This is the seventh consecutive time that Avans has been placed at the top of the Keuzegids Hbo guide in the category Top large university of applied sciences. The Brabant-based educational institution is followed in this ranking by Windesheim and NHL Stenden.
Top-class study programmes
All of the study programmes offered by Avans obtained outstanding results, in which particularly those in the field of Language & Communication and Science & Technology were given an above-average score. A total of 15 Avans study programmes were designated top-class.
NSS
It is hardly surprising that this year’s 3 highest-ranking study programmes are the same as last year. The Keuzegids is partially based on data from the Dutch National Student Survey (NSS). This year, the survey was not conducted due to COVID-19, and Dutch universities of applied sciences did not participate in the 2019 NSS, as the survey outcomes were unreliable and hence unusable due to the introduction of new privacy laws. Therefore, the NSS results from 2018 were used for the 2021 Keuzegids. However, they are supplemented by new performance figures examining the number of second-year registrations and the number of students that graduated without a delay in their study progress.
A different reality due to COVID-19
Paul Rüpp, Chairman of the Avans Executive Board: ‘It is wonderful to see that we were once again given a first place in the Keuzegids, even if this achievement was not based on our results this year. A relatively low number of drop-outs, a high number of bachelor’s degree graduates, positive accreditation decisions, immediately approved quality agreements, a positive accreditation for the institution in terms of quality assurance: all of these are key elements. However, what is lacking is the opinion of our student body. At the same time, we have entered a new reality due to the measures associated with preventing the spread of COVID-19. It is therefore particularly important that we continue to focus on ways to guarantee a high standard of education for this generation of students, with specific attention for the social aspects of studying. After all, learning is something you do together! This is Avans’s core value.”
About Keuzegids Hbo
The Keuzegids Hbo is an independently produced guide that assesses and compares the quality of all study programmes offered in the Netherlands. Its aim is to provide relevant information that helps future students make an informed choice about which programme to join www.keuzegids.nl.