Degree programme quality has been the subject of many discussions and attempts at definition in recent years. The Danish Student Survey contains a question in which the students are asked to evaluate the overall quality of their degree programme.

It should be noted that such an evaluation cannot, of course, be taken in isolation when assessing degree programme quality. Rather, the evaluation of the statement itself can be understood as an expression of the student’s immediate overall level of satisfaction with the degree programme in general.

Main results

The quality of my programme is generally high

• In 2023, 88% of respondents 'Strongly agree' or 'Agree' that the quality of their degree programme is generally high, which to a large extent corresponds to the result in 2016 (87%) and 2018 (90%).
• Responses to this question vary by faculty. Respondents from AR (86%), BSS (88%), HE (92%), Nat (94%) and Tech (81%) responded that they 'Strongly agree' or 'Agree' that the quality of their degree programme is generally high.
• In general, the assessment of degree programme quality by respondents from AR, BSS, HE and Nat is in line with 2020 responses, while Tech saw a decrease: 80% agreed or strongly agreed, compared to 89% in 2020.
• The parameter of gender does not affect how respondents assessed degree programme quality.
• 83% of respondents at professional bachelor level responded that they 'Strongly agree' or 'Agree' that the quality of their education is high overall. The same goes for 89% of respondents enrolled in academic Bachelor’s degree programmes and 87% of respondents enrolled in Master’s degree programmes.

Selected results from the Danish Student Survey from autumn 2020 are presented below. The themes addressed are the respondents’ assessment of the educational and social environment, their general level of well-being on their programme, as well as their knowledge of where they get support and guidance if they are struggling.

Main findings:

There is a good educational environment

• Generally, the respondents indicated that their degree programmes have a good academic environment, and this evaluation is stable over time: 2023 (88%), 2021 (89%) and 2020 (90%).

There is a good social study environment

• Fewer – although still a solid majority of the respondents – indicated that they agree that there is a good social study environment at their programme in relation to the assessment of the educational environment. This applies to 78% in 2023, 2021 and 2020, to 83% in 2018 and to 79% in 2016.
• The percentage of respondents who 'Agree' or 'Strongly agree' that there is a good social study environment is highest at HE (85%), followed by Nat (84%), Tech (78%), AR (76%) and finally BSS (73%).
• Eighty-two per cent of academic Bachelor’s degree students responded that they 'Agree' or 'Strongly agree' that there is a good social study environment. This applies to 75% of professional Bachelor's degree student respondents and 72% of Master’s degree student respondents.

In general, I feel really good at my education

• In 2023, 80% indicated that they agree that they generally feel a positive sense of belonging to their programme.  This is an increase over 2021, when 75% agreed with this statement.

I know where to get support and guidance at my campus if I’m not well

• Seventy-five per cent responded that they know where they can get support and guidance from their programme if they are not flourishing. The percentage is more or less identical at four of the faculties: Nat (79%), Tech (73%), HE (77%) and AR (79%); however, it is significantly lower at BSS: just 68%.
• There are differences between the Danish and international respondents. 76% of the Danish respondents answer that they know where to get support and guidance; this applies to just 66% of international students.

Loneliness is not a new problem among university students, unfortunately; both AU's previous Study Environment Survey (SMU) and the Danish Student Survey always include questions on this topic.

Main findings:

Have you experienced feeling lonely at your study?:

• 43% of respondents reported that they have 'Sometimes', 'Often' or 'Always' experienced feeling lonely on their degree programme. At four of the faculties, responses are quite uniform: between 41 and 43% of respondents reported feeling lonely on their degree programme. The percentage for BSS is higher: 47%.
• 42% of respondents from professional Bachelor’s programmes and university Bachelor’s programmes reported feeling lonely 'Sometimes', 'Often' or 'Always’. 46% of the respondents from Master's programmes reported feeling lonely 'Sometimes', 'Often' or 'Always'.
• 46% of female respondents reported feeling lonely 'Sometimes', 'Often' or 'Always’. The percentage for male respondents is 39%.
• 41% of Danish respondents reported feeling lonely 'Sometimes', 'Often' or 'Always' ; this applies to all of 62% of the international respondents.

