Our recent AFS Student Experience Survey 2025 gave insights into which universities that students are actually happiest at, with the latest satisfaction rankings providing interesting results. At the top, University of Bristol came out with an impressive 9.0/10 average score.
Students at Bristol say the big reasons for their high ratings are:
- Really solid support services
- A strong sense of community
- Loving life in the city
Top 5 universities for student satisfaction
According to the results of our survey, which took into account the opinions of 337 student participants, in their eyes these are the highest ranking universities:
- University of Bristol – 9.0
- Swansea University – 8.6
- University of Manchester – 8.5
- Sheffield Hallam University – 8.5
- Manchester Metropolitan University – 8.5
The responses show that these universities seem to shine when it comes to providing student support, community feel, and overall quality of life.
Bottom 5 universities for student satisfaction
Despite this, at the other end of the list, some universities scored noticeably lower:
- University of Central Lancashire – 6.3
- Cardiff University – 6.1
- Liverpool John Moores University – 6.0
- University of Leicester – 6.0
- City, St George’s, University of London – 5.5
Students at these universities mentioned things like “heavier workloads” and “weaker support services” as reasons for their lower ratings.
