Do “global” student-satisfaction medals line up with the UK’s NSS? A reality check
What we checked
- Studyportals past winners (2019, 2021, 2023, 2025): UK institutions that received medals. Studyportals
- NSS 2025/2024 results: overall positivity standings and theme scores, plus sector commentary and press summaries that benchmark institutions. University of Essex
- Independent round-ups: Times Higher Education’s analysis of overall performers and The Times’s ranking-style synthesis (because OfS does not publish a single “overall rank”). The Times
UK winners on Studyportals (2019–2025) vs. NSS-UK outcomes
| Studyportals medal & year | UK university | What the medal recognises | Latest NSS signal (overall or notable theme) | What’s the takeaway? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 – Overall Satisfaction (global) | Cardiff University | Highest overall student satisfaction (Studyportals, international reviews) Studyportals | Cardiff posts positives in NSS at school/theme level, but it is not among the top overall institutions in 2025 round-ups (top spots go to Bishop Grosseteste, UWTSD, UHI). Times Higher Education (THE) | Discrepancy: Global medal ≠ top-tier NSS standing. Great in places, but not nationally leading on NSS overall. |
| 2021 – Student Diversity (global) | University of Sussex | Diversity experience rated highly by international reviewers Studyportals | Sussex jumps 18 places in 2025 to 6th in the UK for overall positivity; strong theme scores (e.g., teaching 94.4%). University of Sussex | Alignment: External diversity kudos and strong recent NSS performance track together. |
| 2019 – Student-Teacher Interaction (global) | University of Cambridge | Teaching interaction quality (global reviews) Studyportals | The Times’ analysis of NSS 2025 places Cambridge ~94th on overall satisfaction (method: composite across themes). The Times | Glaring gap: A world-class brand with a 2019 interaction medal is low in overall NSS satisfaction in 2025 analyses. |
| 2019 – Online Classroom Experience (global) | **University of Essex | Online** | Online learning experience (global reviews) Studyportals | Essex Online reports meeting/exceeding sector across many NSS categories in 2024; library/skills items >90% positivity. University of Essex Online |
Notes on methodology differences: Studyportals medals are based on international student reviews aggregated globally; NSS is a UK final-year undergraduate census with theme-based positivity metrics and no single official “overall rank.” Independent media compile institution-level standings by averaging themes—useful for benchmarking, but technically not an OfS “league table.”
What the mismatches tell us
- Different populations, different lenses. Studyportals leans toward international, self-selecting reviewers; NSS covers all final-year undergrads. A university can delight its international cohort (Studyportals medal) yet land mid-pack overall in NSS.
- Category vs. composite. A medal for “student-teacher interaction” or “online experience” celebrates a slice of the experience. Composite NSS syntheses penalise weaknesses in other themes (assessment & feedback, organisation & management, student voice). Cambridge is the stark example: celebrated for interaction (2019) yet rated relatively low on overall satisfaction in 2025 syntheses.
- Momentum matters. Sussex shows how targeted improvement can align systems: an earlier Studyportals diversity win plus sustained NSS gains → coherent student-success story.
- Global marketing vs. domestic reality. Cardiff’s 2025 global “Overall Satisfaction” medal is gold for international marketing. But on NSS, the top “student satisfaction” headlines in 2025 belong to smaller, teaching-focused providers. For students weighing the UK-specific teaching environment, those local signals are powerful.
Bottom line for applicants (esp. international)
- Use both: Studyportals medals to understand international sentiment and specific strengths, and NSS to gauge day-to-day teaching, assessment, support as experienced by the wider UK cohort.
- Watch the themes (assessment & feedback, organisation & management) — they often explain why a globally loved brand underperforms on “overall positivity.” Ipsos
Sources
- Studyportals Global Student Satisfaction Awards – past winners (2019, 2021, 2023, 2025). Studyportals
- OfS: NSS 2025 dashboards & guidance; Ipsos methodological notes. Office for Students
- THE: “NSS 2025 – which university performed best?” (round-up of overall leaders). Times Higher Education (THE)
- The Times: analysis placing Cambridge 94th overall; sector context. The Times
- Institution posts: Sussex NSS 2025 improvement; Essex Online NSS 2024 category highs.
