The University of Auckland vs Le Cordon Bleu Paris vs University of Waikato vs Auckland University of Technology vs Open Polytechnic

Side-by-side comparison from 106 verified student reviews. Scan one row at a time — winners are highlighted

Quick verdict
Higher overall rating: Le Cordon Bleu Paris (4.60)
The University of Auckland: wins 0/7 categories
Le Cordon Bleu Paris: wins 1/7 categories
University of Waikato: wins 1/7 categories
Auckland University of Technology: wins 1/7 categories
Open Polytechnic: wins 0/7 categories
Eastern Institute of Technology - EIT: wins 4/7 categories
Unitec Institute of Technology - Unitec institute of technology : wins 0/7 categories
Comparing
Auckland, New Zealand
4.00
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45 reviews
×
Best programme: Arts
4.60
Top
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8 reviews
×
Best programme: Culinary Arts
Hamilton, New Zealand
4.40
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12 reviews
×
Best programme: Bachelor of Management
Best programme: Business and Marketing
Auckland, New Zealand
3.50
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6 reviews
×
Best programme: Certificate IV in Adult Tertiery Preparation
Best programme: Computer Science
Best programme: Psychology
Category ratings
Facilities
3.81
4.50
4.50
4.17
2.67
5.00
Win
3.00
Location
4.07
4.75
Win
4.45
4.20
3.67
4.33
4.50
Professors
4.07
4.63
4.58
4.13
3.17
5.00
Win
3.50
Internationality
3.96
4.63
4.42
4.00
3.17
4.67
Win
2.50
Student life
3.67
3.88
3.75
4.10
2.67
5.00
Win
3.50
Value
3.93
4.13
4.25
4.37
Win
3.83
4.00
4.00
Accommodation
3.62
3.00
4.08
Win
3.81
2.67
3.50
2.50
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • +Passionate, world-class faculty and academic support
  • +Quality education, resources, and learning environments
  • +Strong career guidance and student backing
  • +Exceptional chef instructors and curriculum quality.
  • +Strong emphasis on skill development and practical experience.
  • +Valuable international reputation and alumni network.
  • +Supportive staff and accessible resources
  • +Relevant coursework and flexible learning options
  • +Vibrant campus life and social opportunities
  • +Hands-on learning and industry professionals
  • +Supportive and collaborative student community
  • +Diverse and practical course offerings
  • +Extensive course selection and accessible, responsive tutors
  • +Flexible study options balancing work and family
  • +Supportive and inspirational faculty making learning enjoyable
  • +Supportive and knowledgeable faculty
  • +Secure and supportive environment
  • +Vibrant student community and activities
  • +Flexible scheduling for working students
  • +Strong academic programs
  • +Practical, relevant learning experiences
Cons
  • -Inadequate faculty instruction and feedback quality.
  • -Lack of student support services and social integration.
  • -High cost not justified by the overall educational value.
  • -Outdated facilities and equipment.
  • -Poor communication and administrative support.
  • -Lack of practical application and relevance in coursework.
  • -Administrative and management issues cause frequent problems.
  • -Facilities and equipment are often outdated and poorly maintained.
  • -Communication from staff is frequently unclear or lacking.
  • -Administrative and management issues frustrate students.
  • -Outdated facilities and a lack of resources are a concern.
  • -Course content and teaching methods are perceived as unengaging or irrelevant.
  • -Poor teaching quality and irrelevant course material.
  • -Disconnect between learning content and assignments/practical skills taught.
  • -Excessive administrative burdens and lack of clear communication.
  • -Outdated facilities and limited resources.
  • -Inflexible course structures and teaching methods.
  • -Administrative and management issues are a frequent source of frustration.
  • -Outdated facilities and a lack of necessary resources are significant drawbacks.
  • -The curriculum is perceived as irrelevant or not well-aligned with career goals.
Rating summary
What students say

This institution garners strong marks in several key areas, with its location and professors receiving the highest ratings. Student life and accommodation, while still respectable, present areas for potential improvement. The university also scores well in terms of internationality and value, indicating a generally positive overall student experience.

Performance varies across key aspects of university life. Outstanding ratings were awarded for Location (4.75) and Professors (4.625), alongside strong marks for Internationality (4.625) and Facilities (4.5). Student Life (3.875) and Value (4.125) received good scores. Accomodation stands out as the weakest area, with a rating of 3.

An evaluation of the university reveals generally positive feedback, with standout scores for Facilities and Professors, both receiving high marks. Location and Internationality also perform well. Student Life emerged as the area with the lowest rating, while Accomodation and Value received solid scores, indicating a generally favorable university experience.

Overall, this institution receives strong marks, particularly for its **value**, which is the highest-rated aspect. **Location** and **Professors** also score very well. The primary area for improvement seems to be **Accomodation**, where ratings are noticeably lower compared to other categories. Other factors like Facilities, Student Life, and Internationality are all rated positively and consistently.

Regarding university assessments, the value proposition stands out as the strongest area, receiving the highest rating. Conversely, facilities, student life, and accommodation were identified as weaker aspects, all scoring similarly low. Professors and internationality received moderate scores. The university's location also garnered a respectable rating.

