46.7% selected “Better than I expected”. 26.7% selected “Exactly what I expected”; 26.7% selected “A bit disappointing”; and 0.0% selected “Really not what I hoped for”.
How all 15 respondents answered
Respondents selected one answer from four options.
Percentages are based on the published response counts. Where whole-number percentages are shown, totals may differ slightly from 100% because of rounding.
Most students found their city lived up to expectations or beat them
Better than expected is the top answer
46.7% said their city was better than they expected, the largest group in this poll.
Nearly three in four were not let down
73.3% (11 of 15) said their city was better than expected or exactly what they expected.
Disappointment was mild, not severe
26.7% said their city was a bit disappointing, but nobody chose “Really not what I hoped for”.
Where you study shapes far more than your course
Choosing a university also means choosing a city to live in for three or more years, often sight unseen beyond an open day.
In this small poll, most respondents said their city matched or beat their expectations. With only 15 responses the result is very much a snapshot, but it suggests city research before applying tends to pay off, and that the gap between expectation and reality is more often a pleasant surprise than a let-down.
How to report this poll accurately
Keep the response base and indicative audience label attached to the headline finding. With fewer than 30 responses, treat this result as an early indication only.
How this poll was recorded
- Question
- How do you feel about the city you are studying in compared to your expectations?
- Responses
- 15 total responses
- Date recorded
- 21 September 2026
- Collection
- Unifresher audience poll
- Evidence label
- Indicative first-party Unifresher audience poll
This is an audience poll rather than a population survey. It is useful as a snapshot of the respondents who took part and should not be described as representative of every UK university student. The response base is small, so individual answers can move the percentages noticeably.
Questions readers ask next
What was the most common answer?
46.7% selected “Better than I expected”, making it the largest answer in this poll.
How many respondents chose the top answer?
7 of 15 respondents selected “Better than I expected”.
What was the second most selected answer?
26.7% selected “Exactly what I expected”, equal to 4 responses.
Is this representative of all UK students?
No. This is an indicative Unifresher audience poll with 15 responses, not a nationally representative student survey.
How should this result be reported?
Keep the 15-response base, collection date and indicative-audience label attached to the finding.
Explore more student attitudes
Cite this poll
Unifresher poll, “How do you feel about the city you are studying in compared to your expectations?”, 15 responses, recorded 21 September 2026. Unifresher Data Hub.
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