What are students actually saying about Study Space (NSS 2018–2025)?
Comments on study spaces surface a modest but clear signal: tone is slightly negative overall, with sharper dissatisfaction among mature students and some subject areas, while computing and creative disciplines report notably better experiences. This looks like a capacity, zoning and visibility issue more than a universal quality problem.
Scope: UK NSS open-text comments for the Study Space category across academic years 2018–2025.
Volume: 1,049 comments (≈0.3% of 385,317 total); 100% assigned with sentiment.
Overall mood: 40.4% Positive, 57.1% Negative, 2.5% Neutral (sentiment index −3.6; positive:negative ≈ 0.7:1).
What are students saying in this category?
- Overall tone leans negative (−3.6), with far more negative than positive mentions (57.1% vs 40.4%). Most comments come from full-time, younger students.
- Mature students are distinctly less satisfied (−16.3) than younger peers (−2.5), a 13.8-point gap. Part-time students also skew negative (−6.2), albeit on very small volumes.
- Disabled students are slightly more positive (+1.2) than those not disabled (−4.6). By ethnicity, White students align with the overall pattern (−5.8). International (not UK domiciled) students are modestly positive (+2.9). Mixed (+17.2) and Black (+21.2) groups are positive but small in number; the “Other” group is notably negative (−22.9).
- Subject-area variation is pronounced. Social sciences are negative (−21.7), as are combined/general studies (−27.2, small) and media/journalism (−44.4, very small). Computing (+28.8), design/creative (+27.0) and architecture (+8.2) are positive outliers. A large “unknown subject” block (24.5% of comments) sits close to the overall tone (−4.3).
Segment snapshot — key demographics
| Segment |
Group |
Comments |
Sentiment idx |
Positive % |
Negative % |
| Age |
Young |
964 |
-2.5 |
40.9 |
56.5 |
| Age |
Mature |
75 |
-16.3 |
36.0 |
64.0 |
| Disability |
Disabled |
197 |
1.2 |
43.1 |
55.3 |
| Disability |
Not disabled |
843 |
-4.6 |
39.9 |
57.4 |
| Mode |
Full-time |
1,021 |
-3.3 |
40.6 |
56.8 |
| Mode |
Part-time |
14 |
-6.2 |
35.7 |
64.3 |
| Ethnicity |
White |
651 |
-5.8 |
39.0 |
58.4 |
| Ethnicity |
Not UK domiciled |
135 |
2.9 |
43.7 |
54.1 |
Small groups (e.g., Mixed n=33, Black n=20, Apprenticeship n=1) show more volatile indices; interpret with care.
Subject area snapshot (top by volume)
| Subject area (CAH1) |
Comments |
Share % |
Sentiment idx |
| Unknown |
257 |
24.5 |
-4.3 |
| Social sciences (CAH15) |
130 |
12.4 |
-21.7 |
| Business and management (CAH17) |
94 |
9.0 |
2.2 |
| Historical, philosophical and religious studies (CAH20) |
56 |
5.3 |
-10.2 |
| Subjects allied to medicine (CAH02) |
52 |
5.0 |
1.8 |
| Engineering and technology (CAH10) |
49 |
4.7 |
-7.1 |
| Computing (CAH11) |
44 |
4.2 |
28.8 |
| Psychology (CAH04) |
40 |
3.8 |
7.9 |
| Mathematical sciences (CAH09) |
40 |
3.8 |
2.1 |
| Law (CAH16) |
40 |
3.8 |
-10.6 |
Note: Several smaller subject areas are strongly positive (e.g., design/creative +27.0) or negative (e.g., combined/general −27.2; media/journalism −44.4) on low volumes.
What this means in practice
- Manage capacity and noise at peak times
- Use live occupancy displays and seat/room booking with fair-use rules (auto-release no-shows; caps on block booking).
- Balance zones: clearly signposted silent study vs collaboration areas; mitigate bleed-through with soft furnishings and partitions.
- Target the most negative cohorts and locations
- Prioritise mature-student needs (quiet, bookable desks at predictable times; reliable availability during daytime hours).
- Audit social sciences buildings for high-demand periods; reallocate underused rooms nearby as overflow study space.
- Replicate what works in positive pockets
- Learn from computing/creative spaces: flexible layouts, plentiful power, dependable Wi‑Fi, and frictionless booking.
- Get the basics right, visibly
- Power-to-seat coverage, lighting, temperature and acoustics; rapid fix SLAs for broken sockets, chairs and printers.
- Publish simple “when and where to find a seat” guides during assessment periods.
How Student Voice Analytics helps you
- Track this topic’s sentiment over time and drill from institution to school/department, campus/site and cohort.
- Like-for-like comparisons across CAH subject areas and demographics (age, domicile, mode, disability), with concise summaries you can share with estates, library and programme teams.
- Segment by provider/site and cohort to locate hotspots quickly; export visuals/tables for rapid briefing and action logs.