2008 Press Releases
UCC Top of the Class for International Students
16.07.2008
In a major survey of international students studying at University College Cork (UCC) international students have reported very high levels of satisfaction with teaching and learning facilities, support services and the quality of campus life.
16.07.2008
In a major survey of international students studying at University College Cork (UCC) international students have reported very high levels of satisfaction with teaching and learning facilities, support services and the quality of campus life.
The findings are contained in the first report of the International Student Barometer (ISB), a comparative survey of 67,000 international students studying at 84 institutions, carried out by independent research specialists International Graduate Insight Group.
98% of UCC's international students who participated in the survey said they had "Expert lecturers" and over 90% said they had "Good teachers".
UCC was in the Top 3 of the 84 universities which took part in the study in the categories "Sports Facilities", "Social Facilities" and "University Clubs and Societies", demonstrating that international students studying at UCC highly value the overall quality of the student experience.
Of the support services, the "International Education Office" rated particularly high outperforming other institutions with a satisfaction rating of 93% compared to an average of 85% for the ISB generally. "IT Support" attracted a satisfaction rating of 92% compared with an ISB average of 86%.
The survey measured the satisfaction level of international students with every aspect of their university experience divided into categories such as quality of teaching; research opportunities; employability; sports facilities; and clubs and societies. Other categories for evaluation included IT Support; Accommodation; the Library; Careers Service; and the International Education Office. The survey was the first of a two-stage tracking of international students with the second phase of the survey currently underway.
Out of the 84 institutions that took part in the survey, UCC were asked to select a smaller number of institutions for specific benchmarking purposes; these included a cross-section of top UK institutions - mostly members of the prestigious Russell Group - and two other Irish universities. Again, comparisons against this sub-set of institutions yielded very positive results for UCC; in this grouping UCC was ranked 1st in terms of its "International Education Office" and was also ranked 1st in the category quite simply named "Good Place to be". It also scored 2nd for "Employability" in this grouping of 11 institutions.
The outcome of the survey represents good news, not just for the University itself, but also for the city of Cork and the surrounding region. 90% of respondents found Cork to be a welcoming and friendly environment for international students with 84% of the international students surveyed saying they would recommend UCC as a place to study. A Canadian student who responded to the survey summed up the overall impression of respondents by saying "UCC is fantastic; the staff are brilliant, fellow students are friendly, resources are wonderful and overall I could not ask for a better experience!"
"This is an excellent result for UCC" commented Louise Tobin, Director of International Student Recruitment and Strategy at UCC. "The feedback from our international students provides a clear endorsement of the quality of the student experience at UCC. As international students are becoming more and more discerning in their choice of destination, the results of this survey will allow us promote more vigorously than ever the advantages of selecting UCC. In these days of intensifying competition between universities to attract the highest quality students from a worldwide pool, it is gratifying for us to be reminded of our strengths. Maybe more importantly, we need to be able to identify those areas that need improvement and the survey will help us do just that."
UCC currently welcomes more than 2,000 international students drawn from 83 countries worldwide, making it one of Ireland's most international universities. Further information on international programmes at UCC may be found at: http://www.ucc.ie/international
794MMcS
98% of UCC's international students who participated in the survey said they had "Expert lecturers" and over 90% said they had "Good teachers".
UCC was in the Top 3 of the 84 universities which took part in the study in the categories "Sports Facilities", "Social Facilities" and "University Clubs and Societies", demonstrating that international students studying at UCC highly value the overall quality of the student experience.
Of the support services, the "International Education Office" rated particularly high outperforming other institutions with a satisfaction rating of 93% compared to an average of 85% for the ISB generally. "IT Support" attracted a satisfaction rating of 92% compared with an ISB average of 86%.
The survey measured the satisfaction level of international students with every aspect of their university experience divided into categories such as quality of teaching; research opportunities; employability; sports facilities; and clubs and societies. Other categories for evaluation included IT Support; Accommodation; the Library; Careers Service; and the International Education Office. The survey was the first of a two-stage tracking of international students with the second phase of the survey currently underway.
Out of the 84 institutions that took part in the survey, UCC were asked to select a smaller number of institutions for specific benchmarking purposes; these included a cross-section of top UK institutions - mostly members of the prestigious Russell Group - and two other Irish universities. Again, comparisons against this sub-set of institutions yielded very positive results for UCC; in this grouping UCC was ranked 1st in terms of its "International Education Office" and was also ranked 1st in the category quite simply named "Good Place to be". It also scored 2nd for "Employability" in this grouping of 11 institutions.
The outcome of the survey represents good news, not just for the University itself, but also for the city of Cork and the surrounding region. 90% of respondents found Cork to be a welcoming and friendly environment for international students with 84% of the international students surveyed saying they would recommend UCC as a place to study. A Canadian student who responded to the survey summed up the overall impression of respondents by saying "UCC is fantastic; the staff are brilliant, fellow students are friendly, resources are wonderful and overall I could not ask for a better experience!"
"This is an excellent result for UCC" commented Louise Tobin, Director of International Student Recruitment and Strategy at UCC. "The feedback from our international students provides a clear endorsement of the quality of the student experience at UCC. As international students are becoming more and more discerning in their choice of destination, the results of this survey will allow us promote more vigorously than ever the advantages of selecting UCC. In these days of intensifying competition between universities to attract the highest quality students from a worldwide pool, it is gratifying for us to be reminded of our strengths. Maybe more importantly, we need to be able to identify those areas that need improvement and the survey will help us do just that."
UCC currently welcomes more than 2,000 international students drawn from 83 countries worldwide, making it one of Ireland's most international universities. Further information on international programmes at UCC may be found at: http://www.ucc.ie/international
794MMcS