To get started, select one of the main survey sections below.

UNIVERSITY

SATISFACTION dips SLIGHTLY

88% of students rated their overall experience at Essex positively. That’s still a strong figure, but it’s down 4% compared with Term 1.

The main reasons for dissatisfaction included workload (16%), lack of support services (15%) and teaching quality (11%).

belonging TAKES A KNOCK

77% of students said they feel they belong at Essex, a drop of 4% compared with Term 1.

This is the first year we’ve tracked belonging across multiple points in the year, so it’s possible Term 2 is a natural dip - but we’ll keep monitoring.

nps score fALLS

Our Net Promoter Score (NPS) - a measure of how likely students are to recommend Essex - fell from +29 in Term 1 to +17 this term. This is the first drop in recent years.

opportunity to increase engagement

71% of students agreed they could engage with the opportunities Essex offers - down 4% from Term 1. Boosting engagement is a big opportunity for improvement.

anxiety is STILL THE MAIN BARRIER

For the second term in a row, anxiety was the top reason students didn’t get involved in opportunities at Essex, with 26% mentioning it.

Other big barriers were travel costs (24%) and needing to prioritise paid work (24%). The fact that anxiety continues to top the list shows just how strongly it’s affecting students’ day-to-day experience.

COURSE

COURSE nps score DOWN

Students were less likely to recommend their course this term, with the NPS falling from +32 to +19.

confidence in academic skills REMAINS THE SAME

75% of students feel confident in their academic skills - the same as Term 1.

By campus, Southend students reported the highest confidence (88%), followed by Loughton (82%) and Colchester (73%).

sense of COURSE COMMUNITY UNCHANGED

65% of students said they feel a sense of community on their course, consistent with Term 1.

Loughton students scored highest at 82%, although this was a 12% drop compared with their Term 1 results.

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

88% of students were satisfied with their experience at Essex in Term 2 (a slight dip from Term 1).
University NPS fell from +29 to +17.
Belonging dropped from 81% in Term 1 to 77% in Term 2.
Anxiety remains the biggest barrier to student engagement, topping the list for two terms running.