FEWER students in Scotland are happy with their course, a major new survey has revealed.

Overall 83% of students said they were “satisfied with the quality” of their course in 2018, compared to 85% of full-time students and 86% of part-timers the previous year.

The results of the latest National Student Survey also showed a slight fall in the number who said staff were “good at explaining things” and their course was “well organised and running smoothly”.

In the 2017 survey 90% of full-time students in Scotland and 89% of those studying part-time were happy with how staff explained issues - with this dropping to 89% and 86% respectively this year.

Meanwhile 64% of full-time students and 69% of part-time students described their course as well organised, compared to 66% and 75% respectively in 2017.

Alastair Sim, director of Universities Scotland, said: “Students have been an active partner in ensuring quality in university teaching and the educational experience for over ten years in Scotland.

“Today’s survey is another way of giving students a voice on their experience at university and it’s a survey that universities pay close attention to.

“83% of students in Scotland are satisfied with the quality of their course, 89% think staff are good at explaining things and 85% think the course is intellectually stimulating.

“That’s a very strong report card for our universities but we’ll obviously want to try to understand what sits behind the minor, 1% drop in overall satisfaction amongst full-time students and a 3% drop amongst part-time students.”

The survey takes in the views of more than 320,000 students across the UK, with learners from 423 colleges and universities taking part.

Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of the Office for Students, added: “We run the NSS to help ensure that students’ voices are heard and understood - so that universities and colleges can work to give all students a positive experience of higher education.

“The NSS is a highly credible and long-established survey which continually achieves a very high response rate. The results are an invaluable tool for universities and colleges to improve students’ experience of higher education.

“While I am pleased to see the overall satisfaction rate remains high, the data shows that there is more work to be done to ensure all students have a high quality and fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers.”