Methodology

The scores in your report are a result of rigorous research into the various universities and their surrounding cities. The following is a breakdown of how we’ve put these scores together and what sources we’ve used to develop them.

Academic Standards

Reputation of the university

The reputation of your selected universities is based on the most recent available rankings from each ranking system. We’ve used the original sources where these are published:

  • Times Higher Education: World University Rankings 2021
  • QS Ranking: QS World University Rankings® 2021
  • Shanghai Rankings: Academic Ranking of World Universities

The final reputation score has been developed on a scale that weighs each university against all other universities in the Netherlands. 

Grade scale academic rankings

QS Shanghai Times heigher Education
Score (%) Max Min Max Min Max Min
50 231 368 301 500 301 136
52.5 221 230 127 131
55 212 220 123 127
57.5 202 211 119 123
60 193 201 201 300 115 119
62.5 183 192 112 115
65 174 182 108 111
67.5 164 173 104 108
70 155 163 151 200 100 104
72.5 145 154 96 100
75 136 144 92 96
77.5 126 135 88 92
80 117 125 101 150 84 92
82.5 107 116 80 84
85 98 106 76 80
87.5 88 97 73 76
90 79 87 51 100 69 72
92.5 69 78 65 69
95 60 68 61 65
97.5 50 59 1 50 57 61

Subject Ranking

The subject ranking of each course is based on data collected by the Keuzegids. The Keuzegids is an independent, not-for-profit guide that evaluates all bachelor and master programs in the Netherlands on a yearly basis. Their ratings are based on over 30,000 reviews from both Dutch and international students currently studying in the Netherlands and also includes input from experts in the Higher Education industry.

Courses are ranked along several different elements, such as assessment, lecture quality, available course materials, etc. We’ve converted the ranking system in the original Keuzegids guide in the following way:

Subject Ranking

Keuzegids Ranking The Discov Ranking (%)
--- 50
-- 60
- 70
o 80
+ 90
++ 100

The score given to each of the programs is taken as an average of the elements you’ve indicated to find most important. Below is an explanation for each of those elements:

Bachelor's

Level of subject materials and working methods Student’s assessment of the quality of the study content. This includes the use of sources, diversity of authors, and academic authority of the materials. If furthe analyses how well the materials is presented to you
Assessment Student’s assessment of the way you are evaluated throughout the course for, among other things, your knowledge, understanding, observation and analytical skills.
Teachers Students' assessment of the teachers' professional knowledge and their quality in teaching, coaching and giving feedback.
Scientific Education Students' assessment of the extent to which you learn to think critically, apply scientific methods of research, and train your academic skills,
Practical Orientation Students' assessment of how well you are prepared for a professional career and the extent to which you learn practical skills.
Feasibility Students' assessment of the difficulty level and likelihood of passing the course. Included are factors such as the spread of assignments and exams, achievable deadlines and the strictness of the grading.
Feasibility Students’ assessment of the quality and availability of lecture halls, study areas, labs, literary resources, etc.

Master's

Level of subject materials and working methods Student’s assessment of the quality of the study content. This includes the use of sources, diversity of authors, and academic authority of the materials. If furthe analyses how well the materials is presented to you
Assessment Student’s assessment of the way you are evaluated throughout the course for, among other things, your knowledge, understanding, observation and analytical skills.
Teachers Students' assessment of the teachers' professional knowledge and their quality in teaching, coaching and giving feedback.
Scientific Education Students' assessment of the extent to which you learn to think critically, apply scientific methods of research, and train your academic skills,
Practical Orientation Students' assessment of how well you are prepared for a professional career and the extent to which you learn practical skills.
Organisation of the course The efficiency of the course schedule and the extent to which assignment and exam results are communicated clearly and on time.
Accessibility of teachers and study guidance The involvement and accessibility of teachers, the availability and quality of study guidance.
Facilities Student’s assessment of the quality and availability of lecture halls, study areas, labs, literary resources, etc.
International Orientation The extent to which the study program pays attention to international aspects and allows you to become acquainted with other cultures.
Independence and self organisation The extent to which the study program gives you the space to follow your own interests stimulates you to add depth to the curriculum, and inspire each other to perform well

Price Friendliness

This indicator is relatively straightforward. Each of the elements in the price friendliness table for each city is based on data collected by Numbeo. Numbeo is the world’s largest cost of living database. It is fully crowd-​sourced, meaning that the prices displayed come from millions of people who live or travel in these cities. This data is continuously updated based on user input. For an overview of their methodology, please refer to https://www.numbeo.com/common /motivation_and_methodology.jsp

Scores have been developed based on a comparison scale of all research universities in the Netherlands

Non-Academic Interests

All indicators pertaining to non-academic interests, including sports, arts & culture and nightlife have been developed based on a mixture of own research as well as existing sources to give a complete as possible picture of each activity in each city. Below illustrates our scoring systems with an example for each non-academic indicator.

Sports

Number of Facilities Score ranked in comparison to other universities 0 to 13
Student Club Available NO
YES 		0
20
University Facilties NO
Access through the university
Own Facilities 		0
10
20
Club in the City NO
YES 		0
10
International Clubs NO
YES 		0
10
Average Google Rating of first 5 listed Out of 5 x2
Number of Sports Bars 1 to 9
10+ 		5
10

Arts & Culture

example: Theatre & Film

Arts

Number of Performance Theatres <1
1-2
3-4
5-6
7+
 0
5
10
15
20
Average Google Rating of Performance Theatres Out of 5 x3
Number of Cinemas 0
1
1-3
4-5
6+ 		0
5
10
15
20
Average Rating of Cinemas Out of 5 x3
Student Theatre / Drama / Film Association NO
YES 		0
10

Nightlife

example: events

Nightlife

Number of Events <24
36-38
60-72
73+ 		5
10
15
20
Number of Locations <20
21-40
41-60
61+ 		x3
Number of Events <100
101-200
201-300
301+
 0
5
10
15
20

All scores are added and divided by the total that can be achieved, producing the final percentage. The total non-academics score takes the average of the various elements.

Diversity

The diversity indicator is split into 2 elements:

Diversity and internationalisation of the student population.

The numbers, nationalities and share of international students of the total student population per university have been sourced from research by the Netherlands Universities Foundation for International Cooperation (Nuffic). Scores have been developed based on a comparison scale of all research universities in the Netherlands.

Source:
https://www.nuffic.nl/en/subjects/facts-and-figures/regions-and-universities

Diversity of the city population

The diversity of the city population is derived from annual census data developed by the Dutch government. Scores have been developed based on a comparison scale of all research universities in the Netherlands.

Source:
https://opendata.cbs.nl/statline/?dl=2096B#/CBS/nl/dataset/70072NED/table