NSE 2025: Students at Windesheim are the most satisfied of all broad Universities of Applied Sciences

The results of the National Student Survey (NSE 2025) have been published by the National Study Choice Center. No fewer than 8,500 students from Windesheim University of Applied Sciences shared their opinions on how they experience their education and study programs. Student satisfaction at Windesheim is high: 75% say they are (very) satisfied with their programme. A result to be proud of.

Highest Score Among Broad Universities of Applied Sciences

With an average satisfaction score of 3.81 (on a 5-point scale), Windesheim scores significantly higher than the national average of 3.70. This is the highest score among all broad universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands, making Windesheim the institution with the most satisfied students in that category this year. Avans University of Applied Sciences comes in second with a general satisfaction score of 3.77.

Core Themes

In addition to general satisfaction, Windesheim scores above the national HBO (higher professional education) average on all six core themes in the survey. On three of these themes, Windesheim even scores the highest among all broad universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands. The strongest results are in the areas of study guidance (4.00), lecturers (3.82), and content and structure of education (3.70).

Particularly noteworthy is the high appreciation students have for study guidance at Windesheim (4.00 compared to the national average of 3.83). Many students express their appreciation for both the availability and the quality of academic guidance at Windesheim.

Students also largely agree with positive statements about their lecturers, giving an average satisfaction score of 3.82 compared to the national average of 3.72. They believe their lecturers are knowledgeable about the subject matter and have strong practical expertise. Students also feel that lecturers are engaged with them and create an environment where it is easy to ask questions.

Students are also (very) satisfied with the aspects within the core theme of content and structure of education, with an average score of 3.70 compared to 3.62 nationally. In particular, students value the level of the programme and how well the content aligns with current developments.

Themes in the Flexible Section

As in previous years, Windesheim had the opportunity to present institution-specific themes to students. These results cannot be compared with those from other universities of applied sciences. Two new themes were introduced this year: “Student Wellbeing” and “Reflection.” These replaced the previous themes “Internships” and “Practice-Based Research.”

When compared to previous measurements, scores on these themes remained the same or were slightly lower than last year. Students are most satisfied with the following themes:

• Equal Treatment (3.93): Students largely feel there is a safe environment in which everyone can express their opinions and where equal treatment is experienced. Many also indicate that personal circumstances are taken into account and that the institution actively promotes equal treatment.
• General Skills (3.83): Students are mostly satisfied with how the programme teaches general skills such as argumentation/reasoning, problem-solving, collaboration, communication, developing a critical attitude, and supporting conclusions.

Room for Improvement

Overall, the image that emerges from NSE 2025 for Windesheim is very positive. However, there are areas for improvement, notably in the themes of Reflection (3.35) and Flexibility of Study Programme (3.52).

Reflection refers to how much the course material is linked to societal issues, whether students' personal ideas are challenged, the extent to which multiple perspectives (political, religious, ethnic, etc.) are incorporated into discussions or assignments, how much effort is made to understand others’ viewpoints, the connection between new and previous knowledge or experience, and how different components of the program are integrated in assignments.

Flexibility in the study programme refers to the ability to customize one’s studies, the extent to which the programme supports such customization, and the freedom students feel to personalize their learning path.

About the National Student Survey

The annual National Student Survey (NSE) is organized by the National Study Choice Center. This year’s survey was conducted between January 13 and March 9, 2025. The questionnaire was almost identical to the one used in 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021. It was developed in 2021 by representatives from educational institutions, student unions, and the National Study Choice Center. This consistency allows for comparisons with results from the past four years, though not with earlier data.

Since March 2020, it has been legally mandated that all publicly funded programs accredited by the NVAO participate in the NSE. The research was carried out by the research agency MWM2, as it was in 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021.