• Overall, reported loneliness (‘Sometimes’, ‘Often’ and ‘Always’) increased over the period 2018-23, particularly in the period from 2819 (40%) to 2020 (46%).  The increase in this period can be explained by Covid restrictions, which strongly limited social contact and in-person interaction at the university. In 2021, the percentage was 45%, and in this year’s survey it was 43%.

Stress has been high on the agenda in recent years. This applies to all aspects of our society, including the educational sector.

In the Danish Student Survey, students at AU were asked whether they have experienced severe stress symptoms in connection with their daily life as well as whether they have experienced severe stress symptoms in connection with exams.

They were also asked whether they have recently felt stressed by a variety of specific factors, including both degree programme-related issues and non-degree programme-related issues.

Main findings:

• 16% of the respondents indicate 'Often ' or 'Always' feeling stressed in their everyday lives,  which is a decrease over 2020, when the response rate was 20%. Female respondents (18%) indicated feeling stressed ‘Often’ or ‘Always’ in their everyday lives more than male respondents (12%). For international students, the percentage is even higher: 25%.
• The percentage of respondents who reported experiencing stress increases significantly in connection with exams (38%). There are significant differences between the sexes here as well, with 44% of female respondents compared to 28% of male respondents reporting 'Often ' or 'Always' experiencing severe stress symptoms in connection with exams.  This applies to 44% of international students. The percentage of students who indicated that they experience stress in connection with exams has remained virtually unchanged in the last three surveys.
• When asked to choose among number of pre-selected possible causes, respondents indicate that their own expectations of their academic performance is the main cause of their feelings of stress during the period covered by the survey.

Time on task (the amount of time students spend on their academic work for their degree programmes) has been much discussed in recent years. So students were asked to indicate how much time they spend on their studies in the Danish Student Survey. The question about time-on-task has been included in the survey since 2018.

Main findings:

Academic time on task

• On average, the time on task for AU students is 26.0 hrs.pr. wk. This is 0.4 hours less than in the last survey in 2021 and 2.7 hours less than in 2018, when respondents indicated that they spent 38.7 hours on on classes and self-study in the course of a typical week in the semester (not including the exam period). Self-reported time on task varies by faculty. On average, respondents at Tech reported spending 40.5 hrs. pr. wk; at HE, the total was 39.1 hrs. pr. wk.; at NAT 38.8 hrs. pr. wk; at the BSS 34.3 hrs. pr. wk and at AR 33.1hrs. pr. wk.
• Since the last survey in 2021, this represents a decrease in reported weekly time-on-task at Nat, BSS and Tech and a slight increase at AR and HE.
• Over the period 2018-2023,  an overall decrease in reported time on task can be observed. The largest decrease in reported weekly hours on task in the period 2018-2023 is at HE, where respondents reported spending 3.7 fewer hrs. pr. wk. At BSS and Nat, the decrease was 3.6 hrs. pr. wk.; at Tech, 2.4 hrs. pr. wk; and at Arts 1.3 hrs. pr. wk.

Time spent on paid and voluntary work

• 57% of respondents reported that they have paid jobs and spend an average of 10.9 hrs.pr.wk. working.
• 28% of respondents reported that they do volunteer work and spend an average of 4.6  hrs.pr.wk. on this.

In particular, the amount of feedback students receive has been the subject of much discussion in recent years, and feedback has been part of the ministry’s student surveys since 2016.

In 2020, four additional questions on this theme were added, and in both 2020 and in 2023, AU's students were given the opportunity to answer five questions about feedback. The questions fall under two categories and include three questions concerning the value of the feedback provided as well as two questions relating to the scope of the feedback provided.

Main findings:

Value of feedback

• 50% of respondents replied that they 'Agree' or 'Strongly agree' that their teachers provide helpful feedback. This corresponds to the level in 2020. Responses to this question vary considerably by faculty. A majority (61%) of the respondents from Nat indicated that they 'Agree' or 'Strongly agree’ with the statement – which applies to just 37% of the respondents at HE.
• 47% of the respondents replied that they 'Agree' or 'Strongly agree' that material they have not fully understood is made clearer by the feedback they receive. Here again, responses vary considerably across the faculties. Where AR, BSS and Tech rank relatively close to the AU average, 61% of the respondents from Nat and only 34% from HE say that they  'Agree' or 'Strongly agree' with the statement.
• To the question about the extent to which the feedback that the students receive helps them make progress in working with the material they need to learn, 64% replied that they 'Agree' or 'Strongly agree'. This is another area where responses vary considerably at the different faculties.  The largest percentage at Nat (76%) and the smallest percentage at HE (53%) replied that they feedback they receive helps them make progress in working with the material they need to learn.

