National Student Survey shows strengths of French studies and Iberian studies

News

Posted on Monday 20 July 2026

The results of the 2026 National Student Survey (NSS) have revealed the strengths of the Department of Language and Linguistic Studies for the study of French studies and Iberian studies. We have excelled in ‘Learning opportunities’, ‘Academic support’, ‘Organisation and management’ and ‘Learning Resources’.

French studies

We placed joint 1st in the UK for ‘Academic support’ among universities included for French studies in the 2026 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 100%

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

Learning resources

Q19. ‘How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?’ - we scored 94.6%
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 94.3%

We placed 8th in the UK for ‘Learning opportunities’ among universities included for French studies in the 2026 National Student Survey (NSS).

Learning opportunities

Q10. ‘How clear were the marking criteria used to assess your work?’ - we scored 74.6%
Q11. ‘How fair has the marking and assessment been on your course?’ - we scored 86.5%
Q12. ‘How well have assessments allowed you to demonstrate what you have learned?’ - we scored 61%
Q13. ‘How often have you received assessment feedback on time?’ - we scored 89.8%
Q14. ‘How often does feedback help you to improve your work?’ - we scored 66.1%

Iberian studies

We placed 1st in the UK for ‘Organisation and management’ among universities included for Iberian studies in the 2026 National Student Survey (NSS).

Organisation and management

Q17. ‘How well organised is your course?’ - we scored 87.1%
Q18. ‘How well were any changes to teaching on your course communicated?’ - we scored 100%

We placed 1st in the UK for ‘Academic support’ among universities included for Iberian studies in the 2026 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 100%

We placed 10th in the UK for ‘Learning resources’ among universities included for Iberian studies in the 2026 National Student Survey (NSS).

Learning resources

Q19. ‘How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?’ - we scored 89%
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 88.5%

We placed 10th in the UK ‘Learning opportunities’ among universities included for Iberian studies in the 2026 National Student Survey (NSS).

Learning opportunities

Q10. ‘How clear were the marking criteria used to assess your work?’ - we scored 85.7%
Q11. ‘How fair has the marking and assessment been on your course?’ - we scored 95.7%
Q12. ‘How well have assessments allowed you to demonstrate what you have learned?’ - we scored 78.6%
Q13. ‘How often have you received assessment feedback on time?’ - we scored 82.9%
Q14. ‘How often does feedback help you to improve your work?’ - we scored 68.6%

Professor Monika Schmid, Head of the Department of Language and Linguistic Science, said “One of the most important things to my colleagues in the Department of Language and Linguistic Science is to provide the best support we possibly can to each individual student. I am very excited to see that our students appreciate these efforts, with a clear 100% in the Academic Support category for French and Iberian studies."

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.

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.