Beyond the undergraduate experience: Pre-arrival expectations of postgraduate taught students at a UK university
- 1Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
- 2School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
- 3Department of Health and Physical Education, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Abstract
Postgraduate taught (PGT) students represent a rapidly growing yet under‑researched population in higher education, often characterised as the “forgotten sector”. This study examined pre-arrival confidence and importance ratings among 1332 first-year PGT students (68% response rate) across twelve academic disciplines at a UK university, considering discipline, gender, international student status, and socioeconomic background. Using a validated Pre-Arrival Survey measuring learning, community, employability, and health/well-being domains, we employed confirmatory factor analysis, MANOVA, and ANCOVA to examine group differences. PGT students rated importance higher than confidence across all domains, though this gap was narrower than in undergraduate populations. Community confidence ranked lowest across 11 of 12 disciplines, highlighting persistent integration challenges. International students demonstrated significantly higher confidence and importance ratings across nearly all domains. Gender differences observed at undergraduate level were largely absent, with males showing higher scores only for two of the eight factors; community confidence and employability importance. Socioeconomic indicators showed no significant effects. Computer science students reported highest confidence while healthcare/nursing sciences reported lowest scores. Findings suggest PGT students arrive with more calibrated expectations than undergraduates but require differentiated transition support, particularly for community building. The validated Pre-Arrival Survey provides institutions with a tool for understanding incoming PGT cohorts and adapting provision to support this increasingly diverse student population.
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BibTeX
@article{hibbs2026beyond,
title = {{Beyond the undergraduate experience: Pre-arrival expectations of postgraduate taught students at a UK university}},
author = {Angela Hibbs and Rick Hayman and Danielle Grenade and Remco Polman},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0358341},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358341},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Beyond the undergraduate experience: Pre-arrival expectations of postgraduate taught students at a UK university
AU - Angela Hibbs
AU - Rick Hayman
AU - Danielle Grenade
AU - Remco Polman
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/15
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0358341
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358341
AB - Postgraduate taught (PGT) students represent a rapidly growing yet under‑researched population in higher education, often characterised as the “forgotten sector”. This study examined pre-arrival confidence and importance ratings among 1332 first-year PGT students (68% response rate) across twelve academic disciplines at a UK university, considering discipline, gender, international student status, and socioeconomic background. Using a validated Pre-Arrival Survey measuring learning, community, employability, and health/well-being domains, we employed confirmatory factor analysis, MANOVA, and ANCOVA to examine group differences. PGT students rated importance higher than confidence across all domains, though this gap was narrower than in undergraduate populations. Community confidence ranked lowest across 11 of 12 disciplines, highlighting persistent integration challenges. International students demonstrated significantly higher confidence and importance ratings across nearly all domains. Gender differences observed at undergraduate level were largely absent, with males showing higher scores only for two of the eight factors; community confidence and employability importance. Socioeconomic indicators showed no significant effects. Computer science students reported highest confidence while healthcare/nursing sciences reported lowest scores. Findings suggest PGT students arrive with more calibrated expectations than undergraduates but require differentiated transition support, particularly for community building. The validated Pre-Arrival Survey provides institutions with a tool for understanding incoming PGT cohorts and adapting provision to support this increasingly diverse student population.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -