Welsh university named top university in Wales and second in the UK in Times survey
Nation Cymru staff
A Welsh university has received the ‘outstanding’ accolade of being named the number one in Wales, and second in the UK overall for student satisfaction.
The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) has once again achieved international recognition in the Times Higher Education’s analysis of the National Student Survey (NSS), ranking 1st in Wales and 2nd in the UK for overall student satisfaction for the second year in a row.
UWTSD’s outstanding performance was reflected across the full range of NSS themes, with the University ranking 1st in Wales in seven of the nine categories: Teaching on My Course, Learning Opportunities, Assessment and Feedback, Organisation and Management, Student Voice, Students’ Union, and Mental Wellbeing Services. The University also achieved 2nd in Wales for Academic Support and Learning Resources, demonstrating consistently high levels of student satisfaction across all aspects of the student experience.
This latest success builds on UWTSD’s strong reputation for delivering an outstanding student experience and reflects the strength of its learning environment, supportive community and student-centred approach.
The analysis, published by the Times Higher Education on 14 July 2026, draws on responses from more than 360,000 final-year undergraduate students across the UK and uses a consistent ‘overall positivity’ score to compare institutions.
UWTSD’s success was also reflected across a number of subject areas. The University ranked 1st in Wales for overall positivity measures in Management Studies, Art, Health Studies, Cinematics and Photography, Computer Games and Animation, Building, and Drama (NSS 2026). It also achieved 2nd in Wales for overall positivity measures in Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering (NSS 2026), demonstrating the breadth of the University’s commitment to delivering an excellent student experience across a wide range of disciplines.
Professor Elwen Evans KC, Vice-Chancellor of UWTSD, said: “These excellent NSS results reflect our unwavering commitment to putting students first. They highlight the outstanding teaching, academic support and care we provide throughout the student journey. I am incredibly proud of our whole university community and all that it does to make UWTSD such a welcoming, supportive and special place to study.
“To be recognised as the top university in Wales and second in the UK in the Times Higher Education analysis of the National Student Survey is a tremendous achievement. It is particularly pleasing to see such strong results across the NSS themes, with UWTSD ranked first in Wales in seven of the nine categories, alongside outstanding recognition across so many of our subject areas. These results are a testament to the dedication and expertise of our staff, who work in partnership with our students to create an exceptional learning experience.”
Since the revised NSS was released in 2023 the University has ranked 10th, 3rd, 2nd and 2nd once again this year in the UK. UWTSD’s consistently high performance reflects the University’s enduring commitment to personalised learning, close partnership with students and a culture of care, inclusion and support that enables every student to thrive.
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What a joke – an university closes down the Lampeter campus and removes courses from Carmarthen, running it down for 15 years to relocate courses to Cardiff, Swansea and over Offa’s Dyke and it has the temerity to call itself the University of Wales. And this happened without our great and good batting an eyelid at the scandal.
UWTSD has campuses in Lampeter, Carmarthen and Swansea. So yes it has a perfect right to be called the University of Wales.
Many universities have campuses abroad also. The overwhelming majority of students are educated in Wales.
SDUC has closed, the college was robbed for its degree awarding resource, and left to rot. The students were deprived of one of the friendliest campus in the UK. The town is less vibrant. Appalling.
Shocking. Has ran Lampeter College into the ground, and refuses to engage with the public.