Student review [#84427] for International Business
at Rotterdam Business School

I already hold a bachelor’s degree from one of the top 100 universities in Europe, so I have a solid basis for comparison. And let me tell you—Rotterdam Business School (RBS) is, without a doubt, the lowest-level institution I have ever come across. Frankly, it’s embarrassing that they even call themselves a university because this place is a complete mess. After two years of frustration, I finally lost my patience and decided to leave and continue my marketing studies elsewhere.
The problems began on day one. On September 1st, students still weren’t assigned to their actual classes. Instead, we were forced to participate in random “bonding activities” with people we wouldn’t even be studying with. The university blamed this on having to move buildings that year, but let’s be real—this level of disorganization is unacceptable.
Then came the courses, which were painfully useless. They had us writing essays about ourselves for grades and attending mandatory “coaching” sessions where we had to answer personal questions about our families. I am 25 years old, a grown adult, yet I had to sit through these infantilizing sessions where refusing to answer personal questions was apparently unacceptable.
And let’s talk about the complete lack of information. The school constantly forgets to communicate important details. A perfect example: RBS invited first-year students who earned all their credits to attend a ceremony and pick up their propedeuse diploma. What they failed to mention in the email was that you needed to bring an official ID document. I showed up with my driver’s license, and the teacher refused to give me my diploma, demanding I go home and get a “real document.” I told her I live far away and wouldn’t make it back in time, to which she scolded me. How is that my fault when the school didn’t bother to provide clear instructions?
Despite my disappointment in year one, I held out hope that things would improve once I reached my marketing specialization. Well, that was a mistake. There is absolutely no difference between specializations—every student, regardless of what they choose, studies the same subjects, does the same assignments, and takes the same exams. What’s the point of choosing a specialization if the school doesn’t even bother to teach it properly?
For the entire year, I had only one lecture per week related to my specialization. The rest of the time, I was drowning in pointless assignments like personality quizzes and cultural competence reflections. I learned how to make a LinkedIn page, write a CV, and roleplay a job interview with my groupmates—for a grade. Oh, and of course, there were more discussions on environmental dangers. Was this worth €250 a month? Absolutely not.
Looking ahead, it’s clear things don’t get any better. Year three consists of either an exchange or an internship, and year four is another internship. It seems like this school will do anything to avoid actually teaching its students.
On top of that, electives are constantly getting canceled at the last minute. I had an elective get canceled on the same day it was supposed to start. Since all the other courses were already full, I had to literally beg a teacher to let me into another one just so I could earn enough credits.
The teachers at RBS are another major issue. Many are arrogant and clearly favor Dutch students. During one of my recent exams, the supervisor refused to give instructions in English. When my class president pointed out that most students were international, she just continued speaking Dutch. Then, when a classmate asked if she could leave early if she finished her exam, the supervisor sarcastically asked, “Do you really think you’re that smart?” That level of unprofessionalism is just shocking.
Some teachers even force students to buy their own books, blatantly saying, “If you don’t buy this book, you won’t pass the exam.” There are no clear grading guidelines, so your grade often depends on the teacher’s mood rather than your actual work. And if you fail an exam? Good luck figuring out what went wrong—many teachers don’t even bother writing feedback.
There is one particular teacher I know of who has received numerous complaints from students, yet nothing has been done about it. He continues to teach as if nothing ever happened, and the university simply ignores the issues.
To make matters worse, exams are full of mistakes. Whoever creates them clearly doesn’t double-check their work, so students often have to waste time figuring out what was actually meant. It’s frustrating when you’re sitting in an exam, already under pressure, and you find errors in the questions themselves.
Rotterdam Business School is an absolute joke. If you want to do middle-school-level assignments and waste your time, go ahead and join. But if you actually want to become a specialist in your field, do yourself a favor and look elsewhere.