National Student Survey shows strengths of environment and geography at York

News

Posted on Wednesday 16 July 2025

The results of the 2025 National Student Survey have revealed the strengths of the Department of Environment and Geography for the study of environmental sciences and physical geographical sciences. We have excelled in ‘Learning Resources’ and ‘Academic Support’.

Environmental Sciences

We placed 2nd in the Russell Group and 5th in the UK for ‘Learning resources’ among universities included for environment and geography in the 2025 National Student Survey (NSS).

Learning resources

Q19. ‘How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?’ - we scored 96%
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 96%

Physical Geographical Sciences

We placed 5th in the Russell Group for ‘Academic Support’ among universities included for physical geographical 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 93%

Roland Gehrels, Head of the Department of Environment and Geography, said “This year's NSS results reflect our continued commitment to delivering an outstanding student experience across all our programmes. Environmental Sciences has achieved exceptional results, ranking 2nd in the Russell Group and 5th nationally for Learning Resources, highlighting our commitment to providing excellent facilities and support. Environmental Geography is also recognised for excellence, placing 5th in the Russell Group for Academic Support, with our Environment, Economics and Ecology programme also performing strongly in this area. We’re particularly pleased with the progress of our Human Geography and Environment programme, which improved in six out of seven categories. These results demonstrate the strength of our solutions-focused teaching and our deep commitment to community and student support.”.

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.