Eight-five per cent of the UBC undergraduates surveyed indicated that they were either "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with the overall quality of their education. A further breakdown showed 79 per cent of UBC students believed their university learning experiences had been intellectually stimulating, 87 per cent were satisfied with their decision to attend UBC and 76 per cent were happy with the quality of teaching they had received.
Ten universities participated in the second annual survey co-ordinated by the University of Manitoba's Dept. of Housing and Student Life.
Other institutions participating included Concordia, Acadia, Dalhousie, Nipissing and Simon Fraser universities, the universities of Lethbridge, and Toronto, and Memorial University of Newfoundland.
In total, 3,357 students completed the mail surveys. Nearly all the students (97 per cent) indicated plans to obtain at least one degree. A bachelor's degree was the highest intended level for about 26 per cent while nearly 60 per cent planned to obtain a graduate or professional designation. Graduate students and those in professional schools were not surveyed.
The survey included 16 issues of potential relevance to undergrads and asked students to rate their importance. UBC respondents placed high importance on keeping tuition increases at or below inflation rates (82 per cent), increasing emphasis on teaching excellence (71 per cent) and protecting present student services from cutbacks.
New to the survey were 12 items measuring student participation in campus life. The three aspects of campus life with the highest participation rates included use of campus fitness/exercise facilities, visiting campus for extracurricular events and participation in student clubs.
Three areas of greatest student dissatisfaction concerned processes for resolving student complaints, parking facilities and concern shown to them by the university.
When students were asked to grade their university for contributing to personal growth, the highest grades were assigned for how well universities contributed to an ability to work independently, think logically and analytically, and identify and solve problems. Universities were given the lowest marks for helping prepare students for employment, and giving them an appreciation for the arts, mathematics skills, leadership skills and an ability to address issues in personal life.
Among the most used campus services were campus book stores, computer services for students and academic advising. Other survey highlights included: the average debt acquired by students to help finance their university education was $5,666; students reported spending an average of 17.5 hours studying during a typical week; an average week has students attending class and laboratories for about 14 hours and in front of the television 8 hours; 40 per cent of surveyed students lived at home with their parents, 14 per cent in university housing and 47 per cent lived off-campus.