This university garners exceptional marks in several key areas, achieving a perfect 5 out of 5 for its facilities, professors, and student life. Internationality is also a strong point, rated at 4.67. However, the accommodation received the lowest score, at 3.5, indicating room for improvement in this aspect. The location and overall value are rated positively, at 4.33 and 4 respectively.

The university demonstrates strong appeal in its location, receiving an excellent rating of 4.5. Students also appear satisfied with professors and student life, both scoring 3.5. Conversely, accommodation and internationality present the weakest areas, with ratings of 2.5. Facilities are moderately rated at 3, while the value proposition is strong at 4.

Reviews summary
Highlights

Approximately 95% of reviews are positive, citing passionate lecturers, quality education, and ample resources. A small percentage of negative feedback mentions limited lecturer availability and insufficient feedback on assignments.

All eight student reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.63/5. Students highly praise the knowledgeable instructors, quality curriculum, and enriching learning experience.

With 100% positive feedback and an average rating of 4.42/5, students praise supportive staff, relevant coursework, and flexible learning options. The campus environment and social opportunities are also frequently highlighted.

Students highly praise the university, noting a supportive atmosphere, hands-on learning, and diverse program offerings. Friendly student interactions and helpful staff are frequently mentioned. No negative feedback was reported.

~83% of reviews are positive, praising course variety, helpful tutors, and flexible online learning. A small portion (~17%) of feedback is negative, citing unhelpful course materials and tutors.

With an average rating of 4/5, all feedback was positive. Students highlighted engaging lecturers, a creative campus environment, and a supportive community. The institution also offers excellent security, fostering a sense of confidence and support.

With an average rating of 3.5/5 and no negative feedback, approximately 50% of reviews are positive. Students highlight the flexible scheduling for working professionals and a comprehensive psychology program.

Rating distribution
5★
31%
63%
42%
30%
33%
0%
0%
4★
49%
38%
58%
57%
17%
100%
50%
3★
16%
0%
0%
13%
33%
0%
50%
2★
2%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1★
2%
0%
0%
0%
17%
0%
0%
Most useful review
Most liked
Not great

I found that the overall university experience was not really worth my time and money. Respected professors were only actually lecturing for 1-2 weeks per course, with PhD graduates teaching the majority of the course. Sometimes these PhD graduates weren't able to speak fluent English, which made the learning and teaching actually going on very questionable. In addition to this, you would submit a 3000 word essay, and receive a 15-20 words of feedback. I am certain that very little learning, improvement and education can occur when the feedback loop is so minimal, often generic. In addition to this, many of the "lab" or "tutorial" components were actually university students completing post-graduate experiments as part of their thesis studies. For example, in my psych201 tutorial, we had to spend 2 hours looking at a screen only pressing the "X" or "Z" key a total of 1200 times, and if we did not attend this lecture, we would lose 2% of our total grade. Overall, I question how much education and learning goes on, specifically in the Commerce and Science Faculties. I found my high school classes to go into more depth, with the teachers actually providing many one-on-one conversations to ensure learning is taking place, and this is the learnings that allowed me to pass my first 3 years of papers before any new content was covered, after which, the lectures would have half the class walk out because they couldn't speak fluent english, with students opting to self-teach themselves. If you are requiring students to partake in a study, they must be reimbursed for their time, especially if no learning is taking place. If you are charging students $1000 per course, then the university can afford to pay for staff to assess all of the PHD candidates fluency in English, before they are allowed to teach. In addition, no learning can take place when a question is asked in a foreign language, and the tutor/lecturer replies in a foreign language.

Student in 2013

I really enjoyed my time at LCB! I've found that my skills when I entered the work force were much higher than others. I think though there was a big portion missing in recipe development and composition. True- we did learn it through memorizing the recipes, but we really were missing classes on how different ingredients affect the final textures.. how you can change them... etc. That I still am not an expert in .. and I create recipes! Ouf! Also, I don't know if you still do a month of sugar work... but that really wasn't necessary and should be either cut or minimized to just 2 lessons. It's such a niche skill to know that I would have really preferred more technical skills. I loved the old location. The "rumors" I'm getting about the new location are that it's not as good, unfortunately - that i's become more of a money focused/marketing machine. I really hope that this image can be fixed as I love LCB and enjoyed my time there! Oh also - there should be more help for students to get jobs and featuring old students accomplishments - from cookbook launches to new bakeries so that current and old students can support them.

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Gone downhill in the last few years.

I did my BBus through Open Polytech (2007-2013) and was really happy, recommended them. However, in the last couple of years I had to do the Level 5 Certificate in Financial Services (Residential Property) and am now doing the Level 4 Certificate in Accounting, and wow has the standard gone downhill. There were so many errors in the Level 5 Certificate, they had not updated it with very important changes in the laws (of which I rolled out changes in my organisation, so I knew more than the tutor did!). Now I am doing a Level 4 Certificate and the standard of the information is poor, forms that don't work and vaguely worded questions that the 'tutor' refused to clarify. At least I didn't pay for it but the taxpayers (of which I am one) are still paying for it! Such a shame to see my alma mater go backwards like that.

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