Nine out of 10 international students are satisfied at the University of Birmingham and more than eight out of 10 would recommend it to others – a leading survey reveals.

The latest International Student Barometer (ISB) Autumn 2015 wave shows that Birmingham is maintaining satisfaction levels year-on-year among overseas students with 91% satisfied at the University and 86% prepared to advise friends to join them on the Edgbaston campus.

At the University of Birmingham, some 2,300 students took part in the 2015 survey - 35% of the international student cohort of 6,600.

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Birmingham scored high levels of satisfaction in key areas of learning, such as subject area expertise of lecturers/supervisors (95%) and teaching ability of lecturers/supervisors (93%), as well as fair and transparent assessment of work (93%) and academic content of course/studies (92%).

And the University scored high satisfaction ratings for quality of living - with quality of the external campus environment at 93% and design and quality of the campus buildings scoring 91%. Some 92% of international students were also satisfied with the City of Birmingham itself.

Students were also positive about the institution's eco-friendly attitude to the environment (89%) and transport links (89%), as well as feeling safe and secure (88%).

The University also rated highly for its support services, with its Careers Network achieving 97% satisfaction. Birmingham is The Times/The Sunday Times’ University of the Year for Graduate Employability and also ranks first among the 13 surveyed Russell Group institutions for ‘Advice and guidance on long-term job opportunities and careers from academic staff’.  The University’s Guild of Students (96%) and clubs/societies (95%) also scored highly.

Welcoming international students to Birmingham scored well with enrolment/academic registration rated at 88% and meeting academic staff at 93%.

Professor Jeff Bale, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education and Chair of the International Student Experience Group, said:

“I am delighted that so many of our international students continue to be satisfied with the quality of learning and life they enjoy at the University of Birmingham and would recommend us to other overseas students. I believe this year’s responses show that the University of Birmingham continues to grow as a global university, which is highly attractive to international students.”

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Notes to Editors 

  • The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions, its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers and teachers and more than 5,000 international students from over 150 countries.
  • The International Student Barometer is a global survey of international students designed and run independently by I-graduate. In total 142,445 international students took part globally in the 2015 survey at 172 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in 18 countries, with 50 institutions taking part in the UK and 13 belonging to the Russell Group.
  • The survey offers insights on the international students’ experience with the university, focussing on their decision making process, their arrival at the institutions and their satisfaction with ‘learning’, ‘living’, and ‘support’ services.

For more information, please contact Tony Moran, International Communications Manager, University of Birmingham on +44 (0) 121 414 8254 or  +44 (0)782 783 2312