Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) has achieved another excellent set of results in the 2026 National Student Survey (NSS), with students rating their experience highly across a range of measures, alongside significant improvements in several key areas.
The NSS is one of the UK's largest and most influential surveys of final-year students, providing valuable insight into the quality of teaching, student support, learning opportunities and the overall student experience. The results help prospective students make informed decisions about where to study and enable universities to continually improve their courses and services.
This year, BSMS achieved an outstanding 86% response rate, significantly above the medical school sector average of 76%, making it one of the highest response rates among UK medical schools.
Top-tier performance across UK medical schools
The 2026 results show BSMS performing strongly across multiple domains when compared with the UK's 41 graduating medical schools. Notable achievements include:
- 2nd in the UK for Student Voice
- 6th in the UK for Teaching on My Course
- 6th in the UK for Learning Opportunities
- 9th in the UK for Organisation and Management
- 2nd in the UK for communication of mental wellbeing support services
- 4th in the UK for freedom of expression and sharing ideas, opinions and beliefs
Particularly encouraging was the substantial improvement in areas that BSMS had identified as priorities following previous NSS results. Student Voice rose from 9th to 2nd nationally, while Organisation and Management moved from 21st to 9th place among UK medical schools. Communication around wellbeing support also saw a remarkable rise from 26th to 2nd nationally.
Students rated BSMS highly for the quality of its teaching, with 97.6% positivity for teaching staff's ability to explain concepts and 95.9% saying they had opportunities to provide feedback on their course. Students also reported feeling that their views were valued by staff, with positivity increasing to 91.7%, while 88.8% agreed it was clear that feedback was acted upon.
Listening and responding to student feedback
The university-wide NSS provides more than just a snapshot of student satisfaction. At BSMS, the results form a key part of ongoing quality enhancement work, helping staff identify where students are having excellent experiences and where further improvements can be made.
Many of the improvements seen in the 2026 survey reflect actions already taken in response to previous student feedback. These include strengthening communication with students, expanding learning resources, enhancing placement support, developing new channels for student engagement and improving the visibility of student wellbeing services.
Dr Tom Levett, Director of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning at BSMS, said: "We're delighted to see such strong results across the National Student Survey this year, particularly in areas where we have worked closely with students to drive improvement. Moving to second in the UK for Student Voice demonstrates the value of meaningful partnership between students and staff and reflects our commitment to not only listening to feedback but acting upon it."
"The survey also highlights areas where we can continue to improve. NSS feedback is invaluable because it helps us enhance the experience of future students while ensuring our graduates leave BSMS ready for the challenges and opportunities of a modern medical career."
Preparing future doctors
The results also reflect BSMS's continued focus on preparing graduates for life as practising doctors. Students rated highly the opportunities provided to develop knowledge and skills for their future careers, with 95.9% positive responses in this area. Clinical placement questions also showed improvement across all measures compared with the previous year.
Alongside excellent teaching and clinical experiences, students highlighted the supportive culture of the medical school, the quality of clinical skills teaching, early patient contact and the responsiveness of staff as key strengths of their experience at BSMS.
Professor Richard McManus, Dean of BSMS, said: "These results are a testament to the dedication of our staff, students and NHS partners across the region. Medical education is a collaborative endeavour, and it is particularly pleasing to see our students recognising the quality of teaching, learning opportunities and support available at BSMS."
"We are proud of our reputation for delivering an outstanding student experience while producing compassionate, capable and clinically excellent doctors. While we celebrate these achievements, we remain committed to continuous improvement and to working in partnership with our students to ensure BSMS remains among the very best medical schools in the UK."
Looking ahead
While the 2026 results mark significant progress in many areas, BSMS will continue to focus on the issues raised by students, including enhancing assessment feedback, further strengthening placement experiences and improving access to learning resources. These priorities will form part of the school's ongoing action plan for the coming academic year.
The results underline BSMS's commitment to delivering an exceptional medical education experience and ensuring that student feedback remains at the heart of continuous improvement.