University News Last updated 22 July
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC) has been named the top-performing UK conservatoire in the 2025 National Student Survey (NSS), marking a positive end to an exceptional academic year for the creative powerhouse and its parent institution, Birmingham City University (BCU).
Final-year undergraduates awarded RBC the highest NSS scores among the 11 Conservatoires UK members, based on the average score across all 27 questions and courses.
This outstanding result reflects not only RBC’s commitment to excellence in music and drama education but also a wider upward trend in student satisfaction across BCU.
RBC Principal Stephen Maddock said: “These outcomes are a testament to the world-class teaching, research, and performance environment we strive to create.
“I’m deeply grateful to my colleagues at RBC and across the wider BCU community for their unwavering commitment to our students’ success.”
RBC recorded an impressive average increase of 6.2 percentage points across the survey questions, with improved scores in 25 out of 27 categories.
Particularly notable was the performance in Music, where RBC ranked first among the nine conservatoires offering Music degrees - achieving top scores in all four key themes: Teaching on My Course, Learning Opportunities, Assessment and Feedback, and Academic Support.
In Drama, RBC’s Applied Theatre course stood out with an average increase of 30 percentage points and higher scores in 26 of 27 categories, highlighting the depth and range of student satisfaction across disciplines.
The NSS results also signal a broader transformation at BCU.
The University has risen dramatically in the national student satisfaction rankings.
According to Times Higher Education's analysis of the NSS results, BCU is a fast riser in the rankings for student satisfaction at UK universities, moving from 105th to 66th.
The Times has announced that BCU is in the top 10 for the biggest improvement in student satisfaction - standing alone ahead of our Birmingham-based competition.
“These achievements by RBC and the wider university paint a compelling picture of progress, momentum, and growing recognition,” said Professor David Mba, BCU Vice-Chancellor.
“For current and future students, the message is clear: Birmingham City University is delivering a student experience that not only meets expectations but increasingly exceeds them.”