HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht vs Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences vs Saxion University of Applied Sciences vs Rijn IJssel - ROC vs Rotterdam Business School
Side-by-side comparison from 58 verified student reviews. Scan one row at a time — winners are highlighted
- +Practical focus and real-world application
- +Experienced lecturers and international outlook
- +Opportunities for internships abroad
- +Practical, industry-focused curriculum with entrepreneurship and FinTech emphasis
- +Supportive, international, and diverse academic environment
- +Engaging and approachable professors and mentors
- +Practical, career-oriented curriculum and useful course content
- +Supportive and friendly teachers providing concrete feedback
- +Welcoming international environment and comfortable study spaces
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- +practical learning and real-life application
- +knowledgeable and supportive professors
- +development of interpersonal and professional skills
- +Industry-relevant teaching and hands-on experience
- +Excellent facilities and opportunities
- +Strong friendships formed
- +Practical, hands-on learning with immediate application
- +Experienced, professional instructors with industry expertise
- +Engaging hybrid learning format
- -Outdated facilities and a lack of resources are a frequent complaint.
- -Inconsistent teaching quality and unhelpful instructors are a major concern.
- -Administrative and communication problems create significant frustration for students.
- -Administrative and management issues cause frustration.
- -Outdated facilities and resources are a significant drawback.
- -Lack of clear communication and support is a recurring problem.
- -Administrative and management issues are a frequent source of frustration.
- -Outdated facilities and a lack of necessary resources are consistently criticized.
- -The curriculum is perceived as irrelevant or poorly implemented by many students.
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- -Administrative & management issues and lack of clear curriculum.
- -Poor English proficiency of instructors and low educational standards.
- -Incompetent management and a flawed grading system.
- -Administrative and management issues, including poor communication and lack of support.
- -Outdated facilities and equipment that hinder learning.
- -Lack of practical application and relevance in coursework.
- -Administrative and management issues.
- -Perceived lack of value for money.
This university scores exceptionally well in academic-related areas, with Professors and Facilities receiving the highest marks at 4.67 and 4.56 respectively. Student Life and Internationality are also strong. The weakest area identified is Accomodation, which received a rating of 3.56. Overall, the university demonstrates a solid reputation across most aspects.
A notable strength lies in the university's **Internationality**, achieving a high rating of 4.875. Conversely, **Student Life** received the lowest score at 2.625, suggesting an area for potential improvement. Other areas, including Accommodation, Location, Value, and Professors, fall within a moderate to good range, indicating a generally well-rounded offering with specific areas of excellence and those needing development.
This institution demonstrates significant strengths in internationality, earning a rating of 4.42, and excels in facilities and value, both scoring 4.33. Student life is rated 3.67, slightly above the professor rating of 3.58. The weakest area identified is accommodation, with a score of 3.
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Internationality stands out as the university's strongest attribute, receiving a high rating. Facilities also scored well. Conversely, Value for money emerged as the weakest area, with the lowest score among the surveyed categories. Other aspects like Professors, Location, Student Life, and Accommodation received moderate evaluations, generally falling between 3.0 and 3.6.
With exceptional scores in nearly every aspect, this institution shines brightly. Areas of strength are overwhelmingly positive, with perfect ratings for Facilities, Professors, Location, Student Life, Internationality, and Value. The primary area for potential improvement lies in Accomodation, which received a more moderate score.
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.
Around ~63% of 27 reviews highlight positive experiences, praising practical learning and experienced lecturers. No negative reviews were recorded.
Most feedback is positive (~74%), highlighting practical learning, entrepreneurship focus, and internationalism. There are no negative reviews in the provided data.
~74% of reviews are positive, highlighting practical learning and supportive teachers. Some mention occasional disorganization and a chaotic online platform. No negative reviews were received.
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Approximately 74% of reviews are positive, highlighting teamwork, practical learning, and supportive professors. Negative feedback, representing about 28.6%, mentions disorganized courses and an ineffective grading system.
