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Denmark falls in international student satisfaction rank

Nordic nations once again dominated the annual International Student Satisfaction Awards in 2016, but Denmark fell four spots from last year’s fourth place rank.

Denmark falls in international student satisfaction rank
DTU was once again named the best university in Denmark. Photo: NewsOresund/Flickr
The 2016 edition of Study Portal's International Student Satisfaction published this week has rated Denmark as the eighth best destination in which to study abroad.
 
It was overtaken by Norway, which jumped from eighth to first, Poland, the UK and Slovenia in this year’s study. 
 
 
 
Although Denmark fell from fourth to eighth in the new ranking, its average student satisfaction rating actually climbed to 8.97 from last year’s 8.89. 
 
International students were most pleased with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), which was the only Danish institution to receive the ‘outstanding’ designation.
 
“The gifted students who come to DTU from around the world really like what they find at DTU: dedicated faculty and staff, hands-on access to world class facilities and inter-disciplinary programmes that prepare them well for their future career as highly qualified professionals and entrepreneurs,” Morten Overgaard, DTU's head of international affairs, told The Local.
 
Overgaard said the recognition from international students was a real feather in the university's cap. 
 
“DTU is recognized internationally for its research and now it's also recognized internationally as a university with a truly international learning environment. The word is out there: DTU is a really cool university in a really cool country!” he said. 
 
Aarhus University was pronounced ‘excellent’ while the University of Copenhagen and the University of Southern Denmark had to settle for ‘very good’. 
 
 
With four Nordic nations in the top eight spots (Iceland was not included), the region was the international study’s clear winner. 
 
“Scandinavian universities maintain their reputation of high student satisfaction characterised by offering solid and high-quality education to their students,” StudyPortals wrote in a press release. “The availability of many courses in English accessible for exchange students was considered a very positive aspect within Scandinavian countries. Furthermore, the friendly and helpful fellow students, skilled professors and the diverse landscape were a definite plus for international students.”
 
“However, the cold temperatures and the lack of daylight in the winter were considered a negative point of studying in Scandinavian countries,” it added. 
 
Several testimonials provided by StudyPortals mentioned the high level of English at Danish universities and a thriving social life amongst international students. 
 
“Study here if you want to get a high education quality and improve your English language in the science field,” one Lithuanian student said about their experience in Denmark.
 
“The level of education is simply amazing there and it's always great experience to study and live in Denmark,” a Czech student said. 
 
The StudyPortals International Student Satisfaction Awards 2016 were based on 15,965 students reviews on 53 different European universities. Spain had the biggest number of winning universities (27), followed by Germany with 15. For the fourth year in a row, France was ranked as the worst destination for international students. 

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ISLAM

Police probe opened after poster campaign against ‘Islamophobic’ lecturers at French university

The French government condemned on Monday a student protest campaign targeting two university professors accused of Islamophobia, saying it could put the lecturers in danger.

Police probe opened after poster campaign against 'Islamophobic' lecturers at French university
Illustration photo: Justin Tallis/AFP

Student groups plastered posters last week on the walls of a leading political science faculty in Grenoble that likened the professors to “fascists” and named them both in a campaign backed by the UNEF student union.

Junior interior minister Marlene Schiappa said the posters and social media comments recalled the online harassment of French schoolteacher Samuel Paty last October, who was beheaded in public after being denounced online for offending Muslims.

“These are really odious acts after what happened with the decapitation of Samuel Paty who was smeared in the same way on social networks,” she said on the BFM news channel. “We can’t put up with this type of thing.”

“When something is viewed as racist or discriminatory, there’s a hierarchy where you can report these types of issues, which will speak to the professor and take action if anything is proven,” Schiappa said.

Sciences Po university, which runs the Institute of Political Studies (IEP) in Grenoble in eastern France, also condemned the campaign on Monday and has filed a criminal complaint.

An investigation has been opened into slander and property damage after the posters saying “Fascists in our lecture halls. Islamophobia kills” were found on the walls of the faculty.

One of the professors is in charge of a course called “Islam and Muslims in contemporary France” while the other is a lecturer in German who has taught at the faculty for 25 years.

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