National Student Survey shows strengths of archaeology and forensic and archaeological sciences at York

News

Posted on Thursday 30 July 2026

The results of the 2026 National Student Survey (NSS) have revealed the strengths of the Department of Archaeology for the study of archaeology and forensic and archaeological sciences. We have excelled in ‘Academic support’ and ‘Learning Resources’.

Archaeology

We placed 5th in the UK for ‘Learning resources’ among universities included for archaeology in the 2026 National Student Survey (NSS).

Learning resources

Q20. ‘How well have the library resources (e.g., books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning’ - we scored 96%
Q21. ‘How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g., equipment, facilities, software) when you need them’ - we scored 94%
Q19. ‘How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?’ - we scored 84%

Forensic and archaeological sciences

We placed 6th in the UK ‘Learning resources’ among universities included for forensic and archaeological sciences in the 2026 National Student Survey (NSS).

Learning resources

Q20. ‘How well have the library resources (e.g., books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning’ - we scored 100%
Q21. ‘How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g., equipment, facilities, software) when you need them’ - we scored 92%
Q19. ‘How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?’ - we scored 92%

We placed 8th in the UK for ‘Academic support’ among universities included for forensic and archaeological sciences in the 2026 National Student Survey (NSS).

Academic support

Q15. ‘How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?’ - we scored 92%
Q16. ‘How well have teaching staff supported your learning?’ - we scored 100%

Stephanie Wynne-Jones, Head of the Department of Archaeology, said “It’s fantastic to see so much positive feedback from our students about their studies in the department. We work hard to give our students a positive and enriching experience and it’s wonderful to see this reflected in these results”.

What is the National Student Survey

The NSS is a nationwide survey of final-year students in higher and further education. They answer questions on a variety of aspects of their university experience, including their department and course.

Almost 2,800 York students responded to the 2026 survey, helping prospective applicants to compare courses and make informed decisions about where to study. The survey empowers those taking part to shape the future of their course, giving universities honest feedback on what they are doing well and where they can improve.

While 400+ institutions take part in the NSS, including Further Education colleges, these results are based on a sector-wide list of 130 universities typically found in domestic league tables.