News ISB: International students satisfied with Estonian universities
ISB: International students satisfied with Estonian universities
Thursday, February 23
89% satisfied with living quality
Estonia got the best results in living quality – 89% of all the international students are satisfied with their living quality, compared to the European average (85%). 93% of the students said that Estonia is a safe country – the general opinion was that Estonia is a good country to live in. Students also value highly the host culture and social acitivities, but the biggest satisfaction was in the fields of living and accommodation costs. 84% of the students are satisfied with the living costs (European average 59%) and 80% are satisfied with their accommodation costs (European average 55%).
Surprsingly, compared to the European average results, students in Estonia say that the country has some improvements to make in the eco-friendly attitude. Besides that students in Estonia are concerned with the opportunities of earning money during their studies.
Students are satisfied with the support they get from their university
The support system in Estonia is again better than the European average. Estonia’s biggest advantage is the good work of the international student organizations (with the amazing satisfaction rate 97%) and the universities’ international offices (satisfaction rate 95%). The international offices of the universities have a very good cooperation with ESN sections in Tallinn and Tartu - this might be the reason of the high score of both counterparts.
Compared to the European average results the international students in Estonia rated highly the financial support systems and the help with accommodation, but they think Estonia could improve in the fields of careers service and health centres.
When it comes to studying
International students say that Estonian universities are more multicultural than the European ones, besides that they like here more the learning spaces and the language support. But students are concerned with career advice, managing research, employability and work experience in Estonia.
Although the students are interested in getting a quality education in a small country like Estonia, then the feedback also says that students would be ready to work after their studies in Estonia.
To recommend or not to recommend?
Estonian universities outclass the European average when it comes to arrival services – 90% of international students are happy with the arrival in Estonia compared to the European average (83%).
Students are especially satisfied when it comes to bank accounts, financial services and internet access.
83% of the international students would recommend Estonia for studying – the average European figure is 80%.
„Compared to the ISB survey in 2009, Estonia is basically on the same level or has slightly improved. Three years ago we were compared with United Kingdom, Netherlands, Spain and Belgium – this time we were compared with 15 countries in Europe,“ said Mariann Lugus, higher education international marketing manager from Archimedes Foundation.
International students in Estonia
In the academic year 2011/2012 almost 1600 international degree students study in Estonian institutions of higher education. Besides that there are around 900 Erasmus students in Estonia every year. The biggest amount of international degree students come from Finland and Russia while the biggest numbers of exchange students come from Spain, Italy, Turkey, Germany and France.
More than 700 international students studying in Estonia participated in the International Student Barometer 2011 survey. The survey was financed by the European Union European Social Fund.
The International Student Barometer tracks decision-making, expectations, perceptions and intentions of international students from application to graduation. With feedback from over one million students and benchmarks drawn from hundreds of the world’s leading universities, the ISB helps universities to make decisions to improve the whole student experience. ISB measures the student satisfaction in the areas of learning, support services, living and accommodation and services at arrival.
Archimedes Foundation is an independent body established by the Estonian government with the objective to coordinate and implement different international and national programmes and projects in the field of training, education and research.Additional information:
ESTONIA AS THE BEST-PERFORMING ECONOMY IN EUROPE
ESTONIA IN TOP3 IN WORLD PRESS FREEDOM INDEX
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS SAY ESTONIA IS THE BEST COUNTRY FOR STAY
ESTONIAN PUBLIC BROADCASTING: MOST FOREIGN STUDENTS SATISFIED WITH ESTONIAN UNIVERSITIES
