Outstanding Teaching
High Quality Teaching
Satisfied Students
Research Power
Global Leader
International Mix

Home Students

68%

International Students

32%

Total Students

22,975

Home

15,665

International

7,305

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)

The Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) is a UK government assessment of how well universities deliver teaching, learning, and student outcomes. 

It helps you compare universities based on the quality of their teaching and student support and is widely used in rankings.

Overall Gold
Teaching Gold
Student Outcomes Gold

Global Rankings

Not all universities appear in every global ranking. Many rankings consider the TEF and the National Student Survey as key indicators of teaching quality and student satisfaction.

# 5
THE
2,000+ Universities
# 6
QS
1,503 Universities
# 4
ARTU
Top 400 Globally
# 4
ARWU
1,000 Globally

University of Cambridge Courses

National Student Survey Results 2025

The National Student Survey (NSS) is an annual UK-wide survey that collects final-year undergraduates’ feedback on the quality of their courses, covering teaching, learning resources, academic support, and overall satisfaction. Its large sample size, consistent methodology, and focus on student experience make it a trusted indicator for comparing universities.

University of Cambridge University Level Scores

University of Cambridge received positivity scores of 93.2% for teaching and 86.9% for learning. Click the tabs below to see detailed student survey results and an explanation of the scores.

Theme 1 of the UK’s National Student Survey asks final year students to rate the teaching they have experienced on their course. 

It asks students how clearly tutors explain ideas, how they bring the subject to life, and how well they inspire learning. It’s one of the best ways to gauge students’ direct experiences of teaching quality at the university.

NSS Theme 1: Teaching on my Course – University Score (2026)
Metric Value Explanation
Positivity measure 93.2% The percentage of students who answered positively to the Theme 1 questions about the teaching on their course, for example rating it “good” or “very good”.
Difference to Benchmark 4ppt How far this university’s score is above (+) or below (–) its benchmark, in percentage points.
Benchmark 89.2% The score we’d expect for this university given its mix of students and subjects, based on results across the whole sector. It lets you compare very different universities fairly.
How confident can we be?
Materially above benchmark 99.1% How confident we can be that this university’s true score is at least 2.5 percentage points above its benchmark. The higher this is, the more certain it is that students rate the teaching better than expected.
Broadly in line 0.9% How confident we can be that this university’s score is within 2.5 percentage points of its benchmark, in other words about what you’d expect.
Materially below benchmark 0% How confident we can be that this university’s true score is at least 2.5 percentage points below its benchmark.

These three figures always add up to around

Theme 2 of the UK’s National Student Survey asks final year students to reflect on the learning opportunities they have experienced during their course.

It covers how well the course has offered opportunities to explore ideas in depth, bring together information from different topics, and apply learning in new or practical ways. This theme gives prospective students a sense of how effectively a course supports exploring the subject matter intellectual growth. 

NSS Theme 2: Learning Opportunities – University Score (2026)
Metric Value Explanation
Positivity measure 86.9% The percentage of students who answered positively to the Theme 2 questions about the learning opportunities on their course, for example “very often” or “to a great extent”.
Difference to Benchmark 1.7ppt How far this university’s score is above (+) or below (–) its benchmark, in percentage points.
Benchmark 85.2% The score we’d expect for this university given its mix of students and subjects, based on results across the whole sector. It lets you compare very different universities fairly.
How confident can we be?
Materially above benchmark 13.7% How confident we can be that this university’s true score is at least 2.5 percentage points above its benchmark. The higher this is, the more certain it is that students rate their learning opportunities better than expected.
Broadly in line 86.3% How confident we can be that this university’s score is within 2.5 percentage points of its benchmark, in other words about what you’d expect.
Materially below benchmark 0% How confident we can be that this university’s true score is at least 2.5 percentage points below its benchmark.
These three figures always add up to around 100%. Together, they show how sure we can be about where the university really stands.
Response rate 57.7% The percentage of eligible final-year students who answered the questions in this theme.

Location

Cambridge, East of England

Distance to London 62 Miles (100 KM)

Driving To London 1 hours 34 min

Public Transport To London 1 hours 4 min

Nearest Airport London Staminted Airport (STN)

Miles to Nearest Airport 29.3