Over the years, student satisfaction at Avans has generally been very stable. The most important subjects for students in their ranking include the design of the education, the perceived dedication of lecturers and the evaluation of lecturers. Avans’ score is higher than the national average in all of those areas. This was once again shown in the results from this year’s National Student Survey (NSS).
Avans students are most satisfied about staff dedication. They indicate that it is very easy to get in touch with lecturers when they need them. Avans also scores highly on inclusivity; the degree to which students feel safe to be themselves. Inclusivity received the highest of all scores in the NSS.
Great compliment
Jacomine Ravensbergen, interim chair of the Executive Board of Avans, is proud of the results: “Once again, Avans students have rated their education very highly. Perhaps more importantly, they feel seen at Avans, and well-supported in their study programmes, and they appreciate the dedication and quality of their lecturers. Inclusivity received the highest score and that is a great compliment and is due to the growing attention to diversity and inclusion and the large group of students and employees who participate and make their voices heard.”
Study load
Both at Avans and nationwide, an improvement can be seen when it comes to the experienced study load. The percentage of students that experience the study load as ‘just right’ has risen from 58.6% in 2023 to 61.9% in 2024. The national average is at 56.7%. Despite this improvement, study load in education remains a point for attention. For 29% of students at Avans, the load is still too high.
Development opportunities
Improvement is also still possible in the area of cognitive involvement: the extent to which Avans students work on their course material outside of their studies and apply it in everyday life. As a result they are missing opportunities to deepen and broaden their knowledge, independently of the study context.
The lowest scores for Avans can be found in the testing and assessment category. This theme remains a point for attention. The clarity of the assessment criteria and the usefulness of the feedback in particular scored below par.
Study programmes with the highest scores
The dual programme Entrepreneurship & Retail Management in ‘s-Hertogenbosch scored the highest. The winner among the Associate degrees is Engineering in Roosendaal.
Among the part-time study programmes, the Marketing Management Associate degree in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and the Bachelor of Industrial Engineering & Management in Tilburg received the highest scores. Stand-up Comedy and Computer Science, both in 's-Hertogenbosch, rate most highly among the full-time programmes.
About the NSS
The NSS is conducted annually and is commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. This year, Avans included additional questions on equal treatment and the attention to international aspects within programmes. The NSS is an important basis for the rankings of the Keuzegids HBO guide and Elsevier’s Beste Studies, which are both published in October.
Viewing the results
The National Study Choice Centre will incorporate all information into the NSS dashboard. You can compare all the higher education study programmes there.