Once again, the University of Twente has achieved an impressive score in the renowned International Student Barometer (ISB). The ISB provides insight into the satisfaction that international students experience in their educational setting, and it is the largest survey of its kind in this field worldwide. In the ISB Autumn Wave 2018 edition, the UT took an impressive second place position among the thirteen Dutch universities. UT also achieved the highest satisfaction scores in two of the four categories: ‘support’ and ‘arrival’.
UT’s worldwide position remained practically unchanged at 92nd place out of 199 universities (two years ago UT took 80th place out of 182 institutions).
Benchmark
The International Student Barometer is not exactly a ranking. It can better be described as a benchmark that universities and universities of applied sciences can use to measure the level of satisfaction of their international students. The survey measures international students’ satisfaction with aspects of their educational experience such as the quality of the facilities, housing and social climate that they encounter while studying abroad. The University of Twente uses the results to refine the institution’s internationalization policy.
Outstanding facilities
A comparison with universities worldwide and at the European and national level provides insight into strengths and a clear indication of points for improvement. For example, UT takes the top score nationwide when it comes to support (e.g. IT systems, facilities, Student Union, accommodation options, study associations, study and career advice) and arrival (what kind of assistance do international students get upon arrival with things like housing, social activities or even opening a bank account).
The University of Twente scores highest of all institutions worldwide on ‘visa advice’, and takes second place in the ‘application to offer’ category. There is room for improvement at UT when it comes to opportunities for international students to integrate with their Dutch peers.
1,000 UT students
The International Student Barometer is an initiative of I-Graduate, an international research institute for education. The survey has been held since 2005. Approximately 195,000 respondents from 199 educational institutions participated in the ISB Autumn Wave 2018 edition. From October to December 2018, all international students from the educational institutions were invited to take the survey. More than 1,000 UT international students participated.
