On Wednesday 27 May, the results of the 2026 National Student Survey (NSE) were published by the Landelijk Centrum Studiekeuze (National Centre for Study Choice). The NSE is the annual national survey of student satisfaction, in which all students in higher education can give their opinion on their study programme and university.
Many students completed the survey again – thank you!
6,860 students from Radboud University completed the survey this year, representing a response rate of 29.1%. The Executive Board and the degree programmes would like to thank all students warmly for their feedback. This gives us valuable insight from the students’ perspective into what is going well and what requires attention. It also enables us to implement targeted improvement measures.
What do the initial results show?
On average, students at Radboud University are satisfied with their degree programme again this year. They give their programme an average rating of 3.95 on a scale of 1 to 5. The atmosphere is rated at 4.20 and 80% of students would choose the same programme again.
Students rate the social safety at Radboud University with a score of 8.30 and the physical safety on campus with an 8.89. Students also give a score of 4.34 (on a scale of 1 to 5) for the subject expertise of the lecturers, and international students are very satisfied with the staff’s command of the English language and the range of English-taught courses on offer.
Study load and career relevance remain areas for attention according to students, although we see the increased satisfaction on these themes as the first results of the improvements we have implemented.
Where can the results of the NSE 2026 be found?
The results can be viewed on the website of the National Centre for Study Choice (LCSK). Furthermore, this factsheet from Studiekeuze123 for Radboud University presents the initial results of the NSE 2026. It contains the results for the general themes that were presented to all universities. Radboud University’s results for 2026 are compared with those from 2025 and with the national average for universities in 2026.
In early July, the results will be made available in greater detail, including by faculty and programme, as well as for the so-called ‘flexible shell’ themes – themes that each university was free to choose. The results will then be accessible via this interactive dashboard, amongst other channels. Naturally, these results will be widely communicated and discussed, including within the programmes themselves.
What happens to the results?
The results from the NSE are used on an ongoing basis by Radboud University and individual programmes to further improve the quality of teaching and the facilities of the programmes and the university. Programmes study the results and, together with students, identify where extra attention and action are needed. In addition, the national results are used for study choice guidance on studiekeuze123.nl, and the student ratings also serve as a source for Elsevier Beste Studies and the Keuzegids.
Prize winners
As a thank you for taking part in the NSE, the National Centre for Study Choice has raffled a number of great prizes amongst the respondents. The prize winners have now been notified. This year, the Apple MacBook was won by a student from Radboud University. In addition, Radboud University itself is raffling off a few additional prizes. The winners of these will be notified shortly.