Student satisfaction remains high across Scotland’s colleges

Photos: UHI Perth, Forth Valley College, Dundee and Angus College

The results of the Scottish Funding Council’s (SFC’s) annual Student Satisfaction and Engagement Survey (SSES) have been published today, highlighting high levels of satisfaction among students studying at Scotland’s colleges. 

The survey provides a national measure of student satisfaction and engagement and covers students studying full-time and part-time courses across the college sector. Students are asked to respond to 13 statements about their college experience, with overall satisfaction based on responses to the statement: “Overall, I am satisfied with my college experience.” 

This year’s results show that satisfaction remains consistently strong. Across Scotland, 95.5% of full-time further education (FE) students said they were satisfied with their college experience, while the figure for full-time higher education (HE) students studying in colleges was 92.9%. Response rates were also high for those studying full-time, with over 65% of FE students and over 59% of HE students taking part in the survey. 

Commenting on the results, Steven McDonald, Chief Information Officer at the SFC, said: 

“These results demonstrate the ongoing commitment of Scotland’s colleges to delivering a positive and high-quality experience for students and is a remarkable achievement for colleges at a time of pressure on public finances. The consistently high levels of satisfaction reported across the sector reflect the hard work of staff and the strong focus colleges place on listening to and responding to student feedback”.  

The College Student Satisfaction and Engagement Survey 2025-26 is now available on our website.