28 September 2016 
Jane Harrison-White, Executive Director
In the AUDE annual student experience study, academic performance has dropped in importance for prospective students. The research found that nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of students said facilities were an important factor when it came to making a decision on their university.
Trevor Humphreys, AUDE chair and director of estates and facilities at the University of Surrey, said it was encouraging for AUDE members that facilities were “very important” for today’s students.
“It’s clear potential students are choosing universities which offer the best overall experience, perhaps more than ever before,” he said. “Effective estate management is key to ensuring higher education institutions deliver the best possible student experience, both academically and socially.
“To reflect this, we included catering facilities, which include social spaces such as on-site cafes and food halls, as an area for consideration in our annual survey. Almost 4 per cent of people chose this as a key factor in their decision-making.
"This may have contributed to the slight decline in the number of people choosing their university based on academic ranking or reputation, although these remain key factors that impact decisions.”
Read the full Times Higher Education article here.
