Shanghai universities have once again proven their strength not only in academics but also in student satisfaction with campus life.

According to the 2025 China University Student Satisfaction Survey, released by higher education consultancy ShanghaiRanking, six Shanghai institutions made it to the national list based on overall satisfaction levels.

Among them are five regular universities: Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tongji University, Fudan University, East China University of Science and Technology, and Donghua University, as well as one vocational college, Shanghai Zhongqiao Vocational and Technical University.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University stood out with the strongest performance in the city, appearing 19 times among the top 20 in key satisfaction indicators for undergraduates. The university ranked first nationwide in four categories: campus safety, sports facilities meeting student needs, strong presence of quality employers at job fairs, and on-campus shopping convenience and fair pricing.

Tongji University also performed well, ranking in the national top 10 for three items. It led the country in one category: kind and approachable dorm staff, with a satisfaction rate of 78.4 percent.

In the vocational education segment, Shanghai Zhongqiao Vocational and Technical University ranked in the national top 20 a total of 13 times. It was among the top five for convenient transportation around campus, friendly dorm staff, and abundant and relevant job information.

Nationwide, the survey gathered nearly 150,000 responses from students at 2,818 universities over four months. A total of 83.5 percent of respondents expressed some level of satisfaction with their college experience, with 21.9 percent saying they were "very satisfied".

The most valued aspect for undergraduates was humane student management, with 67 percent rating it as highly important. Overall, access to library e-resources (57.5 percent satisfaction) and beautiful campus environments (57.4 percent) were the top two most satisfying features for students.

For vocational college students, fairness in scholarship and aid selection and objective grading by teachers topped the satisfaction list, both earning 49.9 percent approval.

Source: Shanghai Observer