STUDENTS WELCOME RETURN TO CAMPUS, BUT MAJORITY VALUE REMOTE LEARNING EXPERIENCE.

A recent survey of over 1,000 students by leading student accommodation website www.accommodationforstudents.com (AFS) revealed that current students were satisfied with their overall University experience (scoring 7.5/10).

Most respondents (52%) were experiencing a mix of on-campus and remote learning, while 39% were primarily on-campus and 8% were studying remotely. Satisfaction levels with the quality of teaching styles was consistent across all teaching methods (7.6/10). Almost 60% of students scored 8/10 or higher for satisfaction and closer analysis revealed there were very little differences in satisfaction levels between the students experiencing the different methods of teaching. 

Furthermore, most students actively want some elements of remote learning to remain in the longer term, in particular access to recorded lectures to provide flexibility and the opportunity to catch up ‘on-demand’.   

The current cohort of university students are equally satisfied with their student accommodation, scoring an average of 7 (on a scale of 10) with over half of respondents a highly satisfied 8 or above. The survey revealed that one of the most important criteria for satisfaction with their accommodation was how well the property was managed. Current students are broadly satisfied with their property management (6.9), however those that experienced the best standard of property management were likely to be most satisfied overall. 

While previous AFS research has indicated that price and location were the two most important criteria for students when searching for accommodation, this research revealed that these factors had little impact on satisfaction levels once the student had taken occupation of the property. By way of example, students who lived over 1 hour away from university were just as satisfied with their accommodation as those that live under 5 minutes walk away. 

Commenting on the research, Simon Thompson, Managing Director of AFS said, ‘Students have successfully adapted to the changes, both in the way they experience University and how they search for and find accommodation. This presents opportunities for both Universities and Student accommodation professionals in the way they engage with students in the longer term.”  

The study also revealed the dramatic rise in online methods for searching for accommodation and students’ satisfaction with these methods. This is best illustrated by the fact that students were just as satisfied with property viewings undertaken online as they were with a traditional property tour.