10 February 2011

ACS getting better and better say students

Following the recent changes to higher education funding and the increased tuition fees students will face from 2012, it is more important than ever that students are satisfied with every aspect of their University experience – from their course itself to their accommodation.

Every year, Accommodation and Commercial Services (ACS) asks its student residents what they think about living in University accommodation. The survey looks at satisfaction and importance of different aspects of University accommodation – from the accommodation itself to the food and drink outlets and the helpfulness of staff.

The 18th annual survey was conducted online in November 2010, two months after students arrived in Sheffield, and this year an impressive 34% of residents completed the survey. The results of have been analysed and 76% of students – more than ever before – are satisfied with their overall accommodation experience!

The increase in satisfaction is being driven by consistently high standards across the vast majority of areas surveyed, particularly: pre-arrival experience, accommodation, maintenance and helpfulness of staff.

Other key highlights include:

• Satisfaction with ‘value for money’ has increased with three out of five students satisfied, with scores highest for UK students
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• The number of students satisfied with the ‘welcome on arrival’ was 88% up from 37% in 2007
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• Student satisfaction with ‘feeling safe in your accommodation’ was up to 91% from 81% in 2009
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• 85% of students were satisfied with the ‘approachability’ of the Resident Support team who provide welfare advice in the residences
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• Over a third of all students said they would be ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to return to live in University accommodation, whilst for international students this rises to one in two