University of Sussex named best in world for student diversity

The University of Sussex has been awarded the global award for student diversity in the Study Portals Global Satisfaction Awards 2021.

The award, which was presented to the university by former Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende at a virtual awards ceremony on Thursday, are awarded solely on student experience and feedback.

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The awards received 108,000 reviews from current and former students, with 4,000 universities reviewed and more than 440 institutions qualifying for the awards.

The student diversity award asked students to rate how friendly the atmosphere at their university was for people from diverse background – including different countries, cultures, religions, age, gender and special needs.

The University of Sussex was named the best in Europe, Middles and Africa, before taking the global award ahead of Northeastern University (United States) and the University of Queensland (Australia).

Professor Richard Follett, deputy pro vice chancellor at the University of Sussex, said the award is a “ringing endorsement of the university’s status as a leading global player in internationalisation and diversity”.

“It is reflective of a Sussex community that believes passionately in maximising the experiences of and opportunities for all our staff and students and in having a truly international perspective,” he said.

“We have shown through our recent key appointments in Equality, Culture and Inclusion how highly we value diversity and how committed we are to making Sussex one of the most inclusive institutions in the UK.”

Students rated their study experience on a scale from one to five when assessing their satisfaction in eight categories - overall satisfaction, student-teacher interaction, quality of student life, career development, student diversity, admission process, online classroom experience and Covid-19 crisis management.

The award winners were the university with the highest student satisfaction rating in its subject.

The award is the latest in a number of successes for the University of Sussex after being named university of the year for student retention in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022 and the best performing university in the UK in supporting the mobility of its students in the World’s Universities with Real Impact (WURI) 2021 Rankings.