Students in Saxony are extremely satisfied with the quality of their studies. In total, almost 60% have rated the quality of their studies as (very) good, and a further 36% have given a mid-range rating. These results show a significant improvement, especially with regard to the breadth of courses on offer.

These were the results of the latest Saxon Student Survey, which, following the surveys taken in 2005, 2012, and 2017, has enabled a comprehensive review of the quality of studies in Saxony from the perspective of students for the fourth time. The results were presented today by Minister of Science Sebastian Gemkow and Prof. Karl Lenz from the Competence Center for Education and University Research (KfBH) at TU Dresden. For the first time, the survey was opened up to students enrolled in all types of institutions of higher education.

The results show:

• Students are (very) satisfied with their studies (60%).
• They (very) frequently receive support from teaching staff (71%) – another sharp increase of more than 10 percentage points.
• Performance pressure and the amount of material in the course (surveyed for the first time) are rated differently. Only one in four students at universities and one in three at universities of applied sciences say that the performance requirements are (more or less) not too high. In contrast, this figure stands at 52% for art colleges.
• The pandemic has had an impact: Even though the vast majority of students were successful in pursuing their studies despite the pandemic, there is a large proportion whose progress has been severely affected, even in 2021. These students are at risk of not being able to complete their studies. Digital teaching is assessed in terms of its advantages and disadvantages.
• The need for advice is high, but students only partially use the services available to them.
• Bachelor’s degrees are increasingly seen as acceptable for career entry and there is high regional mobility in the transition from studies to work.

Minister of Science Sebastian Gemkow remarked, “I am delighted with the results on overall satisfaction with studies and the statements on study quality. These are the best endorsements, showing that young people can study successfully in Saxony – an important argument in an increasingly competitive market for new students. Student evaluation is an important method for us to assess where we stand. It shows us what works well at universities from the perspective of students, but also in what areas we need to take action, such as how students can catch up again after the pandemic.”

Prof. Karl Lenz added, “The special value of longitudinal, repeated studies lies in winning data in a time series, enabling us the opportunity to empirically capture change and development processes. For this reason, we have continued the survey with the central topics from the previous studies. These topics include above all the students’ appraisal on study conditions and quality, details on how they study and the transition from Bachelor’s to Master’s courses.”

More information: https://tu-dresden.de/zqa/forschung/Forschungsprojekte/saechsische-studierendenbefragung

Background:
The Saxon Student Survey is a comprehensive review of study conditions and quality in Saxony from the perspective of students. The research study, which is supported by the Saxon State Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism, was conducted by the Competence Center for Education and University Research at TU Dresden for the fourth time in 2022. Prof. Karl Lenz was project lead.
The student survey supplements the official university records with important information on study conditions. It therefore makes an important contribution to university development in Saxony. The survey was conducted from the beginning of March until mid-June 2022. In contrast to the second and third editions of the study, the latest survey included the five art colleges under the authority of the Saxon State Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism in addition to the four universities and five universities of applied sciences. Approximately 11,000 students chosen at random from universities in Saxony participated in the 4^th Saxon Student Survey.

Contact:
Prof. Karl Lenz
Center for Quality Analysis (ZQA)
Tel.: +49 351 463-39730