Students have branded their university one of the least satisfactory in the UK for the second year running.

Statistics compiled from the National Student Survey showed only 69 per cent of pupils who graduated from the university this year were satisfied with their education, making it the 12th worst in the country.

It was ranked directly below Thames Valley, Brunel and Roehampton universities.

There was also concern for the University of Chichester, one of the newest in the country, which featured in a list of 20 universities where the fewest students went on to graduate jobs. It was included in another table of institutions whose graduates had the lowest average salaries, standing at just £16,570.

Tom Wills, a second year computer science student at Sussex, said: "I can understand why student satisfaction is so low. The lecturers are fantastic but unfortunately you don't see enough of them. There isn't enough contact time.

"Brighton is an expensive city to live in as well and a lot of students are forced to work part-time to support themselves, which is a distraction."

Last year the university was rated the sixth worst for student satisfaction with a rate of just 66 per cent.

The University of Sussex also fell in the general league table for overall rankings in many different factors for a second consecutive year as well, dropping from 27th place nationally to 30th. A year ago it slipped from 20th position.

A University of Sussex spokeswoman said the overall fall in the league table was the result of a blip two years ago when incorrect statistics were used and its position was raised inaccurately.

She said over the past few years the university had steadily been placed between 25th and 30th.

She said: "Our student satisfaction scores are actually improving year on year. Almost 85 per cent of final year students rank Sussex's teaching as good or very good - a score that is up there alongside other leading research and teaching universities.

"But there clearly is more to do and we will continue to press ahead with measures to improve the student experience, working in partnership with the students union."

Chichester climbed from 60th to 55th in the overall tables and the University of Brighton rose from 56th to 54th.

The University of Sussex was named the 17th best university for research and had the sixth highest rate of students being awarded first or 2.1 graded degrees. It followed behind only Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, St Andrews and UC Falmouth.

Fourteen subjects at Sussex were rated excellent, as were 11 at Brighton and three at Chichester.

BOX: HOW SUSSEX UNIVERSITIES COMPARE: Ranking 2007 - 2006 position - University 1 - 1 - Cambridge 2 - 2 - Oxford 3 - 3 - London School of Economics 4 - 4 - Imperial College London 5 - 5 - University College London 6 - 10 - University of St Andrews 7 - 6 - University of Warwick 8 - 7 - University of York 9 - 11 - University of Bath 10 - 9 - University of Bristol 30 - 27 - University of Sussex 54 - 56 - University of Brighton 55 - 60 - University of Chichester Do you think students are being hard-done by? Leave your comments below.