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International students more satisfied than domestic

Overall satisfaction levels among foreign HE students across Europe are high, with two-thirds saying they would rate their experience with a nine or 10 out of 10 when asked if they would recommend it to friends. Based on a student satisfaction survey produced by StudyPortals.eu, international students were in fact more satisfied than their domestic peers (8.8/10 compared with 8/10).

Market shares don't necessarily reflect satisfaction rankings

On the Stexx.eu “Student Experience Exchange” website that is managed by the Dutch company and funded by the European Commission, 46,500 reviews were written by overseas students studying across the continent. Only 11% of those studying abroad gave a satisfaction score of below six.

A city’s atmosphere and culture had the most influence on student satisfaction according to the research base, and Slovenia topped the best rated countries with a score of +74, on a scale of -100 to +100, followed by Norway at +73 and Austria at a +70.

In an abridged version of these results, looking only at countries with more significant market share, Austria is in pole position however market shares don’t necessarily reflect satisfaction rankings. Market leader the UK, with a 31% share of the foreign student market in Europe, came in 13th out of 19 popular countries, lower than Germany – with half its market share – but higher than France.

“This survey is purely experience-based”

“In contrast to traditional university rankings, which are often based on reputation and citation indices, this survey is purely experience-based, looking at if and why students would recommend their international university experience – much like Trip Advisor” explained StudyPortals.

“It also allows a comparison of student satisfaction across the whole of Europe for the first time.”

Aside from a destination’s atmosphere/architecture/aesthetics and weather, quality and attitude of the host university’s teachers and the friendliness of locals affected student contentment.

Feedback from 3,500 domestic students was collected to compare with international student responses. While academic aspects of the university experience and career prospects were more common themes in reviews from domestic students, overseas students commented more on professional and personal development, particularly language learning.

Comparing short-term and full degree students, academic factors received more comments from long-term students while students studying for a shorter time put more emphasis on the city and culture.

Students from Croatia were found to the happiest with their experience followed closely by Romanian and Greek students

Students from Croatia were found to be the happiest with their experience overall with a score of +75. Romanian and Greek students followed closely with scores of +71 and +69, respectively. The most critical nationalities were Swedish showing a satisfaction score of +37 and Dutch with +38.

Factors negatively influencing experiences include excessive bureaucratic procedures in university services and poor quality accommodations. Low academic level and poor quality of teaching as well as living costs were also among reasons not to recommend a university.

In order to improve student satisfaction, the study recommends university courses should be aimed at a high level. “When courses are taught in English, the teachers should have a high level of language in order to facilitate communication and learning.”

 

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