Prospective students are becoming less concerned about a university¡¯s academic ranking and reputation when picking a place to study, according to an annual survey.

In a student experience survey conducted by the UK¡¯s?Association of University Directors of Estates (AUDE), 44 per cent of students viewed academic rankings as important to choosing a university, while 42 per cent were influenced by reputation.?But this marks a drop of 5 percentage points in both categories from AUDE¡¯s 2015 survey.

The research found that students were more interested in an institution¡¯s facilities when it came to making a decision on their university.

Nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) said facilities were an important factor, although this was also down on last year¡¯s results, which showed that 67 per cent of students viewed facilities as an important driver in their decision-making.

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The findings reflect a report published by the UK¡¯s admissions service Ucas in July, which showed that applicants were basing choices on a wide range of factors, and ¡°higher tariff¡± institutions could not necessarily rely on their prestige and academic position for attracting students.

Commenting on AUDE¡¯s research, Trevor Humphreys, AUDE chair and director of estates and facilities at the University of Surrey, said it was encouraging for those concentrating on improving estates that facilities were ¡°very important¡± for today¡¯s students.

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¡°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.¡±

Mr Humphreys warned the sector that they ¡°need to continually understand both student behaviour and satisfaction¡±.

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john.elmes@tesglobal.com