Danish Student Survey: Continued high levels of well-being at Aarhus University
A full 80 per cent of students feel very comfortable at AU, while 88 per cent believe that AU has a good academic study environment. There is also a small minority who don't feel part of the community.
Almost 11,000 AU students have responded to the Danish Student Survey, and the overall message is clear: The vast majority are doing well, and Aarhus University continues to have a good study environment both academically and socially.
Eighty per cent of students either agree or strongly agree that they feel very comfortable on their degree programme. Eighty-eight per cent responded that there is a good academic study environment, while slightly fewer - 78 per cent - responded that there is also a good social study environment.
Pro-rector: Most are doing well - but not all
Even though the majority of students feel comfortable at AU, Pro-rector Berit Eika emphasises that there is good reason to continue improving the study environment.
She notes that there seems to be a group of students who do not feel part of the community. Seven per cent do not feel comfortable at AU, while 14 per cent often or always feel lonely:
"When I look at the university, I see an incredibly vibrant and varied environment full of dedicated individuals and a host of student organisations and social events. But we have a group of students who don’t see what I see. I therefore hope that the newly established Academic Environment Council will explore why some students feel isolated and what we can do to bring them into the fold.”
The stress curve has been broken - perhaps
When the Danish National Health Survey was released in early 2024, it was clear that stress levels in society in general have continued to rise.
Stress has also been a topic at Danish universities for a number of years, and since 16 per cent of AU's students report experiencing severe stress symptoms often or always, the topic will continue to be top of the agenda for the study environment, assures Berit Eika. However, she notes that there has also been a positive development:
"In recent surveys, 19-20 per cent reported experiencing severe stress symptoms and this year the number is down to just under 16 per cent. This could of course be a temporary aberration, but I think that everyone in the Academic Environment Council and in the local units should discuss possible reasons for the drop and check whether any of our initiatives could help nudge this development further in the right direction.”
The results of the Danish Student Survey form the basis for Aarhus University’s statutory assessment of the teaching environment. This means that, besides being useful to the Academic Environment Council and the Committee on Education, the survey responses will also be analysed at degree programme and faculty level to help study boards and others draw up local action plans.
The results at the various organisational levels are now available on AU's quality assurance website.