Students in the Netherlands feeling less pressured

Things seem to be moving in the right direction: five years ago, during the pandemic, 71.5 per cent of students in the Netherlands were satisfied or very satisfied with their programme. That figure has now risen to three-quarters of the 248,000 respondents who took part in this year's National Student Survey (NSE), which took place last spring.

The National Student Survey is conducted by the National Centre for Study Choice and commissioned by the Ministry of Education. The results enable prospective students to compare degree programmes on sites like Studiekeuze123.nl. Universities and universities of applied sciences can also use the results to improve their programmes. One in three students in the Netherlands responded to the survey this year, a similar number compared to last year.

Students are particularly pleased with the atmosphere on their course: around 80 per cent are positive about it. Around 75 percent of respondents are also satisfied with the content of their degree. What's more, students often feel at home in their programmes and safe to be themselves.

There is, however, a difference between university students and those at universities of applied sciences: university students tend to be more positive in their assessments. 82 per cent of them say they are satisfied, compared to 70 per cent of students at universities of applied sciences.

Study pressure
There has been a notable decline in the number of students who feel they are under too much study pressure. In 2021, around 38 per cent of students were affected by this, compared to 31 per cent this year. University students tend to be slightly more under pressure than those enrolled in universities of applied sciences.

According to respondents, teacher training programmes are the most demanding: almost half of students enrolled in this type of degree find the academic pressure too high. Economics students are the least affected by study pressure, with only 24 per cent feeling this way.

Lecturers and assessments
Students are generally happy with their lecturers, although university students are more positive than those in universities of applied sciences. Nearly 90 per cent of university students consider their lecturers knowledgeable in their subject, compared with 75 per cent of students at universities of applied sciences.

Five years ago, students were slightly more likely to rate their lecturers' expertise higher: 92 per cent of university students were positive about this, compared to 80 per cent of students at universities of applied sciences.

Students believe there is room for improvement in assessment and evaluation, an area in which fewer than 60 per cent of respondents are satisfied. For instance, some of them feel that the feedback on their assignments or tests could be better. Students also say that it is not always clear to them what criteria teachers use to assess them.

Labour market
In addition, some respondents feel they are being inadequately prepared for their future careers. University students are more likely to feel like this, with almost 25 per cent saying that the programme they are following does not sufficiently align with their professional careers. On average, the respondents gave the connection of their degrees with the labour market a score of 3.6 on a scale of 0 to 5.

Here, the score given by Utrecht University’s bachelor’s students differs negatively, just as it did last year. UU's bachelor's students gave the university a 3.1, while Master’s students gave it a 3.7.

To see all scores of this year's National Student Survey, visit the NSE dashboard (available in Dutch only, Ed.)