International students satisfied with University of Groningen

International students are satisfied with the University of Groningen according to the latest International Student Barometer, a worldwide survey of satisfaction among international students. Eighty-seven percent of the respondents would recommend the University of Groningen to friends in their home countries.

The International Student Barometer, which is organized twice a year by I-Graduate , monitors satisfaction among students studying at a foreign university. Last autumn, all international students registered at a university or university of applied sciences outside their home country were sent a detailed questionnaire to measure their satisfaction with the quality of teaching, accommodation, support & facilities and the way they were welcomed by the foreign university.

Appreciation for Student Desk and sports facilities

The University of Groningen scored ‘average’ to ‘very good’ in many of the categories examined. The welcoming ceremony and living environment came very high in the rankings, and the University Student Desk was deemed the best in Europe. The sports facilities were rated the best in the Netherlands and fourth best in Europe.

Incentive for improvement

The University of Groningen has been taking part in the International Student Barometer for many years. The categories that show room for improvement often act as an incentive for the University to make more of an effort in the areas concerned. Points in need of extra attention in this edition were ‘employability’, ‘housing’, ‘catering’ and ‘worship facilities’.

Participants

Eight Dutch institutes of education took part in this edition of the survey (six universities and two universities of applied sciences). At the University of Groningen, 1,213 international students responded to the questionnaire. Around the world, some 165,000 international students from 209 institutes of education in 18 countries took part in the survey.