IU International University of Applied Sciences vs Steinbeis University - Schools of Next Practices vs Whitecliffe University of Applied Sciences vs Ironhack vs Forward College

Side-by-side comparison from 172 verified student reviews. Scan one row at a time — winners are highlighted

Quick verdict
Higher overall rating: Forward College (4.70)
IU International University of Applied Sciences: wins 0/6 categories
Steinbeis University - Schools of Next Practices: wins 0/6 categories
Whitecliffe University of Applied Sciences: wins 0/6 categories
Ironhack: wins 3/6 categories
Forward College: wins 3/6 categories
University of Europe for Applied Sciences: wins 0/6 categories
Catalyst – Institute for Creative Arts and Technology: wins 0/6 categories
Comparing
Best programme: MBA
Best programme: Business
Best programme: International Marketing
Barcelona, Spain
3.00
Read more reviews
2 reviews
×
Best programme: UX/UI Design (User Experience / User Interface Design)
Paris, France
4.70
Top
Read more reviews
29 reviews
×
Best programme: Data Science
Best programme: Bachelor of Arts in Digital Media Arts
Best programme: Music Production and Sound Engineering
Category ratings
Facilities
3.69
4.25
3.50
5.00
Win
4.43
3.00
4.75
Location
3.87
3.75
4.00
5.00
Win
4.81
3.60
4.25
Professors
4.43
4.25
4.50
3.00
4.90
Win
3.20
3.88
Internationality
4.44
4.50
5.00
3.00
4.55
4.00
5.00
Student life
3.62
3.75
3.50
5.00
Win
4.57
3.00
4.75
Value
4.32
3.75
4.00
3.00
4.55
Win
2.80
4.13
Accommodation
3.11
2.75
2.67
4.00
4.29
Win
1.40
2.25
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • +Flexible online study for work-life balance
  • +Modern, intuitive digital platform for easy access
  • +Relevant, high-quality educational content
  • +Excellent program structure and well-prepared faculty
  • +Practical, industry-focused learning with interactive opportunities
  • +Flexible study options and a supportive, inclusive environment
  • +High quality education and knowledgeable, helpful professors
  • +Welcoming and international atmosphere with friendly people
  • +Vibrant campus life and cool architecture
  • +Practical, hands-on learning with immediate application
  • +Experienced, professional instructors with industry expertise
  • +Engaging hybrid learning format
  • +Interactive and personalized learning with engaged professors
  • +Diverse and international community fostering personal growth
  • +Small class sizes for close student-professor relationships
  • +Hands-on learning and practical application focus
  • +International and multicultural environment
  • +Personalized attention and smaller class sizes
  • +Hands-on learning and practical experience
  • +Access to professional gear and facilities
  • +Supportive and collaborative environment
Cons
  • -Slow and unresponsive administrative processes, including grade processing and student support.
  • -Poor staff attitude and lack of accountability for errors in student records and applications.
  • -Inadequate support and guidance for online students.
  • -Administrative and management issues, including poor communication and lack of support.
  • -Limited professional development opportunities and weak industry connections.
  • -Perceived low quality of the learning experience relative to cost.
  • -Frustration with administrative and management issues is common.
  • -Outdated facilities and lack of resources are frequently criticized.
  • -Poor communication and unsupportive faculty are recurring complaints.
  • -Administrative and management issues.
  • -Perceived lack of value for money.
  • -Administrative and management issues cause frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and poor maintenance are a recurring problem.
  • -Lack of engagement and relevance in coursework is a concern.
  • -Administrative and management issues, including poor organization and miscommunication.
  • -Outdated teaching methods and inadequate facilities.
  • -Lack of academic integrity and student support.
  • -Administrative and management issues cause frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and equipment are a recurring problem.
  • -Lack of clear communication and support is a major concern.
Rating summary
What students say

This institution garners notable praise in several key areas, with **Internationality** and **Professors** receiving particularly high scores. The **Value** proposition is also well-regarded. Conversely, **Accomodation** stands out as the lowest-rated aspect. Other aspects like Facilities, Location, and Student Life fall within a more moderate range of positive feedback.

This university receives its highest marks in Internationality, scoring a strong 4.5. Facilities and Professors are also highly rated at 4.25. Location and Student Life are solid performers, both receiving 3.75. However, Accomodation stands out as a weaker area with a score of 2.75. Overall, the university presents a mixed but generally positive picture, with particular strengths in its global reach and academic resources.

This institution demonstrates a particularly strong performance in its internationality, achieving a perfect score. It also excels in the quality of its professors, receiving a rating of 4.5. Conversely, the university's accommodation facilities present its weakest area, with a significantly lower score of 2.67. Other aspects like facilities and student life are rated moderately well, alongside a good location and value.

With exceptional marks in Facilities and Location, this institution clearly excels in its physical environment and accessibility. Student Life also receives top scores, suggesting a vibrant campus experience. Conversely, the university's weakest areas lie in its Professors and Internationality, both rated a moderate three. Value also sits at this mid-tier rating, indicating areas for potential improvement.

This university garners strong praise, particularly for its **Professors** (4.89) and **Location** (4.81). **Student Life** (4.57), **Internationality** (4.55), and **Value** (4.55) also receive favorable scores. **Facilities** (4.43) and **Accommodation** (4.29) are rated well, though they represent the lowest scores in this assessment.

This institution demonstrates notable strengths in **internationality**, receiving a high rating of 4. Conversely, **accommodation** stands out as a significant area for improvement, with the lowest score of 1.4. Other aspects like location and professors show moderate performance.

