All foreign students studying at the TU/e this year are asked to complete a questionnaire of about seventy questions twice. This is done when the academic year has just started and again in the spring of 2009, once students have gained more experience. The first series of questions deals in particular with their start at the TU/e and their expectations for their studies. In the second series they are asked about their actual experiences. The questions are online for six weeks. An example of a question is: ‘Which of the following elements have helped you decide on the TU/e? Choose from: parents, TU/e website, sponsors, newspapers, info from the government in your own country, et cetera’. Apart from questions about the communication from the TU/e there are also questions about secondary conditions on which students have based their selection. These are divided into three themes: housing, education and service provision.

Early in 2009 the first results will be known. The barometer’s success depends on the extent to which students will respond. They can complete the questionnaire within fifteen minutes, but they do need to be encouraged to do so. That is why CEC and STU will be asking all account managers of the various Departments to draw attention to the International Student Barometer and there will be e-mail messages and letters to the students themselves in order to emphasize its use. The assistance of all students is appreciated, regardless whether they are Bachelor, Master or exchange students./.