Why international students are backing Britain
British universities are rating highly when it comes to international student satisfaction, according to a new report seen by Portergate Property Management.
The UK is in the top ten European countries in the survey of students which has been carried out by the StudyPortals website.
The research also highlights the key role that quality accommodation, like Portergate’s acclaimed Riverside House in Salford, plays in keeping students happy during their time at university.
British universities scored an average of 8.8 out of 10 among the overseas students who took part in the research – putting us above France and Spain but below Germany in the European league table.
The UK was placed ninth out of 19 European nations in the research, which was carried out on the website’s European Commission funded student experience exchange platform STeXX.eu.
It was based on reviews written by 17,000 students from all over Europe. A StudyPortals spokesman said: “International students in the UK would rate their experience 8.8 out of 10, showing that they are overall very satisfied.”
According to the survey, the biggest areas that influence that satisfaction rating are a good city atmosphere, a well-regarded university, friendly locals and welcoming teachers.
Together those factors account for a quarter of all comments in the survey. The biggest negative influences are living costs, poor accommodation, excessive red tape and low teaching levels.
The spokesman added: “This survey is purely experienced based, looking at if and why students would recommend their international university experience.
“Much like TripAdvisor, this allows prospective students to get a better idea of what to expect and helps to establish what international students find important in order to improve the quality of international study.
“As well as this in-depth analysis, it allows a comparison of student satisfaction across the whole of Europe for the first time.”
One Manchester student taking part in the survey told the website: “Manchester is a vibrant city with lots of students, every day something is going on, there is no time to get bored and think about home.”
Portergate’s acclaimed Riverside House student accommodation in Salford has a boutique feel, with modern, stylish kitchens and bathrooms.
Each luxury apartment includes fully-furnished living space and fitted kitchen complete with appliances. Bedrooms are also fully furnished and have broadband internet.