This institution achieves outstanding scores in several key areas, notably Internationality (5.0) and Facilities and Student Life, both at an impressive 4.75. However, Accomodation presents a significant challenge, receiving the lowest rating at 2.25. Professors and Value also received solid, above-average scores.

Reviews summary
Highlights

~95% of reviews are positive, praising flexibility, modern platforms, and accessible materials. A small percentage (~5%) mention issues with grading delays and slow administrative support.

Around 75% of reviews are positive, praising structured modules, quality teaching, and a good learning environment. The remaining 25% express concerns about cost, instructor quality, and limited professional opportunities.

With an average rating of 3.75/5, student feedback is predominantly positive (~100%). Reviews highlight internationality, campus atmosphere, and excellent educational quality.

With an average rating of 3/5, feedback is evenly split, with ~50% positive and ~50% negative. Positive comments highlight practical, hands-on learning and professional instructors. Negative reviews express dissatisfaction with program value and staff.

All 29 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.66/5. Students praise the interactive learning, international community, and supportive professors. They highlight academic and personal growth in a motivating environment.

Reviews indicate a 3/5 average rating, with ~60% positive feedback highlighting practical, hands-on learning and a multicultural environment. Negative feedback, ~40%, points to poor organization, miscommunication, and outdated teaching methods.

University reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with ~88% of feedback being 4-5 stars. Students praise hands-on learning, creative freedom, and access to professional-grade equipment. There is virtually no negative feedback.

Rating distribution
5★
63%
25%
25%
50%
66%
0%
25%
4★
27%
50%
25%
0%
34%
60%
63%
3★
6%
0%
50%
0%
0%
0%
13%
2★
2%
0%
0%
0%
0%
20%
0%
1★
3%
25%
0%
50%
0%
20%
0%
Most useful review
Most liked
The best university in the world

My experience with IU is very wonderful and exceptional. The learning process is smooth and easy especially for online students and the exams are well tailored to test your knowledge on what you have been learning. It is quite great indeed.

Not worth the educational investment

As a professional learner and international student, I find it expensive with low quality of overall learning journey. The courses / subjects offer good insights but not all instructors / lecturers meet students learning needs. As compared to other universities, they don’t have alumni network, company partnerships or purposive professional activities for their students. It’s also difficult to navigate their study program because nobody responds timely (or worst you’ll be completely disregarded unless it’s about invoice or tuition payments) to inquiries or concerns in emails and all contact numbers in the emails are unreachable. It’s also common that wrong class schedules or no class schedules are communicated - making you miss classes unintentionally. With all the issues and concerns I’ve had from my admission to my thesis, I need to keep on chasing someone to be answered vaguely or be passed on somebody else. They have a systematic issue in managing student affairs and communications.

Practical and diverse university

I am currently a third-year student majoring in Data Science at BI international. My experience here has been overwhelmingly positive. The quality of education is excellent, with knowledgeable professors who are always willing to help and engaging course content that keeps me challenged and motivated. The campus life is vibrant and diverse, offering numerous clubs and organizations that cater to a wide range of interests. The university's facilities, including the library, labs, and recreational areas, are top-notch and well-maintained.

Nothing to show

Great modern university approach

I am currently a 3rd year student at Forward College and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would recommend it to other students. The interactive approach of Forward where questions, debate, and discussion were encouraged enhanced my learning so much and I feel like I genuinely enjoyed every class. Having the experience of living in 3 different cultures, surrounded by people from all over the world made this experience even more special and helped me develop and grow in so many ways. Another aspect I have loved are the professors. Speaking with friends at other university I am so grateful to have teachers that actually know us, are excited to teach and interact with us, and will always take the time to help you.

Disaster Programme

Throughout my Studies, in the Communication Design Course at this university located in Berlin, I have experienced a lot of problems. The university is very poorly organized, there is constant miscommunication between staff and students. It is very hard to come in contact with the university over email or phone, and most of the time your issue is never resolved. An excuse they often times use, is that they are understaffed, or it’s the students' fault. I think the campus in Berlin is kind of scam, because when applying or looking up this University the only photos you can see are from their facility located in Hamburg. Which is a much nicer facility than the one in Berlin. Definitely visit before signing any contracts. When I joined the university I expected at least one course to provide the necessary skills and information for this course. There was no introductory class for how to use Adobe software, no tutorial classes on any of the skills we needed during our studies. This is very much a do it yourself at home Programme. It is very hard to get help from the staff as they are often very misleading as no information is communicated to them. I have graduated 2 months ago and I still have no received a diploma.

The Challenge

I'm a Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering graduate. My experience at Catalyst was generally positive. It had a culture of friendliness, kindness and helpfulness from the staff, professors and students. The classes are not the typical classes but are more so akin to workshops. You get introduced to a subject, technique or idea and you are very quickly thrown in the deep end to get your hands dirty in experimentation and practice, which I prefer. You get access to studios and a lot of fancy audio gear. One downside I experienced is the limited studio time. I loved working in the big studios but they increasingly over the years kept getting harder to book due to limited availability. What I found to be the most impactful experience was how challenging the projects were. There were no exams, fun fact. Instead of exams, we had big projects that spanned the entirety of each semester with hard milestone deadlines in between. Since these projects span the whole semester, you can begin to imagine the scale of work involved in completing them. The challenge in handling all the projects pushed me to achieve more than I could have imagined. I needed an environment like that. In conclusion, my time at Catalyst was great. Through all the hard work my skills increased exponentially in a short period of time. The staff and teachers are amazing and always ready to help.

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