The OU’s 2026 National Student Survey results

Posted on 9 July 2026 • University news

The results of the National Student Survey (NSS) 2026 have been published, with The Open University (OU) continuing to perform strongly across key areas of the student experience.  

This year, 14,966 OU students took part and overall have highly rated the OU for its teaching, assessment and organisation of their courses.  

• 90.9% of students responded positively about the teaching on their course, 2.8% higher than the sector average.  

• 90.1% of students rated assessment and feedback positively, that’s 7.2% higher than the sector average.  

• 91.5% rated the organisation of their course positively, 11.2% above the sector. This puts the OU fifth when compared with other universities.   

• Our IT resources and facilities were rated eighth compared with other universities at 92.5%, 5% higher than the sector average.  

Across the nations, the OU also achieved strong results for overall satisfaction compared with other universities, ranking:  

• 1st in Northern Ireland.  

• 2nd in Scotland.  

• 1st in Wales.  

There is no equivalent ranking for England available.

Professor Ian Pickup, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Students at The Open University, said:  

“We are delighted that this year’s student feedback continues to reflect a positive experience of studying with us.  

“We are grateful to the many students who shared their views, and we are committed to continuing to work with them to ensure the student voice shapes how we enhance the student experience and deliver our new strategy, with its strong focus on student success.”  

The full NSS survey results are available from the Office for Students.  

What is the National Student Survey?  

The NSS is an annual survey of final-year undergraduate students studying for higher education qualifications at publicly funded higher education institutions and further education colleges in England and Wales, and higher education institutions in Northern Ireland and Scotland.  

The survey asks students about different aspects of their experience, including teaching, learning opportunities, assessment and feedback, academic support, organisation and management, learning resources, learning community and student voice. 

Ranking positions are based on institutions on the Office for Students register with degree awarding powers and / or the right to use ‘University’ in their title.