2018 Higher Education Student Experience data
The annual Student Experience Survey comprises five aspects:[1]
- Skills Development (81% of students surveyed gave a positive rating)
- Learner Engagement (60%)
- Teaching Quality (81%)
- Student Support (73%), and
- Learning Resources (84%)
These factors are reported separately, and collectively, as a measure of the ‘Quality of the Entire Educational Experience’. Seventy-nine per cent of all students gave a positive rating to their overall educational experience.
Students at non-university providers gave higher ratings on all aspects of their educational experience except ‘learning resources’. This result has been stable over time and reflects the significant financial resources available to the university sector.[2]
Undergraduate student experience by provider type (2018)
Amongst university undergraduate students the average positive rating for overall educational experience was 79.2 per cent. The universities with the highest ratings for overall educational experience were:
- University of Divinity (91.5%)
- The University of Notre Dame (89.3%)
- Bond University (88.6%)
- University of New England (84.1%)
- Edith Cowan University (83.8%)
The universities with the lowest ratings were:
- Victoria University (72.0%)
- Charles Darwin University (73.9%)
- The University of Sydney (74.3%)
- University of New South Wales (74.4%)
- University of Southern Queensland (76.7%)
Quality of entire educational experience for undergraduate university students, 2018 (% positive)
In the non-university sector, the average positive rating for overall educational experience was 79.5 per cent.[3] The providers with the highest ratings for overall educational experience were:
- Adelaide Central School of Art (96.3%)
- Moore Theological College (95.8%)
- Jazz Music Institute (95.5%)
- Campion College (95.0%)
- Australian College of Theology Ltd (93.8%)
Those with the lowest ratings were:
- SP Jain School of Management (45.5%)
- Whitehouse Institute of Design, Australia (50.4%)
- The Australian Institute of Music (56.3%)
- Chisholm Institute of TAFE (61.1%)
- Holmes Institute (62.3%)
Quality of entire educational experience for undergraduate non-university HEP students, 2017 and 2018 (% positive rating)
Different fields of study had different ratings for overall educational experience. Those with the highest ratings (4% or higher than the overall average) were:
- Rehabilitation (86%)
- Veterinary science (86%)
- Medicine (83%)
- Psychology (83%)
Those with the lowest rating (4% or lower than the average) were:
- Dentistry (70%)
- Computing and information systems (73%)
- Engineering (75%)
Ratings also differed amongst some student groups – although less so on some indicators than might be expected. Those with the biggest differences (4% or greater) were:
- Female (81%) and male (77%)
- Home language – English (80%) and other languages (76%)
- Domestic student (80%) and international student (76%)
The report has a raft of information about the factors influencing students to leave studies prior to completion of their undergraduate degree. It also contains detailed information at the provider level.
The report is available here and the QILT website allows for comparisons on these and a range of other factors, including employment outcomes, across up to six providers at once: https://www.qilt.edu.au
[1]This analysis focuses on undergraduate students, the survey also collects data on the experiences of post-graduate coursework students.
[2]Survey results at the highest level across the five aspects of the student experience have also been stable since 2014.
[3]Due to student numbers at some HEPs data is pooled from responses to the 2017 and 2018 survey. Participation in the survey is not mandatory and some HEPs choose not to participate.
