Students want sustainability embedded across university life, new survey finds

Posted on: 3 June, 2026

Nine in ten students at the University of the Built Environment believe sustainability should be actively embedded across university life, according to new survey findings.

The research also suggests sustainability is shaping learners’ career ambitions, with 87% saying they want their future job to support sustainable development.

The findings, drawn from student and alumni feedback gathered over the past year, reveal strong support for sustainability both within higher education and across the professions students hope to enter.

The results also highlight the growing role students are playing in shaping the University’s sustainability agenda through surveys, working groups and volunteer leadership positions.

‘Passionate about sustainability’

Melissa Love, a Student Officer for Sustainability and MSc Quantity Surveying student, said: “Giving students opportunities to share feedback helps ensure that sustainability initiatives are relevant, practical and beneficial to the wider student community. It also helps students feel valued and part of something bigger than their individual studies.

“I am particularly passionate about sustainability, accessibility and inclusion within the built environment. Meaningful change happens when institutions listen to the people they serve, and student voices play an important role in helping the University of the Built Environment create a more sustainable, accessible and supportive future for both current and future students.”

Melissa is one of a number of volunteer Student Officers who work alongside staff to ensure student perspectives help shape University initiatives.

Officers contribute to projects across sustainability, widening participation and inclusion, while helping to create opportunities for students to connect, collaborate and influence change.

Student insights inform University’s approach

Capturing student feedback has become an important part of the University’s approach to sustainability. Previous student insights have helped inform Climate and Social Action (CASA) activities, curriculum development and student-led initiatives, ensuring that sustainability remains relevant to both current learners and future graduates.

One of the key ways this feedback is gathered is through the University’s involvement in Responsible Futures, a sector-leading programme designed to embed sustainability across higher education through collaboration between students and staff.

As part of the programme, students and staff come together through a bi-annual Responsible Futures Working Group to discuss ideas, share feedback and identify opportunities to strengthen sustainability across the institution.

The University also undergoes a student and alumni-led Responsible Futures audit every two years. The audit examines evidence across a wide range of areas, from student engagement and communication to policy development and institutional practice.

Student and alumni auditors

This June, the University will welcome student and alumni auditors from both the University of the Built Environment and the London School of Architecture as part of its fifth Responsible Futures audit.

Alongside these initiatives, students are invited to share their views through Programme Representatives, module evaluations, the National Student Survey, the Student Experience Survey and the University’s sustainability-focused Skills Survey.

The most recent Skills Survey, conducted in autumn 2025, provides a snapshot of how students view sustainability and its role in their education and future careers.

Skills Survey results

In addition to the headline finding that 90% believe sustainable development should be actively incorporated across the institution, the survey found that 79% feel encouraged to think and act sustainably through their studies. More than three-quarters of respondents believe the University is taking action to limit its environmental impact.

The survey also highlighted the importance students place on professional skills associated with sustainability. Nearly nine in ten respondents identified collaboration and empathy as important skills for professional practice.

The findings have already helped shape activity across the University. Recent developments include enhancements to the CASA programme, with a wider range of speakers and a clearer thematic focus for each series. The University has also expanded its Student Officer programme, with 19 students volunteering their time during the 2024-25 academic year to support sustainability and widening participation initiatives.

Sustainability and our alumni

The conversation does not end when students graduate. Earlier this year, the University carried out its second sustainability-themed alumni survey, exploring how sustainability continues to influence graduates in their professional lives.

The results suggest that the impact of sustainability education extends well beyond university. More than nine in ten respondents said they are proud because they know the University is taking action on sustainability, while more than three-quarters feel prepared to meet the challenge of climate change in their careers. Sustainability was also widely viewed as important within their chosen professions.

Follow-up discussions with alumni reinforced this picture, with many describing how sustainability continues to shape their thinking, values and professional decision-making long after graduation.

‘Findings are invaluable’

Jessica Gordon-Calvert, the University’s Sustainability Officer, said: “Capturing the voices from our university community is essential to reflecting on and enhancing our work on sustainability.

“The findings we have received from students and alumni this past year are invaluable and have given us lots of food for thought in terms of what’s working well and areas we need to make enhancements.

“As ever, I look forward to continuing to work across the institution to deliver a positive, sustainable student and alumni experience.”

The University will now combine these findings with results from this year’s National Student Survey and Student Experience Survey to help inform sustainability priorities for the coming academic year.