International students at Erasmus University Rotterdam are very satisfied with their university. More than 90% have said they are happy, which is a bigger percentage than at other higher education institutions in the Netherlands. This has emerged from the annual International Student Barometer (ISB), an independent survey carried out by I-Graduate among international students to discover how satisfied they are with the institution they are studying at. In this year’s ISB, more than 1,650 international students at Erasmus University gave their views on the education, accommodation, reception and support they receive.
The ISB survey reveals that Erasmus University students are happy with their university. The percentage for ‘overall satisfaction’ is 90.2% which is higher than the Dutch and European average. In comparison with the seven other higher education institutions in the Netherlands taking part in the survey, Erasmus University comes second this year (was third last year). The university occupies 3rd place in Europe and 33rd place worldwide out of 169 participating institutions.
According to the survey, almost 90% of the students who took part said they would recommend Erasmus University to others, while 43% said they would actively do so. The university has a higher than average score on this point on a nationwide basis as well. During the first ISB in 2007, only 34% of those asked said they would actively recommend Erasmus University.
Course content
Relatively speaking, Erasmus University scores better than average in the Netherlands and abroad on all four points examined (education, accommodation, arrival and support) in connection with student satisfaction. Course content, multicultural environment and bilingual programmes score especially well with respect to education. Erasmus University occupies 2nd place in the Netherlands on these points.
With respect to accommodation, Erasmus University occupies 1st place in the Netherlands and 8th place in Europe. International students particularly appreciate the quality of student housing and accessibility. The ISB also reveals that students are happy with the modernization of Woudestein Campus: student satisfaction on this point has increased by 26% since 2011.
With respect to support, international students are especially pleased with the quality of the tutors, the catering and the International Office and with the study environment, the warm welcome they receive and the registration procedure with respect to reception.
The main reason why these international students chose Erasmus University was the university’s reputation, closely followed by the set-up of the programmes offered. The survey reveals that reputation has a bigger influence in Rotterdam than the average in the Netherlands.
Strategy
Internationalisation is a major issue in Erasmus University’s strategy. For instance, the university invests in providing international students with guidance and counselling, an increasing number of programmes in English are offered, and a lot of work is being put in to ensure an attractive campus with an international atmosphere. The number of international students this year has increased by 14% to about 5,000.
About ISB
I-Graduate uses the annual International Student Barometer to examine and compare the way in which international students make decisions as well as their expectations, views and intentions. More than 142,000 students all over the world took part in this year’s ISB, which was held in the autumn of 2015. These included more than 5,350 students (1,650 of whom responded) at Erasmus University and almost 8,000 at 8 higher education institutions in the Netherlands.
- More information
Press Office Erasmus University Rotterdam, T +31 10 408 1216 or E press@eur.nl