The single review is overwhelmingly positive, with a 5/5 average rating. This feedback highlights first-class teaching, facilities, and opportunities, with modules taught by industry leaders providing real-life experience.
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.
As the title suggests, in my experience as a third-year business student, that is the best short description that can be given to HU. It definitely is not the best school and there are flaws, very annoying and disappointing at times, which take time to be solved. Most of these flaws are related to communication issues. In contrast, it has some advantages too. I had the opportunity to meet and be taught by experienced professionals who helped me develop my skills and enhance my knowledge and abilities as a young business student and professional. Another very good advantage is that at HU you get to do 2 internships and one study abroad, trio that other universities do not offer. Also, with the new program, there is so much flexibility to shape your own path but also the opportunity to study more languages which constitute a great asset for one's future career. The city represents a good pawn as well since it is very central, modern and student friendly. Also, for someone who wants to travel every now and then, it is a perfect location. What I can recommend you, the one who reads this review, the undecided student, is that you should consider these things when you decide which school you want to go to, try to have your own trade-off between what is important to you and how the institution is ranking in different aspects. HU is, in the end, a good school and the issues that are going on are not major and are fixable so do not worry too much about that. I just wanted to be realistic while writing this review because this is what I would have liked to read when I was in your place. Good luck!
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Saxion - CMGT - Creative Media and Game Technologies - 2.5/5 TLDR: I only recommend the CMGT course to someone who is already disciplined to REALLY study the gaming topic they are interested in outside the dedicated time for the university. If you are looking for a course that makes you "game industry ready" look elsewhere. I finished the CMGT (Creative Media and Game Technologies) course as an artist in 2022. I went to Saxion (Enschede) with the dream of becoming a concept artist for video games (as advertised on the official website), after 4 years and €10000 dept I can say that I would have gotten the same knowledge out of top €1000 in relevant courses. A lot of the topics we went through are just "oh that's interesting to know, so when can I learn to draw concept art?". There was a lack of focus for artist in general (2D and 3D), you never get deep into any topic and most things except the bare basics are for you to learn in your own time. In addition, the amount of actual gaming projects is laughable for a course that advertises itself as gaming focused. But there were good things, even great things. The fellow students were very great partners and the teachers are knowledgeable and easy going. There is a very low focus on "memorize this and write it down" type test. 95% of the (art) grades are project based, meaning you create something (concepts, prototypes etc.) with other CMGT students (Other branches of CMGT are programmer and designer). Enschede itself is a great city to life in, with more than enough places to visit to fill the years with activities. In the last 2 years the students focus on larger projects, and for me, it was the case that the actual document that will be uploaded is much, much more important than the actual product we create. This was very frustrating because as an artist, I want to make things, not write documents all day. I would only recommend the CMGT to someone that is: 1) In need of a guided education about the basics of game making (equivalent of easy to get courses online) but more expensive of course 2) Interested in living in the Netherlands and experiencing the culture 3) Looking for an "easy" bachelor that can be obtained if you put in a bit of effort 4) A hardworking individual that does the bachelor on the side while advancing in their own domain of interest. Afterword: At the end of my study, I was so removed from what I actually wanted to learn that I could not advance professionally in the field I wanted to work in (concept art). Instead, I learned some things about UI design, which to be honest is a topic I really don't care about. **Important Note: The last 2 years of my studies were impacted by the covid pandemic.
Rijn IJssel is a very unorganised and chaotic school but they are always there for their students and they try to do their best for the students. They have so many different programmes and ideas to support every single student in their own way. Unfortunately they are very chaotic. You only get the schedule for next week the week before if you're lucky. The schedules are only for five weeks and then you get another one again. Most of the time the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing and the other way round, still they're trying. That's why there's often a lack of information for the students about events, lessons or exams. Teachers are really passionate about their subjects and students and always try their best.
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.
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