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National Student Survey shows strengths of archaeology at York

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Posted on Wednesday 16 July 2025

The results of the 2025 National Student Survey have revealed the strengths of the Department of Archaeology for the study of archaeology and forensic and archaeological sciences.

The results of the 2025 National Student Survey 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’, ‘Learning Resources’, ‘Assessment and feedback’, ‘Teaching on my course’ and ‘Organisation and management.

Archaeology

We placed =3rd in the Russell Group and =9th in the UK for ‘Learning resources’ among universities included for archaeology in the 2025 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 94%
  • Q19. ‘How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?’ - we scored 93%
  • Q21. ‘How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g. equipment, facilities, software) when you need them?’ - we scored 85%

We placed 5th for ‘Academic Support’ in the Russell Group among universities included for archaeology  in the 2025 National Student Survey (NSS).

Academic Support

  • Q15. ‘How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?’ - we scored 95%
  • Q16. ‘How well have teaching staff supported your learning?’ - we scored 93%

Forensic and archaeological sciences

We placed 1st in the Russell Group and =2nd in the UK for ‘Learning resources’ among universities included for forensic and archaeological sciences in the 2025 National Student Survey (NSS).

Learning resources

  • Q21. ‘How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g. equipment, facilities, software) when you need them?’ - we scored 100%
  • Q19. ‘How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?’ - we scored 100%
  • Q20. ‘How well have the library resources (e.g. books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning?’ - we scored 94%

We placed =2nd for ‘Academic Support’ in the Russell Group among universities included for forensic and archaeological sciences in the 2025 National Student Survey (NSS).

Academic Support

  • Q15. ‘How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?’ - we scored 100%
  • Q16. ‘How well have teaching staff supported your learning?’ - we scored 82%

We also scored highly in other areas. We placed 3rd in the Russell Group for ‘Student voice’ ‘Assessment and Feedback’, ‘Teaching on my course’ and ‘Organisation and management’.

Professor 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 2025 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.