essex FEELS welcoming 

98% of first-year students agreed Essex is welcoming, +1% from last year and unchanged from 2022/23, representing a real endorsement for the collaborative welcome efforts of the University and Students’ Union.

Southend students reported the highest “very welcoming” ratings, while international students felt slightly more welcomed than UK students.

SETTLING IN COULD BE SMOOTHER 

83–85% of students said they’ve settled into life at Essex, consistent year-on-year. This shows stability but also signals room to improve how new students transition into university life.

belonging DIPs slightly 

79% of new students felt they belonged (-2% from last year). Southend saw the biggest rise (+6%), while UK students tended to choose “agree” rather than “strongly agree.”

pre arrival INFO HARD TO FIND  

Only 71% found online information easy to access before arrival - down from 74% last year. Loughton students struggled the most (45%), compared with Colchester (71%) and Southend (80%).

Insights from this question have continued to point to this being an area for improvement and action across several years now.   

navigation is a BIG ISSUE

The percentage of students in Colchester who agree that it has been easy to find their way around the University has decreased from 67% in 2023/24 to 59% this year. 

Just 59% of Colchester students said it was easy to find their way around campus (down from 67% in 2023/24). In contrast, almost all students at Loughton (96%) and Southend (95%) said navigation was easy. “Finding directions” was also flagged as the worst part of students’ first month.

Increased Welcome signage should have improved the figure vs last year, therefore it’s reasonable to assume this decrease points to challenges with room numbering.  

opportunity to improve support 

80% knew where to find support if struggling - unchanged from previous years. But that still leaves one in five without awareness of available help.

static awareness of opportunities   

77% knew about SU/University opportunities outside of study - unchanged from last year.

Postgrads scored lower (74%) compared with undergrads (79%), indicating further need to improve Postgraduate specific communication.

departmental inductions improve  

80% rated departmental inductions positively, up 5% since 2022/23.

This increase reflects positively on the work that has taken place at a departmental level, including joint-working between the University and the Students’ Union, to deliver effective inductions and events for new students.

Opportunity to better prepare students 

57% felt well prepared for studies - up 4% from last year, but still an area to grow.

A certain level of uncertainty is to be expected in starting University studies, however this could represent an opportunity to further improve the welcome experience by providing students with more support before they start their studies.

course confidence is fairly consistent 

91% agreed they were on the right course (consistent year-on-year). The proportion who “strongly agreed” has dipped slightly over three years.

rise in students meeting on their course 

84% said they successfully met peers on their course, up from 78% in 2022/23. HSC (93%) and PPS (92%) students scored highest.

This increase highlights the success of the work that has taken place at a departmental level, through collaboration between the University and the Students’ Union.

FEWER FRIENDSHIPS OUTSIDE COURSE 

Only 63% rated opportunities to meet people beyond their course as positive. This is significantly lower than the success rate of meeting other students on their course, so this remains an area where both the SU and University can do more.

slow rise in making friends in first month 

82% said they made friends in their first month at Essex - up from 80% in 2022/23. Loughton students had the highest rates (94%).

sU-LED ACTIVITIES MAKING A BIG IMPACT 

Perhaps expectedly, most students made friends on their course (386), followed by in accommodation (206), reflecting the two likely highest areas of time spent.

Of significant interest is the total number of respondents that made friends through Students’ Union-led activities (305) which, when totalled, exceeds accommodation and comes closer to those met through their course. 

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