The Essay
The Complex Factors Affecting Student Satisfaction
Student feedback can be a driver of institutional change, but how much can global events impact student opinions?
By EDUOpinions
The EU is the only region to see a rise in overall student ratings between 2017 and 2024, with the average rising by 0.23.
Student feedback has long been a core component of universities’ improvement strategies. However, the objective quality of internally collected feedback is debated. Higher education professionals have pointed out that traditional feedback models can fail to reach non-engaged students, who very often have the most feedback to give.
Student reviews portal EDUopinions has been collecting ratings of universities for almost ten years. In that time, students and institutions were confronted with significant challenges, from the COVID-19 pandemic to recent government policy changes that have hampered some students’ ability to study abroad.
What’s more, these global events – primarily out of institutions’ hands – have significantly impacted student satisfaction, as demonstrated by the trends in university ratings in the last seven years.
General trends in student reviews
Across all global regions, reviewers’ overall ratings for universities have decreased, with the largest drops for institutions in Australia (-0.3) and the US (-0.26). Only European universities have experienced a sustained rise in overall ratings between 2017 and 2024, specifically those in Spain, Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands, which are represented in this dataset.
Ratings for Australian universities, in particular, have struggled to rise after a significant drop between 2019 and 2021, likely due to COVID-19 and the rapid transition to online learning. Since 2022, EDUopinions has also asked reviewers if they are international students, and overall ratings from international students for Australian universities dropped between 2022 and 2024.
Meanwhile, trends in ratings for US institutions can broadly be mapped onto the presidential elections. There was a decrease in university ratings during President Donald Trump’s first term (2017-2019) and a subsequent increase when President Biden took office in 2021. While ratings for US universities rose in 2024 (similar trends were noted for UK and EU universities), overall, US institutions have suffered a significant drop in ratings (4.56 in 2017 to 4.23 in 2023).
Interestingly, ratings for Canadian universities followed an almost identical trend to US ratings until 2024. At this point, ratings for Canadian universities suffered a sharp drop, while US ratings recovered slightly. The same trend is visible when we look only at international student reviews – the US and Canada both saw a drop in ratings between 2022 and 2023, with Canada's ratings dropping further in 2024 and US ratings rising.
Given that our data comes from enrolled students and not applicants still considering a study destination, it’s impossible to attribute this ratings drop to the potential changes in student visa rules discussed in 2024.
However, it is notable that surveys showed that international applicants were losing interest in Canada as a study destination and warming to the US – as is shown in our student ratings data. Additionally, general increases in the cost of studying in Australia and Canada may have affected students’ overall study experience.
The winners in student ratings
As mentioned, the EU is the only region to see a rise in overall student ratings between 2017 and 2024, with the average rising by 0.23. However, the region is not immune to the effects of global events – European universities saw a minor drop in average ratings between 2020 and 2021 over the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, whereas universities in regions such as the UK, US and Australia have struggled to reverse this decline in pandemic student ratings, European universities have had no such trouble. This may be partly due to the relative ease of mobility across European countries, while other regions have implemented harsher rules governing international student mobility and the ability to stay in the country after completing a degree.
Indeed, the UK has yet to recover from two consecutive years of rating decreases in 2018 and 2019; average ratings have remained roughly consistent for the last five years. However, it’s worth noting that in 2024, UK universities received the joint-highest ratings with the US, with both regions seeing an upward trend between 2023 and 2024.
Naturally, it’s too early to tell whether this increase in ratings will be sustained throughout 2025. According to early data from international students, UK universities have experienced a rise in ratings in the year thus far, while the US has seen a drop.
Conclusion
Student feedback, whether given via internal systems or on independent platforms, is not offered in a bubble. The student experience is influenced by various factors, many of which an institution cannot control.
Student rating data proves just how much these external events impact student experiences. By taking this macro view, institutions can gain valuable insights into the overall trends affecting student experience and make more informed decisions about improving student satisfaction.
Research has suggested that political tension will continue to shape the higher education market in 2025. With this in mind, student feedback will continue to be influenced by varied factors, both in the university environment and outside of it.
Consequently, universities should consider embracing externally collected review data. Only by considering reviews and ratings given to platforms such as EDUopinions can institutions position themselves in the broader higher education market – whether in a specific city, country, or region – identify patterns, and make meaningful improvements to student life.