The University of Worcester has been shortlisted for three national awards following a host of positive reviews from its students.
The independent Whatuni Student Choice Awards are based reviews submitted by students and published on Whatuni.com. Over the last six months, more than 41,000 student reviews were submitted from 160 institutions, in which students said how they had found their studying experience.
Following this, Worcester has now been shortlisted in the Accommodation, International and Postgraduate categories of the Awards. Winners will be announced during a ceremony on April 25, presented by comedian, Omid Djalili.
University of Worcester, Pro Vice Chancellor, Ross Renton, said: “We are delighted to be shortlisted in these awards. Our priority as a University is to ensure that our students have the best experience possible during their time with us, whether that is through our drive towards academic excellence, accessible facilities, greater provision to address mental health and wellbeing, or creating a community of tolerance and inclusion for all. Therefore it is particularly pleasing that our students have given their seal of approval for the hard work we have done so far and continue to do, and it inspires us to find new ways to move the University forward. It is also encouraging to see that that approval has come from such a wide range of sources in the university community, including our international and postgraduate students.”
Postgraduate students rated the University of Worcester among the very best in the UK in the latest Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey released last year. This saw Worcester ranked 2nd, out of the 105 institutions to take part, for Assessment, 6th for Employability and 10th for Overall Satisfaction.
The University has invested heavily in providing outstanding accommodation for students and was recently praised by the Universities Minister for its accessibility. Chris Skidmore MP said the University of Worcester had “built their entire campus with accessibility in mind” and “are leading the way” in this field, and called on other institutions to follow its example.
The University currently has 620 international students from 52 different countries. The University’s International Experience team offers a host of support programmes to help students make the best of their time at Worcester.
This latest success builds on a series of continued successes for the University of Worcester, which is ranked 15th for teaching quality and 18th for student experience in The Times Good University Guide 2019. The University has one of the best overall employment rates in the UK, being in the top 10 for ‘Sustained employment with or without further study’ in the most recent Longitudinal Educational Outcomes data, which looks at employment rates 1, 3 and 5 years after graduation. 97% of Worcester graduates are working and/or studying six months after graduation.
Last year the University was ranked in the top 10 of universities, which best reflect society, according to analysis by the independent think tank, the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI). The study ranked Worcester eighth out of 132 universities for ensuring that people from all backgrounds have the chance to study at university.
Euan Morrison, Vice President of Worcester Students’ Union, said: “At the Students’ Union we are delighted to see that the University of Worcester has been shortlisted for not just one but three awards in this year’s Whatuni Student Choice Awards. Students are always the best judges of their own experiences and it is crucial to give them opportunities to feed back. Being recognised in these categories highlights that the University places importance on the student experience. There are clearly many students who have had a really positive time at Worcester which, for the SU, is great to see. We wish the University the best of luck for the 25th!”