The 2024 Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) shows that 81% of PGRs are satisfied with their research degree programme.
Our annual survey of postgraduate research students (PGRs) shows that more than eight in ten are satisfied with their experience, showing improvement over the previous year.
More than 12,000 PGRs responded to the 2024 Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES), conducted by Advance HE across 61 member institutions in the UK and Australia. The survey highlights encouraging levels of satisfaction in the PGR experience and offers insights and evidence to support enhancement.
Key findings
- The survey found that satisfaction levels have increased by 2% compared to 2023, with improvements across most areas of the research degree experience. Overseas students (84%) reported higher levels of overall satisfaction than ‘home’ students (82%)
- The survey identified three key areas strongly linked to overall satisfaction: creating a sense of belonging, institutional response to feedback, and support for academic skills. Among these, a sense of belonging and valuing feedback achieved relatively low scores and hence point to areas for improvement
- The results identified that 71% of PGRs report their studies have been impacted by cost-of-living challenges, with over one-third saying their studies were affected “a lot” – a higher proportion than among taught postgraduate or undergraduate students who were asked comparable questions in Advance HE’s other student surveys
- While online and hybrid learning continues to be widespread, with around one in four PGRs interacting mainly online with supervisors, these students reported lower satisfaction levels (75%) compared to those studying in-person (85%). The data suggest that one of the main reasons behind this is a perceived lack of opportunities for online PGRs to feel part of a community
- Across many areas of the survey, there is a parity of experience between (UK-domiciled) PGRs from a range of different ethnic backgrounds, although it is not the case among students from mixed-race backgrounds. However, the 2024 data points to students from White backgrounds having greater access to development opportunities and finding themselves less affected by financial pressures
- Financial pressures are a challenge for both institutions and their PGR communities. Respondents report that they have had fewer opportunities this year to attend conferences or teach – which may be related to a squeeze on institutional budgets.
Jonathan Neves, Head of Business Intelligence and Surveys at Advance HE, said: “It’s encouraging to see high overall satisfaction levels among PGRs. The impact of the cost of living on PGRs has not been widely reported and the data show its impact on PGRs, especially international students and those from minority ethnic backgrounds, requires careful consideration. The report also points to the importance of creating the right kind of community and culture for researchers as crucial for the quality of experience, particularly for those who interact mainly online.”
Institutions participating in PRES receive detailed benchmark data enabling them to compare their performance against similar providers by geography and institution type and identify areas for enhancement. This evidence-based approach allows universities to make targeted improvements to their research degree programmes while contributing to sector-wide understanding of the PGR experience.
