St Mary’s University, Twickenham is celebrating an outstanding performance in the 2026 National Student Survey (NSS) published today (July 8 2026). Overall, St Mary’s now ranks 13th out of all universities in the UK* - climbing 21 places since last year. The University also ranks 2nd in London, climbing two places.
The NSS, which surveys final year undergraduate students on their university experience, found that St Mary’s had improved across all seven of the key themes, ranking in the top five in London for: Teaching, learning opportunities, academic support, and organisation and management.
Speaking of the results, St Mary’s Vice-Chancellor Prof Anthony McClaran said, "I am delighted to see the outcomes of this year’s NSS. Our teams here live our values, and through tenacity, creativity and empathy, they deliver an outstanding experience for our students.
“In over 175 years of delivering education for our global community it is heartening to see that our University’s relentless focus on excellence, respect and inclusivity, and approach to higher education with humanity and generosity of spirit, continues to deliver graduates who are ready for work – and confident in their futures.
“I would like to thank our students for their engagement with the survey and their ongoing support for this University. I look forward to seeing many of them at our Strawberry Hill campus for graduation ceremonies next week, where our academic and support teams will join me in celebrating their success.”
In the ‘Learning opportunities’ category – which focuses on how academic courses explore concepts in depth, connect topics, and develop skills for the future – the University is placed within the top 10 universities in the UK.
The University is building on its strong foundation of teaching excellence, with 89.4% highly rating ‘Teaching on my course’, which reviews how well academic staff deliver content, explain complex ideas, make subjects engaging, and support student learning.
In addition, results underline academics’ commitment to learning and support, with St Mary’s scoring 91.5% for ‘Academic support’, which looks at both how easy it is for students to reach teaching staff when they need help, and the extent to which staff have provided advice and support. St Mary’s University ranks within the top five universities in London, and top 30 in the country for these factors.
*amongst higher education providers with university status (excluding specialist providers)
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