ICMS Achieves Higher Student Experience Scores than Group of Eight Universities in QILT Survey 

ICMS has outperformed Group of Eight universities on student experience in the QILT Student Experience Survey*. 

Student experience is a direct measure of how an institution effectively delivers quality teaching, support, and learning. While reputation and research are important, it’s student feedback that reveals what matters most during their studies. 

The QILT Student Experience Survey highlights ICMS’s standout performance in undergraduate Business & Management, where it achieved higher scores than Group of Eight universities across overall experience, teaching quality, skills development, and support services. 

What the QILT student experience data shows 

The QILT Student Experience Survey compares student responses across several dimensions of higher education quality. 

In undergraduate field of education, Business & Management, ICMS posted strong results in the four areas that most directly reflect day-to-day student experience. 

Key student experience indicators 

• Positive overall experience: 81.5% 
• Positive about skills development: 87.7% 
• Rated teaching practices positively: 85.1% 
• Rated support and services positively: 84.1% 

Across the Group of Eight comparison set, ICMS led in each category. 

Overall experience 

• ICMS: 81.5% 
• University of Adelaide: 71.6% 
• Australian National University: 64.6% 
• Monash University: 71.0% 
• UNSW: 63.6% 
• The University of Queensland: 75.1% 
• The University of Sydney: 61.9% 
• The University of Melbourne: 64.4% 
• The University of Western Australia: 72.0% 
• National average: 73.1% 

ICMS stands 8.4 percentage points above the national average in overall experience. It also leads the Group of Eight universities listed here by a clear margin. 

That matters because overall experience is often the broadest test of whether students feel their expectations are being met across teaching, support, engagement, and learning environment. 

Skills development 

• ICMS: 87.7% 
• University of Adelaide: 77.6% 
• Australian National University: 66.3% 
• Monash University: 75.2% 
• UNSW: 74.9% 
• The University of Queensland: 75.5% 
• The University of Sydney: 75.7% 
• The University of Melbourne: 71.9% 
• The University of Western Australia: 78.8% 
• National average: 78.8% 

This is one of the strongest results in the dataset. ICMS is 8.9 percentage points above the national average and well ahead of each Group of Eight comparison. 

In a market where students are increasingly focused on employability and practical skills, a score at this level suggests students believe their learning is helping them build useful, work-relevant skills. 

Teaching quality 

• ICMS: 85.1% 
• University of Adelaide: 76.3% 
• Australian National University: 65.2% 
• Monash University: 75.1% 
• UNSW: 70.8% 
• The University of Queensland: 77.6% 
• The University of Sydney: 69.5% 
• The University of Melbourne: 71.8% 
• The University of Western Australia: 76.7% 
• National average: 77.4% 

Teaching quality remains one of the strongest indicators of how students experience academic life. ICMS recorded 85.1%, placing it 7.7 percentage points above the national average and ahead of all universities in the comparison. 

This suggests a level of consistency in teaching practice that students notice and value. 

Support and services 

• ICMS: 84.1% 
• University of Adelaide: 75.1% 
• Australian National University: 64.8% 
• Monash University: 70.7% 
• UNSW: 70.7% 
• The University of Queensland: 73.2% 
• The University of Sydney: 61.7% 
• The University of Melbourne: 68.6% 
• The University of Western Australia: 71.6% 
• National average: 74.2% 

Support and services is often where gaps become most visible to students. ICMS scored 84.1%, which is 9.9 percentage points above the national average. 

It also outperformed every Group of Eight university in the dataset. This points to a student experience that extends beyond the classroom and into the wider systems that support student success. 

The four indicators where ICMS leads

ICMS’s results are strongest because they’re broad-based. This isn’t a single standout score in one category. It’s a pattern of outperformance across the student journey. 

Overall experience signals consistency 

An overall experience score of 81.5% suggests that students see value across multiple parts of their education. 

This kind of score is hard to achieve through isolated strengths alone. It usually reflects consistency across teaching, communication, support, and campus experience. 

Compared with the Group of Eight institutions in the data, ICMS’s lead in overall experience suggests students are responding positively to the total learning environment, not just one feature of it. 

Skills development reflects perceived value 

The 87.7% result for skills development is especially important in Business & Management. 

Students in this field often judge their education partly by how well it prepares them for professional life. They want to see a clear link between classroom learning and workplace expectations. 

ICMS’s lead here indicates that students see their education as practical, relevant, and useful beyond graduation. 

Teaching quality remains central 

Students choose where to study further for many reasons, but over time, teaching quality shapes how they evaluate the experience as a whole. 

Clear explanation, good structure, relevant examples, useful feedback, and staff accessibility all influence whether students feel they’re learning effectively. 

ICMS’s 85.1% score in teaching quality is significant because it sits well above both the national average and the Group of Eight comparisons. 

It suggests that students see teaching as a genuine strength rather than a baseline expectation being met. 

Support services shape student confidence 

Support and services can determine how manageable and responsive a college feels. 

Academic advice, wellbeing support, administration, and career guidance, all affect student confidence and continuity. 

ICMS’s result of 84.1% suggests that support isn’t simply available, but experienced as effective. 

In practice, that often means students know where to go, receive help in a timely way, and feel that staff are approachable. 

For students balancing study with work, financial pressure, or personal responsibilities, this can make a major difference to their experience and their ability to persist. 

What may be driving ICMS’s stronger student experience results

While the QILT data reports outcomes rather than causes, the pattern of results points to several likely strengths in the ICMS model. 

A smaller-scale learning environment 

Smaller learning environments can create closer staff-student interaction, stronger visibility, and faster response when students need help. 

These conditions can support better teaching, stronger feedback, and a greater sense of belonging. 

That aligns closely with the areas where ICMS leads. Students are often more positive about their overall experience when they feel known rather than anonymous. 

Industry-focused learning 

Students want to see how their studies connect to real professional settings. 

Higher education institutions that build industry perspective into teaching often perform strongly in areas tied to engagement and skills. 

ICMS’s high skills development score suggests students can see this connection clearly. 

Work Integrated Learning (WIL) and Professional Placements 

Work Integrated Learning (WIL) can improve student experience as well as employability. 

76% of students reported that their placement company indicated that they wanted them to stay on in the job (ICMS Internal Graduate Survey 2025, conducted October 2025). 

When students apply learning in real settings, their studies often feel more purposeful. They can test ideas, build confidence, and better understand workplace expectations. 

This can have a direct effect on several QILT indicators, especially overall experience and skills development. 

Conclusion 

The QILT Student Experience Survey shows ICMS leading Group of Eight universities in overall experience, teaching quality, skills development, and support services for undergraduate Business & Management. 

With 90% of our academic faculty actively working in the industry, students benefit from expert teaching, hands-on mentorship, and industry insights. This unique blend of academic excellence and practical knowledge sets ICMS apart. 

ICMS consistently leads in all core areas, setting a clear benchmark above both the Group of Eight comparison universities and the national average. 

Watch the video below to see why students choose ICMS.

*QILT Student Experience Survey 2023–2024 

Disclaimer: 

The data and comparisons presented in this article are based on the QILT Student Experience Survey 2023–24 and reflect the responses of students in undergraduate Business & Management programs across ICMS and Group of Eight universities. Results and interpretations are specific to the context of this survey and should not be generalized beyond the scope of the data.