Does location change business and management students’ experience?
Yes. Location shapes how business and management students learn and connect to industry: National Student Survey (NSS) feedback on campus city location, which captures how students describe the fit between university, city and daily study, is strongly positive at 68.0% positive, but it diverges for part-time learners (sentiment index −2.5) and improves for full-time cohorts (70.0% positive). Within business and management non-specific, the generalist CAH benchmark for this discipline, students concentrate on assessment clarity and delivery; feedback accounts for 10.6% of comments and the marking criteria tone sits at −46.5, so location works best when it enables applied teaching, accessible support and industry engagement.
The character and setting of a university shape the educational experiences of students studying business and management. Differences in campus locations, whether urban centres or quieter towns, influence both learning environments and the opportunities available to students. Urban universities allow easy access to businesses and networking that integrate real-world connectivity with academic learning. Conversely, campuses in quieter locations can foster a tight-knit community that supports collaboration and focus among students and staff.
Understanding these nuances helps institutions tailor programmes to maximise student engagement and outcomes. Regular analysis of student comments and rapid improvements to location touchpoints make location part of educational strategy rather than a backdrop.
How does campus setting shape the day-to-day experience for business students?
Students quickly recognise that campus environment and city context enhance learning and personal growth. City campuses often sit within business hubs, supporting employer contact, guest speakers and internships. Quieter locations contribute to concentration, strong cohort identity and staff accessibility.
Because full-time cohorts tend to be more positive about location than part-time students, providers should prioritise commuter-friendly practice: audit evening and weekend access routes, transport links, parking, lighting and wayfinding; provide concise commuter essentials in handbooks and induction; ensure late-opening and secure study spaces. Programme teams can then align timetabling, group work and assessment deadlines with these access patterns.
Engaging with campus life, using libraries and labs, and joining relevant societies helps students build a profile that extends beyond textbooks. Staff increasingly incorporate these experiences into module design.
How does location influence international students’ perspectives?
International students often flourish in large cities with dense business and cultural networks, gaining exposure through events, workshops and seminars that link theory to industry. Quieter towns offer a close-knit academic community that can ease transition and reduce overwhelm, supporting deeper study and stronger relationships.
To sustain belonging across settings, convene diverse student panels to review routes, transport hubs and city spaces. Make reporting channels visible and close the loop with you said, we did updates on location topics.
Which facilities most enhance learning and wellbeing?
Lecture theatres with reliable digital capture, well-resourced libraries and high-quality study spaces underpin learning. Cafes, green areas, sports centres and societies contribute to wellbeing and personal development.
For location-sensitive orientation, create a standard pack each school can localise: 10-minute walk maps, safe routes between teaching sites, and cost and time comparisons for travel modes. Co-locate careers advice with business societies and visiting industry events to turn proximity into practice.
How are teaching and learning models evolving across different locations?
Blended delivery now anchors business and management teaching. City campuses can feed live business data into case work; smaller sites can lean into coached group projects and extended mentored tasks.
Assessment clarity remains decisive in this CAH area, so location strategy should support pedagogy: publish annotated exemplars, checklist-style rubrics and brief how to improve notes aligned to marking criteria; calibrate markers and communicate turnaround standards. Where collaboration triggers friction, standardise group formation, role clarity and contribution tracking, and make interaction aims explicit in each assessment brief. Operationally, maintain a single source of truth for timetable changes and use predictable update rhythms so commuting students can plan effectively. Remote learning remains a useful complement and supports inclusion for off-campus students.
What did COVID-19 change about location and delivery?
Pandemic disruption accelerated online delivery and temporarily flattened location effects. As on-campus activity resumes, cities regain advantages via employer proximity and live projects, while smaller campuses rebuild community through targeted in-person activities and visible staff presence. Investment now focuses on flexible delivery that sustains industry engagement and cohort belonging regardless of physical setting.
What support systems work best in different locations?
In cities, support extends through partnerships, placements and employer-led sessions. In quieter towns, students often benefit from ready access to academic support and personalised guidance. Make Personal Tutor practice consistent and visible so all students access support reliably. Use student feedback to iterate mentoring and signposting, and ensure wellbeing, careers and academic skills are integrated into programme handbooks and module sites.
What should institutions prioritise next?
Prioritise commuter-aware design for part-time and mature cohorts, orientation that makes the city usable, and assessment transparency that reduces noise around criteria and feedback. Tie location to pedagogy: design group work that works for commuters, maintain stable timetabling, and use facilities to connect learning to employers. This combination aligns the strengths of each setting with what business and management students say they need.
How Student Voice Analytics helps you
- Track campus city/location topics and sentiment over time and by segment, including mode, age, ethnicity, subject area and site.
- Drill from provider level to schools and programmes; export concise, anonymised summaries for quick briefings.
- Make like-for-like comparisons across CAH codes and demographics; segment by cohort or campus to target local improvements.
- Share export-ready tables and charts with programme and professional services teams to sustain action on assessment clarity, collaboration design and commuter experience.
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