Universities have been warned they will be under pressure to raise standards in the face of increased tuition fees after figures showed nearly one in 10 is dissatisfied with their degree.
The research, conducted by the National Student Survey, has been a cause for concern for the University and College Union (UCU).
A spokesperson for the UCU told the Huffington Post UK: “In the back of a lot of people’s minds will be the worry if you triple the price of something, the quality needs to improve threefold.
“Universities will not actually be making more money, they are simply charging more to subsidise government cuts. Nevertheless there will be a massive pressure on universities to deliver.”
The 2011 survey questioned more than a quarter of a million final-year students on topics ranging from academic support to personal development. The results showed 83 per cent of students from 154 universities were satisfied with their courses but 16% were unhappy with the level of feedback and 9% were unhappy with their courses overall.
Sally Hunt, the UCU’s general secretary, described the figures as "encouraging", but warned: “Students and their families will start to expect more bang for the extra bucks they are being forced to shell out for a university education."
The survey is commissioned annually by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), whose role is to ensure the quality of teaching in higher education is monitored. The research is also undertaken on behalf of the Welsh funding council equivalent but Scottish institutions are responsible for their own participation.