Very high student satisfaction rate at Windesheim University of Applied Sciences

Today the National Study Programme Choice Centre has published the results of the National Student Survey (NSE 2024). Over 8,000 Windesheim students have completed this survey to express their opinion on how they feel about their study programme. Satisfaction among Windesheim students evidently remains high, which is a result we are extremely pleased with. The Keuzegids (Selection Guide) will follow in the autumn. The Keuzegids assessment is based on data including the NSE results.

General Satisfaction

No less than 75% of all Windesheim students are (highly) satisfied with their own study programme, with an average satisfaction score of 3.80 (on a 1 to 5 scale), equal to last year’s score. After Avans University of Applied Sciences (3.81), Windesheim has the highest score of all other broad-based universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands. The national average is 3.67.

Executive Board President Inge Grimm: “This is a result that makes us proud! Our students continue to appreciate their education at Windesheim! This proves how dedicated our lecturers are and all staff who work hard every day to support our students’ development and well-being. Together we make sure that Windesheim is a place where students feel at home and are given the opportunities they need to develop into valuable professionals. A big thank you to all who have contributed to this result and to our joint efforts for continued growth and improvement.”

Core Themes

Windesheim scores higher than the national hbo average on all six core themes. On three themes, Windesheim even has the top score of all universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands. Windesheim excels particularly in student counselling (3.98), contact and commitment (3.81) and lecturers (3.80).

• Student counselling: Windesheim students greatly appreciate the student counselling they are offered, especially its options and quality.
• Contact and commitment: Students feel safe and at ease at Windesheim, emphasizing how much they appreciate their lecturers’ openness to feedback and availability.
• Lecturers: Students are highly appreciative of their lecturers’ expertise and commitment, while also emphasizing that the lecturers not only have a great deal of knowledge, but are also accessible and supportive.

Miscellaneous Themes

This year too, Windesheim submitted questions about a number of specific non-core themes to the students. Results are better than the last few years in virtually all areas. High scores are seen for instance for internship experiences (4.05). Students are highly satisfied with their internship experiences and supervision. Windesheim is also appreciated for creating a safe environment with equal treatment and attention to personal circumstances as guiding principles, as is shown by the high score for equal treatment (3.95).

Room for Improvement

In spite of the positive results, there are also some areas that require further attention. Internship preparation (3.51) and curriculum flexibility (3.54) are experienced as less positive. This concerns mainly the internship preparation as provided by the programme and the options for adjustment of the curriculum and personal input. The results will be discussed in the education divisions in late June, followed by concrete actions in each programme. Windesheim continues to be committed to creating the best possible student experience and will use the feedback from the NSE 2024 to implement further improvements.

About the National Student Survey

The annual National Student Survey (NSE) is organized by the National Study Programme Choice Centre and was conducted this year from 15 January to 11 March 2024. Over 250,000 students took part in this year’s National Student Survey. The results show how satisfied today’s students at universities (of applied sciences) are about their study programme and educational institution. The survey results are available at National Study Programme Choice Centre (lcsk.nl)(opens in new tab).