Academics
Our alumni enjoyed their time at UCR – 90% of our alumni would choose to study at UCR again! They praised the broad approach to studying and the skills they acquired during their program, including writing academic papers and presenting their work. UCR graduates indicate that they are successful in their continued studies, as they find themselves well-prepared for the academic level and required skills needed for Master programs and PhD’s. Our alumni also say that they benefited from the various cultural backgrounds on campus, and that the social life at UCR stimulated them to be active within a community, broaden both they academic and leisurely interests, and stay motivated. In the video below, dr. Suzanne Klaver, postdoctoral researcher at Nikhef, shares her UCR story.
Community
Though academics were important and the skills our alumni now have, they also emphasize how influential the sense of community was at UCR. Commonly mentioned advantages of UCR compared to regular universities were the campus living, the small student-professor ratio, the international outlook to both academics and social life, the small-scale environment, and the quaint yet vibrant inner-city of Middelburg. This sense of community, as being part of a close-knit group, does not just hold during the three years at UCR – the majority of our alumni indicate to still be close with their fellow graduates. They also find diversity a recurring theme through their UCR experience and thereafter, as the academic program is diverse and challenging, but their social contacts also show diversity in terms of background, identity, and interests.
My time at UCR was the most defining and best time of my life. Would recommend it to everyone!
Graduates’ Destinations
With the many interests our students have, it is no surprise they attend a wide variety of graduate programs once they finish their Bachelor’s program at University College Roosevelt. Where the majority of our Dutch students ends up abroad, mostly in the United Kingdom and various countries in Scandinavia, most of our international students stay in the Netherlands for their Master’s degree.
Some of the more popular destinations for continued studies include Utrecht University, Oxford University, Leiden University, London School of Economics and Political Science, Erasmus University, Cambridge University and King’s College London. Most of the universities where UCR alumni continue their education score high in international rankings. 54.3% of the universities UCR alumni attend are ranked in the top 100, and 24.8% of universities are ranked between 101 and 200 in the QS World Ranking. If you are interested in more specific examples, below you can find a sample of the programs UCR graduates have been admitted to, or check out our Alumni on LinkedIn.
I benefitted greatly from the interdisciplinary approach taken in Middelburg.
Facts and Figures
Satisfaction
If there is one thing you can say about our Alumni, it is that they look back to University College Roosevelt as a positive experience, both academically and socially. Of the alumni surveyed, 90% would choose UCR again as their undergraduate program. The survey thus far covers the classes of 2007 until 2020. Each year a new class is added to this group and compared to the previous years.
Based on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest, alumni have reported :
- Level of our academic program received an average rating of 4.34
- Quality of our courses received an average rating of 4.16
- Quality of our instructors received an average rating of 4.19
- General satisfaction with their time at UCR is rated, on average, 4.23
Graduate programs
According to the survey of alumni, among UCR graduates:
- 78% are accepted into the graduate program of their first choice;
- 87% of the alumni obtained, or expect to obtain, their master’s degree within three years of graduation from UCR;
- 9% of our graduates completed a Ph.D. program;
- 56% attend graduate programs in the Netherlands;
- 40% attend a program in another European country.
Aurora
Aurora is UCR’s alumni foundation whose mission is to keep the UCR spirit alive after its students spread their wings and enter the community as graduates. Maintaining a permanent board of three to six former students undertaking voluntary two-year terms, Aurora provides yearly events which include a New Year Drinks, Summer Event and other (and just as exciting!) smaller offerings. Aurora also runs a City Representative (CR) program in which motivated alumni are provided financial support to represent their city/region and provide localized events.
Operating via its official Facebook page, Aurora is the central contact point for UCR’s former students to receive key updates about new developments and events. Whilst the page posts frequently, the responsive Aurora board are very happy to receive questions/requests and will get back to you about any query.
Broadness in combinations
Every alumn at UCR made their own combination of different tracks. Use the chord diagram below to explore the tracks that alumni have completed during their time at UCR .
A chord is a line that connects the different tracks; the thickness of the chord means that there were more alumni who completed both tracks. If you hover over a track (the outside edges), it shows you all the other tracks that alumni took in combination with that track. If you hover over a chord (line), it shows you the number of alumni who completed both tracks at the endpoints of the chord.