Strong results for AHC in 2025 National Student Survey
The Faculty improved its position in 25 out of 27 individual NSS questions
The Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (AHC) has seen further significant progress in the 2025 National Student Survey (NSS), building on an already strong performance and reflecting the Faculty’s ongoing commitment to delivering an outstanding student experience.
The NSS is an annual UK-wide survey of final-year undergraduates, inviting students to reflect on their experience of learning and teaching at university.
This year’s results show progress across every theme of the survey, with particularly high scores in ‘teaching on my course’ (88.5%), ‘academic support’ (88%) and ‘learning resources’ (88.2%). Improvements were also seen in ‘learning opportunities’ (78.5%) and ‘organisation and management’ (78%). The Faculty made especially strong gains in ‘assessment and feedback’, which rose by six percentage points to 78.4%, and in ‘student voice’, which increased by nearly five percentage points to 76.1%.
AHC students responded positively to individual questions on the quality of teaching and intellectual stimulation, with 94.4% agreeing that staff are good at explaining things and 90.7% finding their course intellectually stimulating.
The most improved score came in response to the question “How often have you received assessment feedback on time?”, which rose by 16%. Other standout results include 89.7% of students agreeing it was easy to contact teaching staff when needed, and 87.8% feeling they had the right opportunities to give feedback on their course.
Across the board, the Faculty improved its position in 25 out of 27 individual NSS questions, highlighting the impact of continued efforts to enhance every aspect of the student journey.
Professor Andrew Thorpe, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, said:
“These results demonstrate the hard work undertaken by colleagues across the Faculty to ensure that our students feel supported, challenged and listened to throughout their time at Leeds. I’m particularly pleased to see improvements in areas where we’ve placed a strong focus, such as assessment and feedback and the student voice. We remain committed to listening to students, acting on their insights and continuing to shape an inclusive and inspiring educational experience together.”
Dr Matthew Lickiss and Professor Sascha Stollhans, Pro-Deans for Student Education at the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, said:
“We’re absolutely delighted to see such positive progress across all areas of the NSS. While there’s always more to do, this year’s results give us real confidence that we’re heading in the right direction. The results are also a testament to the value of close partnership working with Leeds University Union, which remains a vital part of the wider student experience at Leeds. Together with our students, schools, and the brilliant teams across the Faculty, we’re excited to keep improving the learning experience in meaningful and lasting ways.”
The NSS results show that the University of Leeds has improved both its overall positivity score as well as its position relative to the benchmark.
Notable gains at a thematic level include student voice, where the University has improved by eight percentage points to 76%, assessment and feedback with a seven percentage point improvement to 74%, and organisation and management where the University has improved by five percentage points to 78%.
Leeds University Union (LUU) continues to perform excellently, at 79%, five percentage points above the benchmark.
Professor Shearer West, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Leeds, said:
“The heartening improvement in our 2025 National Student Survey speaks to what is possible when we place students at the centre of our thinking, listen to their views, act on their insights and work in genuine partnership to improve their experience and outcomes.”