Amount of feedback:

• 38% of the respondents indicated that they 'Agree' or 'Strongly agree' that they receive feedback on their academic work on a regular basis. This applies to just under one in four respondents from HE (24%) and to just under one in three respondents from BSS (31%). 42% of respondents from AR indicated that they get regular feedback. This applies to just under half of the respondents from Tech (49%) and to 59% of the respondents from Nat.
• A total of 41% indicated that they 'Agree' or 'Strongly agree' that they get enough academic feedback. This is slightly less than in 2020, when 46% said they received enough feedback. Here again, responses vary considerably across the faculties. Just 28% of respondents from HE replied that they get enough feedback on their academic work – as opposed to 62% of respondents from Nat.

Aarhus University has included the themes discrimination, sexism and harassment (including sexual harassment) in the survey for a number of years.

Below, we lay out the main findings for some of the questions within each theme.

Main findings:

• Overall, there are no major differences compared to the results from the 2020 survey. It is not possible to make a direct comparison of results from the two surveys, as a response category was added to all questions in the 2023 survey. The response category is ‘Prefer not to answer’, and a proportion of respondents chose it.

Discrimination, violence and threats

• 2% (171 respondents) reported experiencing 'daily, weekly or monthly' receiving offensive, abusive or condescending comments in the preceding 12 months, 8% experienced this, but less often, and 91% reported that they had 'never' experienced it.
• 3% (334 respondents) reported experiencing discrimination 'daily, weekly or monthly' (e.g. on grounds of sexual orientation, religion, gender, ethnicity, disability) in the preceding 12 months, 9% experienced it, but less frequently, and 88% of respondents reported that they had 'never' experienced it. There is a difference in the distribution of answers among Danish and international students. While 89% of the Danish respondents reported that they had 'never' experienced being discriminated against (e.g. because of sexual orientation, religion, gender, ethnicity, disability), this applies to 78% of the international respondents.
• 143 respondents reported that they had been subjected to threats of violence or have experienced threatening behaviour (weekly, daily, monthly or less frequently) and 86 respondents reported having been punched, pushed or kicked etc. (weekly, daily, monthly or less frequently).
• The majority of respondents who experienced offensive, abusive and condescending comments and/or discrimination reported that these incidents took place at the 'educational institution' and/or 'in other contexts relevant to their studies'. Most respondents reported that they were subjected to such incidents by fellow students. The second-most frequent response was that teaching staff had been responsible.
• The majority of the respondents who experienced threats of violence and threatening behaviour and/or were beaten, pushed or kicked reported that these incidents happened 'in other contexts relevant to their studies', and that the offenders were primarily fellow students or others.

Sexism and harassment

• Just under 2% (196 respondents) reported experiencing 'daily, weekly or monthly' that their gender was the subject of comment in a way they found unpleasant or offensive in the preceding 12 months. 8% experienced this, but 'less often', and 90% reported that they had never experienced this.
• 1.1% (121 respondents) experienced unwanted sexual attention 'daily, weekly or monthly', 5% experienced it, but 'less often', and 94% reported that they had never been exposed to this.
• 0.6% (65 respondents) reported having been touched, hugged or kissed inappropriately 'daily, weekly or monthly', 4% reported experienced this, but 'less often', and 95% reported that they had never experienced this.
• The vast majority reported that sexism took place 'in other contexts relevant to their studies' followed by 'at the educational institution.'
• 66% of respondents who reported being exposed to comments about appearance or gender in a way they found uncomfortable reported that their fellow students were responsible, 18% responded others, and 16% responded teaching staff.
• More than 72% of those whowere subjected to unwanted sexual attention (e.g. comments, unwanted physical touches or kisses) and/or unwanted touching, embracing or kissing respectively reported that fellow students were responsible - 19% responded ‘others’.