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University of Twente leaps forward in International Student Barometer

The University of Twente has made a big leap forward in the International Student Barometer or ISB, which provides insight into the satisfaction levels of international students.

The UT placed 80th out of a total of 182 universities worldwide in this year’s autumn edition of the ISB, the Autumn Wave 2016. Two years ago, the UT was 108th out of 183. Out of the seven Dutch universities that are participating, The UT scores highest in terms of students’ satisfaction.

Benchmark

The International Student Barometer is not really a ranking so much as it is a benchmark for universities and universities of applied sciences to measure the level of foreign students’ satisfaction regarding their educational experience. The students are asked to indicate their level of satisfaction for aspects such as the quality of the facilities, the accommodation, and the social climate for foreign students. The results help UT fine-tune its internationalisation policy further.

By comparing the results with those of other universities worldwide, both in Europe and within the Netherlands, universities’ strong suits and issues to improve upon are made clear. For example, the UT scores above average in terms of accommodation options and campus facilities. However, something that the UT could improve on is providing international students with more options to obtain suitable work experience during their studies. The UT ‘s Career Service Students will be tackling that challenge from here on out.

About the ISB

The International Student Barometer initiative was started by I-Graduate, an international research institute dealing with the education system, and was first organised in 2009. Around 160,000 respondents from 182 educational institutions participated in the Autumn Wave 2016. All international students attending these educational institutions were asked to participate in the Barometer between October and December 2016. Close to 900 UT students filled out the survey.

L.P.W. van der Velde MSc (Laurens)
Spokesperson Executive Board (EB)