Quality over quantity: 3 awarded Irish Universities ensure second place for Ireland

Eindhoven, 21 September 2016 – International student satisfaction in Ireland has yet again surpassed that of students in the United Kingdom, which is already struggling with a tough year following Brexit worries. Ireland, last year’s winner of the International Student Satisfaction Awards by Studyportals is now second with a score of 9.2, slightly behind Norway (9.3). The United Kingdom (9.1) on the other hand, while doing better than last year, could still only score 5^th place this year.

The Studyportals International Student Satisfaction Awards 2016 are based on 15,965 reviews written by international students on our ‘student experience platform’ STeXX.eu during the academic year of 2015-2016. This year, 153 universities all over Europe have qualified for an award. Spain has the largest number of winning universities (27), followed by Germany with 15 winning universities in 2016.

This year, 3 Irish universities received an award, of which two an award for ‘Outstanding International Student Satisfaction’ and 1 for ‘Excellent International Student Satisfaction’. University College Cork received the Outstanding International Student Satisfaction Award, and were are also this years’ winner of most satisfied students! Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick has also received an Outstanding International Student Satisfaction Award, with a satisfaction score of 9.5+. University College Dublin received an Excellent International Student Satisfaction Award.

Table 1. Overview of awarded Irish Universities

Within Ireland, students were impressed with the diverse, international student community, the well-organized universities that were ready for exchange students, and the great foundation that was laid for their future careers. The students also commented on the Irish population being very friendly and hospitable.

A total of 7 British universities also received an award: 6 ‘Excellent International Student Satisfaction Awards’ and one ‘Very Good International Student Satisfaction Award’. No ‘Outstanding International Student Satisfaction’ awards were collected by the United Kingdom.

Within the United Kingdom, international students commented on the outstanding, strong global recognition of UK Universities, the great quality of courses and the leading scholars as knowledgeable professors, together with the great student support by universities and the nice and helpful staff enabling for good academic development and personal growth.

Table 2. Overview of awarded British Universities

The full results of the Studyportals International Student Satisfaction Awards 2016 were announced on the 21^st  of September following the yearly EAIE conference in Liverpool.

Figure 1. International Student Satisfaction: Winning Countries 

Figure 2. International Student Satisfaction: Most satisfied students

Table 3. International Student Satisfaction in Europe and Number of Awarded Institutions by Destination Country. 

Press contact:

Carmen Neghina | carmen@studyportals.com | +31 655 875 270

About the Awards

The Studyportals International Student Satisfaction Awards 2016 are based on 15,965 comments by international students. These reviews provide rare insights into universities’ performance from a student perspective. The universities included in the award had to receive at least 20 reviews since the last academic year. Institutions with an average rating of 9.5 or higher receive an Award for Outstanding International Student Satisfaction. The Excellent International Student Satisfaction Award will be handed to universities with an average rating of 9.0 or higher. Universities that received a score above 8.0 received a Very Good International Student Satisfaction Award.

For each review left on SteXX, Studyportals supports “Knowledge for Children” – promoting the involvement and self-reliance of local communities in Africa by a financial co-investment concept. The aim: improve the quality of Primary Education and give as many children as possible a better future.

About Studyportals

Studyportals is the international study choice platform, enabling students to find and compare their study options across borders. With over 117,000 published courses from over 2,450 participating universities and over 16 million visitors per year, Studyportals is a leading information source for study seekers. Studyportals was initiated out of an international student organization in 2008 and initially focused on the European education market. Since 2014 the organization (with its headquarters in Eindhoven, the Netherlands) expanded its services and is now also covering universities in the US, Canada and Australia and Asia. For universities, Studyportals is a key channel for international student recruitment.