Education Partnership North East’s Higher Education provision has been ranked among the country’s best universities in the latest National Student Survey (NSS).
The group, which includes Sunderland College, Northumberland College and Hartlepool Sixth Form College, received very strong results across key themes including quality of teaching – 5.5% above the Office for Students (OfS) benchmark – in the annual survey which gathers student’s opinions on the quality of their courses.
Learning opportunities, academic support, and student voice also outperformed the sector benchmarks, with several programmes across the group receiving 100% positivity score from students, including Counselling and Crime and Criminal Justice.
Judith Quinn, EPNE’s Group Executive Principal for National Skills Higher Education, said: “The National Studeny Survey results are a fantastic endorsement of the outstanding experience we provide our Higher Education students.
“We are incredibly proud that our students have rated us so highly across so many areas, and their feedback reflects the dedication of our staff and our commitment to providing career-focused education and equality of opportunity that equips learners with the higher skills, confidence and knowledge to succeed.”
Overall, students praised the teaching on their course, with 97% reacting positively, with a 92% positivity for assessment and feedback (3.6% above the sector benchmark).
The group’s careers-focussed curriculum was also a standout with 93% reacting positively when asked how well their course developed the knowledge and skills for the future, against a 91% benchmark.
Many other areas indicated high quality, with students giving learning opportunities a 90.8% positivity rate, while the group’s efforts were praised in the student voice theme.
EPNE’s commitment to providing a changemaking student experience also scored highly, with a 98.5% positivity score when it came to students expressing their ideas, opinions and beliefs, and 91% positivity score in students’ opinions being valued by staff.
The group offers a wide range of university-level courses including Foundation and full-degree top ups across its colleges, with high-quality teaching and learning, smaller class sizes, employer links, flexible study options, and excellent facilities, allowing students to gain real-world skills, achieve their goals and progress in their chosen career within a supportive environment.
Through partnerships with the University of Cumbria and University of Hull, courses are conveniently located at one of the college campuses, meaning students receive a Higher Education qualification from an accredited university while studying closer to home.
Applications for courses in Working with Children and Families and Education, Business, Construction and Engineering, Health and Care, Counselling, Crime and Criminal Justice, Sports Coaching, and Animal and Conservation are now open for September 2026 through Clearing. Visit UCAS.com to find out more.
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98% of our students progress to a positive destination
(*Destination data for Sunderland College students aged 16-18, academic year 2017/18).
Our achievement rates are well above the national average.
We are the College of the Year.
(*Top college nationally for BTECs, Pearson 2019)
100% of our HND and HNC students progressed to employment or further study.
(*Destination data, academic year 2016/17, HNC 19+)
We have recently invested £50 million in our facilities.
