International students are highly satisfied with their time at JGU and the university’s welcoming culture
16 March 2017
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) achieved very good results in the 2016 International Student Barometer (ISB), thereby confirming its attractiveness for international students. According to the results, about 86 percent of the international students surveyed said they were satisfied with their time at JGU, 82 percent would recommend a course of study at Mainz University.
The internationals showed particularly high levels of satisfaction with the reception they met with on arrival at the university; 87 percent of the polled students were satisfied or very satisfied with how accommodation is organized, with the formal welcome they received, and with the social activities at the beginning of the semester. Learning and teaching at JGU inspired a satisfactory response from 83 percent; special mention was made of the research opportunities, the multicultural mix of students, and the class sizes.
Quality of life in Mainz was also viewed positively: some 85 percent were either satisfied or very satisfied in this respect. Also seen in a positive light were safety aspects (91.5 percent of students), the campus environment (84 percent of students) and transport links (83 percent of students). The international students as a whole were satisfied or very satisfied with the culture of hospitality at the university (92 percent) and social activities (82 percent).
In comparison with other German universities, JGU predominantly registered results among the best when it came to the aspects of learning and teaching as well as with regard to social inclusion. Individual aspects that span various categories and which were given very good scores in national comparison include satisfaction with the first night in Mainz, the organization and quality of accommodation, JGU's welcoming culture and hospitality, the Finance Office, and the Tutor-Buddy program.
The International Student Barometer (ISB) is an international benchmark survey carried out by i-graduate, a British market research institute. According to GATE Germany, a German provider of university marketing services, the ISB is the largest survey in the world that focuses on mobile students and doctoral candidates. During the 2016 ISB survey, international students were questioned on a variety of subjects, from their arrival experience at the guest university and the learning and teaching there to the accommodation they received and the general quality of life. Around the world, approximately 160,000 international students from 17 countries and 196 institutions took part in the survey.