The University has won a Whatuni Student Choice Award for 2009. It has been rated as a top ten university in the Course and Lecturers category, based on reviews written by its students on a leading UK website for school leavers.

Whatuni.com attracts over two million visits a year and contains more than 7,000 reviews and ratings written by current and former students about their experiences at university. Reviews are published on the site to provide useful guidance to future students.

Essex received an overall rating of 8.2 out of 10, according to the 40 student reviews on the site. All 40 reviewers said they would recommend the University to others.