The international students at VIA University College are among the most satisfied in the country. This is the short and clear conclusion to be drawn from the world’s biggest survey so far of international students’ satisfaction with their educational institution, International Student Barometer.
94 percent of the international students at VIA University College declare themselves satisfied while the average for the Danish educational institutions is 85 percent.
”In many areas, VIA surpasses the other educational institutions in the country. It is particularly remarkable that the student satisfaction with the actual course of study is so high. That is world-class,” says Tim Rogers, consultant in the British company i-graduate that has carried out the big survey.
Great emphasis on job opportunities
The survey was ordered by CIRIUS, an authority within the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation that work for internationalising the Danish study programmes. The students have answered both what is most important to them in connection with the programme and how satisfied they are with everything from teachers to living costs.
A clear tendency, according to Tim Rogers, is that the students are more demanding and increasingly consider their education to be an investment which must provide a return in the form of a good job. According to Tim Rogers, VIA fulfils the high expectations of the students and more. It is reflected in the high satisfaction with both job opportunities and career counselling.
”The students use their teachers as career counsellors and it is obvious that the students appreciate it. By and large, the teachers deserve a pat on their shoulders. They are able to be both experts in their fields and take care of the students by counselling them,” he says.
Students feel safe
When it comes to life outside the teaching rooms, the students point at e.g. internet access, accommodation expenses and personal safety as the key factors. VIA students are particularly satisfied with the personal safety and, notably, the satisfaction with living and accommodation costs is significantly above the national average. According to Tim Rogers, this is closely connected to the fact that VIA University College states the accurate accommodation and living expenses in Denmark.
”Therefore, the students do not get disappointed. It is important to be accurate because it is important to the international students whether they can begin making a budget from home,” he says.
Continuous improvements
Even though VIA University College manages better than the Danish educational institutions in general when it comes to the student satisfaction with life outside the programme, the school is constantly focusing on improvements.
”When it comes to accommodation, a lot of improvements are taking place and we have e.g. introduced a booking system so that the international students can choose the type of housing they wish rather than having us assign them one,” says Claus Sønderby, Manager of Student Service at School of Technology and Business in Horsens, Denmark.
Furthermore, there is focus on improving the social and cultural activities in connection with the programmes.
”According to the survey, we have done well but we would like to do more. It is important that the students feel comfortable and have a meaningful everyday life – also outside the programme,” Claus Sønderby says.
