University of Cambridge offers the second best overall student experience in the UK, a recent Times Higher Education Survey has found.

The Survey put Cambridge once again within the top three institutions for student experience, alongside Oxford and Loughborough. The survey was based on factors identified by students as contributing to an overall positive time at university.

For the fourth year in succession, Loughborough University was chosen as offering the best student experience in the country. Facilities including the students’ union and sports centres were highlighted as contributing to the overall positive experience of Loughborough students.

Cambridge was placed among the top 10 institutions deemed to offer the “best teaching and learning experience,” which was one of the aspects surveyed. Other top performing universities in this field included Oxford, St Andrews, and Leicester.

Marie Pointer, a college lecturer at Murray Edwards College said she was “flattered at the positive feedback.” She identified the “top people in each research field” as contributors to the successful teaching experience. She added, “it is interesting that the teaching is rated so highly and yet many third years decide not to go to their supervisions.”

Cambridge was also selected as offering the “most helpful and interested staff.”

When asked whether this poll reflected the thoughts of current Cambridge students, Megan Bradley, a first year PPS student replied, “I think the achievement of 'most helpful and interested staff' reflects the distinctive supervision system of Cambridge, as it provides really good support.”

Rebecca Dickie, a first year law student was “surprised at an overall second place.” According to her, “there is a lot of pressure to put academic life first, sometimes sacrificing the usual student life experience.”

The Times Higher Education Survey used market research performed by the agency Opinionpanel. Students were asked for 21 attributes that they thought contributed towards a positive student experience, ranging from the quality of teaching and facilities to student support and social life.

11,000 undergraduates were asked to rate these 21 aspects of student life. The scores were then correlated for each survey attribute against the likelihood that students would recommend their university to a friend.