Tilburg University once again best general university

Overall student satisfaction with their programs (on a scale of 1 to 5) stands at 4.12, considerably higher than the national average for universities (4.05). In the ranking of all universities – including universities of technology and agricultural universities – Tilburg University comes in third place, after Wageningen University and the Eindhoven University of Technology.

The Executive Board: ‘We are very pleased with the results. The fact that the level of student satisfaction has been consistently high for years now is a result of the continuous innovation and quality enhancement of our programs, realized in consultation with our students. We thank them for their confidence.‘

The National Student Survey (NSE) is a large–scale national survey that annually invites all students of Dutch research universities and universities of applied sciences to share their opinions on the programs they are taking. In 2018, a total of 4,757 students of Tilburg University completed the NSE survey (a response percentage of 34%). In the report on the survey, the statements that students were asked to respond to were categorized into 17 main themes.

Scores for the various themes

Compared to students of other Dutch universities, students of Tilburg University show higher scores on the content of their programs, the acquisition of academic skills, their lecturers, testing and assessment, the provision of information, study load, quality care, challenging courses, and internationalization.

Satisfaction with respect to preparation for the job market has been growing in the past few years, among Bachelor’s as well as Master’s students. The introduction of the new educational profile (TEP) is expected to pave the way for a next step in this regard. The theme of studying facilities got relatively low scores among Tilburg University students. Not too long ago, the ultra-modern education and independent study center Cube was opened. Cube provides some 350 extra student work stations and offers the latest in modern and sustainable facilities. It is expected to lead to higher satisfaction scores on studying facilities.

Use of NSE results

The results of the NSE are used by Tilburg University every year to analyze individual programs as well as its service level to students. For a number of years in a row now, the implementation of subsequent improvements has led to increased quality of education.

External parties like CHOI (Keuzegidsen Hoger Onderwijs) and Elsevier (Elsevier Beste Studies) use the results as input for their annual rankings of best Bachelor’s and Master’s programs.

Note to the editors

More information on the NSE can be found at www.nse.nl (in Dutch). If you have any questions, please contact spokesperson Tineke Bennema, persvoorlichters@tilburguniversity.nl or phone 06 19678521.