The Keuzegids awards points to programmes based on the assessments of students who completed the National Student Survey (NSE) in spring of this year. Those that score 75 points (out of a maximum of one hundred, with the average programma scoring sixty) may call itself a ‘top programme’.
This year, Medicine emerged as the best UM bachelor's programme with 87 points (or a grade of 8.7) and also scored the highest of the eight Medicine programmes in the Netherlands. The three Liberal Arts & Sciences programmes follow close behind: the University Colleges in Venlo and Maastricht score 8.6 and 8.2 respectively, while the Maastricht Science Programme receives 7.7.
Last year, Global Studies was also marked as a top programme scoring exactly a 7.5, but now drops to a 6.9. This continues a downward trend: in the 2022 guide, this was still the best UM bachelor’s programma with an 8.6.
Lowest scores
At the bottom of the list, the new Computer Science bachelor's programme stands out. The first batch of some 300 first-year students started there last year. They do not seem to like the content, lecturers, testing and atmosphere. As a result, the study ended up with a 4.0, making it the lowest score of all computer science bachelors in the Netherlands. The bachelor's in Regenerative Medicine and Technology, also launched last year, experiences a softer landing in the Keuzegids with a 6.7.
At UM, only two bachelor's programmes at the Law faculty score even lower: the Dutch programmes Tax Law and Dutch Law come in at 3.6. Students are particularly dissatisfied with testing and the atmosphere. These studies have been the bottom of the list of UM bachelor's programmes for years. The third law bachelor, European Law School, also ranks low with a 4.9. Vice dean of Education Sjoerd Claessens told Observant last year that the fact that his faculty “pays no attention to filling in the NSE” could play a role.
Internationals
The European Law School does however stand out nationally on another list: that of highest percentage of international students. At 90 per cent, it shares first place with the University of Amsterdam's Liberal Arts and Sciences bachelor's programme. The Maastricht programmes in Computer Science (88 per cent), Digital Society, Business Analytics (both 87 per cent) and Business Engineering (85 per cent) are also in the national top ten. When it comes to absolute student numbers, International Business ranks first nationally with almost 1,800 internationals. Incidentally, Maastricht students are also the most satisfied with the staff's English-speaking skills: they rate them with a 4.3 on a scale of 5.
Across the board, this year's ranking has few surprises. The Keuzegids again marks Utrecht University as the best classic university, while Wageningen University & Research and the Open University share first place among the other universities. In the latter category, Maastricht University, with the same score as last year, finishes in shared third place together with TU Eindhoven. The Keuzegids editors note that the differences between Dutch universities seem to be getting smaller every year.
For master’s programmes, the Keuzegids publishes a separate ranking, which will be published in a few months' time.