Warwick Law School News

We are delighted to see high levels of satisfaction amongst our postgraduate research (PGR) community, as reported in the latest Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) 2026.

The PRES is a national survey of postgraduate research students conducted by institutions across the UK and globally. The results are used both departmentally and institutionally, to identify areas for celebration and to understand where more work needs to be done to improve the PGR experience.

This year, the overall satisfaction amongst PGRs in the Law School was an impressive 94.2%, up 17.1% from the last PRES conducted in 2023.

PRES 2026 results yielded top satisfaction scores in:

• Supervision - 94.1% (up 5.7%)
• Professional Development - 91.1% (up 4.8%)
• Research Skills - 89.4% (up 9.2%)
• Progress and Assessment - 87.5%
• Responsibilities - 84.6%
• Community - 83.3% (up 26.4%)
• Online Learning Resources - 82.9%

Key Findings

Within the eleven categories, a number of questions received satisfaction scores over 90%.

Supervision and Research Skills

We were particularly pleased to find that an overwhelming majority of PGRs reported excellent engagement with their supervisors, with 96.2% agreeing that they have regular contact appropriate to their needs and that their supervisors possess the requisite skills and subject knowledge to support their research and 95.8% feeling the feedback provided helped direct their research activities effectively.

The development of core academic skills was also highly regarded, with 92.3% reporting growth in their capacity to critically analyse and evaluate findings, as well as a deepened understanding of research integrity.

Professional Development and Progression

PGRs also demonstrated high levels of professional development, with 96.2% reporting that they have felt increasingly able to steer their own professional development, 92.3% developing project management capabilities, and 92.0% establishing valuable professional networks and contacts.

Clarity around academic milestones was exceptionally strong, with 96.2% of respondents understanding the requirements and deadlines for formal progress monitoring and 92.3% feeling they received an appropriate induction at the start of their programme.

Overall Satisfaction

Reflecting these positive outcomes across the above categories, 96.2% expressed overall satisfaction with their research degree programme, and 92.3% felt confident in their ability to complete their studies within the expected timescale.

Key Improvements

While there is much to celebrate in these results, it is also important to take stock of where improvements are needed. In the coming year, we will once again focus our efforts on how we can better integrate the PGR community into broader research culture, as only 57.7% of PGRs felt that the research community in their field influences their work or that they were aware of opportunities to get involved in the wider research community beyond the department. We will also look into how we might be able to improve infrastructure and service provision for PGRs as our second lowest satisfaction scores concerned the adequacy of work spaces (just 64% reported that they had a suitable working space when on campus) and support services (just 64% reported that they had access to support services that met their health and wellbeing needs).

Director of Postgraduate Research, Dr Amanda Wilson reflected:

"It is wonderful to see that the overall experience of our PGRs is at an all-time high. The impressive results from this year’s PRES reflect the quality of supervision our staff provide as well as the dedication of the PGR Team (past and present), the Student Experience Team, and the SSLC and EDI representatives who work tirelessly to support our PGRs. It is extremely encouraging to see the positive impact of these combined efforts, and to know that the sustained investments the Law School has made to support the PGR community are achieving their intended impact. As a PGR Team, we are especially proud of the results around Community. Satisfaction in this category surged by 26.4% since 2023 to 83.3%, outperforming the University average and ranking us 5th overall compared with other Departments/Centres."

"But nothing good ever came from resting on one’s laurels. There is always more we can do to ensure our PGR community feels adequately supported and able to thrive. To that end, we will be taking seriously all of the feedback we have received and will work closely with the SSLC representatives to develop and implement further improvements. For now, on behalf of the PGR Team and the Law School, we want to thank all PGRs for taking the time to provide this important, honest feedback."

Find out more about PRES.Link opens in a new window