UHI celebrates outstanding student satisfaction in 2025 National Student Survey

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The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) is delighted to announce its best-ever performance in the 2025 National Student Survey (NSS). UHI has achieved outstanding results, surpassing both its own benchmarks and the Scottish sector average, reinforcing its commitment to providing an exceptional student experience.

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Students on Inverness Campus walking out of the student accommodation. Photo credit: Tim Winterburn and UHI.

UHI officially recorded an overall satisfaction rate of 86%, an increase of five percentage points on last year’s figure of 81%, and well above the Scottish sector average of 81%. This places UHI 4th in Scotland for overall satisfaction, its highest ever ranking in the NSS.

Conducted annually by Ipsos, the NSS gathers feedback from final-year undergraduate students across the UK. This year’s results highlight UHI’s continued progress and improvement across all survey themes.

Four students sitting at a table talking.

UHI improved its results in every question theme compared to 2024, outperforming the Scottish sector in all areas. Four degree programmes achieved 100% overall satisfaction demonstrating the breadth of high-quality teaching and student support across the university:

  • BSc (Hons) Audio Engineering
  • BA (Hons) Criminology
  • BA (Hons) Food, Nutrition and Textiles Education
  • BA (Hons) Theatre Industry Practice

Close up of students during a performance rehearsal.

Vicki Nairn, UHI Principal and Vice-Chancellor, said:

“This remarkable achievement reflects the dedication and hard work of our staff across the partnership and the vibrant, supportive academic community we nurture at UHI. Reaching our highest ever overall satisfaction score and an NSS formal rating of 4th in Scotland is testament to our shared commitment to delivering high-quality, accessible education that transforms lives, unlocks potential and empowers our students to shape the future of our communities across the UHI partnership.”

Professor Keith Smyth, Dean of Learning, Teaching and Students, added:

“These results show that our students recognise and value the learning environment we have created together. I am hugely grateful to all our students for their positive feedback and to our staff for their unwavering commitment to our students’ success.”

Large group of sporting students at UHI Varsity 2025, organised by Highlands and Islands Students’ Association.
Highlands and Islands Students’ Association (HISA) President Xander McDade welcomed the results, saying:

“This year's excellent feedback from our students is recognition of the hard work done across the UHI partnership by staff, students and HISA. We know UHI students value our work representing them, supporting clubs and societies and providing support through our advice service. This is reflected in our high scores in the student voice theme of the NSS. These positive results should encourage students who are still deciding where they may want to study next year to #ThinkUHI.”