Research: students feel understood and supported at Windesheim
More than one in five students in higher education face barriers caused by special circumstances. This is shown in the 2025 Annual Report Studying with Additional Support Needs by the Expertise Centre for Inclusive Education (ECIO), based on the National Student Survey 2025 (NSE).
The report confirms that clear procedures, tailored support and a culture of understanding help students succeed. These are key aims in Windesheim’s approach to inclusive education.
New focus
This year’s report takes a different approach. It looks less at the circumstances themselves and more at the barriers students face and how institutions respond. For the first time, it also measures student satisfaction with reporting their needs, the understanding they experience, and the accessibility of buildings, websites, learning platforms and materials.
The results show how urgent inclusive education is. They highlight how important it is for students to feel seen, heard and supported.
Understanding and accessibility
Among large universities of applied sciences, Windesheim scores highest for understanding and accessibility. Students value the facilities and the empathy of staff. They are also satisfied with how the university handles their needs.
Windesheim scores well for accessibility: 90% for buildings, 87% for the website, 86% for the digital learning environment and 84% for course materials. Even with these results, the university keeps working on improvement.
A place where everyone belongs
Windesheim wants all students and staff to feel at home. People perform best when they feel supported. Every student should be able to develop into a confident professional with room for personal strengths and challenges.
As one student said: “Feeling at home is not just about facilities but about attitude and attention. That’s what I found at Windesheim. I belong here.”
Tailored support in practice
This idea is visible in flexible study paths, personal guidance and practical help. The Strong at Work project, for example, supports students with disabilities in finding suitable jobs and offers help in the first work period.
Survi, a second-year Sport associate degree student, says: “I’m hard of hearing and follow lectures with a sign language interpreter. Teachers and classmates reacted positively and asked how they could help. That made me feel included.”
Former HRM student Gwendolynn adds: “The step from secondary school to higher education was tough. Thanks to the guidance and flexibility, I could study at my own pace. That made all the difference.”
Continuous improvement
Since 2016, Windesheim has led all large universities of applied sciences in supporting students with additional needs. This shows that an inclusive approach works and that students recognise it.
The latest ECIO report provides new insights into reporting procedures and accessibility. These help Windesheim strengthen its inclusive learning environment from first contact to graduation.
The 2025 Annual Report Studying with Additional Support Needs is based on responses from 55,475 full-time higher education students. The new focus on barriers rather than personal circumstances fits the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which puts the emphasis on inclusion and the role of the environment.