UK Universities

The research, commissioned by HEDQF, asked 1,000 students from UK universities for their views on the quality of their university campus and sheds new light on how students make decisions as they go through the application process. When asked what the most important factors were when deciding where to study, 76% of students [blank] campus facilities as either 'quite' or 'very' important, with only 8% saying it was 'not very' or 'not at all' important in their choice. This was the fourth most important factor after course, location and reputation. Estate quality increases in importance once a student has chosen a university, with 86% of students saying that it is 'quite' or 'very' important in their first year of studies. However, the importance students [blank] to estates decreases to 79% for third years students. The research also highlighted how factors such as demographics, region and type of university attended have an impact on how students view university buildings. Students at Russell Group universities are much more likely to describe their buildings as 'inspiring', closely followed by students at newer universities such as Lincoln, Gloucestershire and Ravensbourne College. This pattern was repeated when students were asked to rate the overall quality and design of the estate, with Russell Group students and students from newer universities more likely to rate the estate as excellent. [blank] data shows capital expenditure on estates has been the highest amongst the Russell Group universities during 2001-2011. When asked where they would invest money in their universities, the top three areas in order of preference were: smaller class sizes, bursaries for poorer students and new buildings and facilities. When their expenditure options were restricted to estate-only items, the repair and maintenance of existing buildings came out top with 77%, which suggests that new buildings should not be at the [blank] of the rest of the estate, and may even highlight the deficiencies of tired and outmoded facilities.