National Student Survey shows strengths of drama and media studies at York

News

Posted on Wednesday 6 August 2025

The results of the 2025 National Student Survey have revealed the strengths of the School of Arts and Creative Technologies for the study of drama and media studies.

Drama

We placed 4th in the Russell Group and 8th in the UK for ‘Learning resources’ among universities included for drama 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 97%
Q20. ‘How well have the library resources (e.g. books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning?’ - we scored 95%
Q19. ‘How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?’ - we scored 82%

We placed 3rd for ‘Academic support’ in the Russell Group among universities included for drama in the 2025 National Student Survey (NSS).

Academic support

Q15. ‘How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?’ - we scored 97%
Q16. ‘How well have teaching staff supported your learning?’ - we scored 90%

We placed 4th for ‘Teaching on my course’ in the Russell Group among universities included for drama in the 2025 National Student Survey (NSS).

Teaching on my course

Q3. How often is the course intellectually stimulating? - we scored 97%
Q2. How often do teaching staff make the subject engaging? - we scored 95%
Q1. How good are teaching staff at explaining things? - we scored 92%
Q4. How often does your course challenge you to achieve your best work? - we scored 87%

Media studies

We placed =1st in the Russell Group for ‘Learning opportunities’ among universities included for media in the 2025 National Student Survey (NSS).

Learning opportunities

Q6. How well does your course introduce subjects and skills in a way that builds on what you have already learned? - we scored 94%
Q5. To what extent have you had the chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth? - we scored 85%
Q7. To what extent have you had the chance to bring together information and ideas from different topics? - we scored 85%
Q8. To what extent does your course have the right balance of directed and independent study? - we scored 82%
Q9. How well has your course developed your knowledge and skills that you think you will need for your future? - we scored 82%

We placed 2nd in the Russell Group for ‘Academic support’ among universities included for media in the 2025 National Student Survey (NSS).

Academic support

Q15. How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to? - we scored 94%
Q16. How well have teaching staff supported your learning? - we scored 94%

We placed 3rd in the Russell Group for ‘Assessment and feedback’ among universities included for media in the 2025 National Student Survey (NSS).

Assessment and feedback

Q13. How often have you received assessment feedback on time? - we scored 91%
Q12. How well have assessments allowed you to demonstrate what you have learned? - we scored 88%
Q11. How fair has the marking and assessment been on your course? - we scored 85%
Q14. How often does feedback help you to improve your work? - we scored 80%
Q10. How clear were the marking criteria used to assess your work? - we scored 71%

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.