The International Student Barometer is one of the world’s largest benchmarking surveys measuring the experiences of international students in higher education. This year’s results are based on feedback from more than 90,000 students across 135 universities worldwide, including institutions from the UK, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, New Zealand, Estonia, and many other countries.

Estonia Performs Strongly Internationally

Ten Estonian higher education institutions participated in the survey. Overall, 91% of international students reported being satisfied with studying in Estonia.

The survey also confirmed the growing international reputation of Estonian higher education:

• 93% of respondents said the reputation of the university influenced their decision to study in Estonia
• 86% considered Estonia’s country reputation an important factor
• 95% stated that future career opportunities played a key role in their decision-making

Students highlighted university websites, alumni, and recommendations from friends as the most influential information sources when choosing where to study.

Estonia also performed above European and global averages in several areas:

• 94% satisfaction with arrival-related processes (European average: 90%)
• 92% satisfaction with living conditions (global average: 88%)
• 89% satisfaction with preparation for future career goals (European average: 84%)

Notably, Estonia’s recommendation index reached 31%, significantly above both the European and global averages of 22%.

TalTech Among the Global Top Performers

Among the 119 universities included in the global comparison, Tallinn University of Technology achieved excellent results across multiple categories, confirming its strong international competitiveness and reputation as a modern European technical university.

The results reflect TalTech’s consistent investment in student experience, high-quality learning environments, support services, and campus development - areas that international students clearly value highly.

In overall satisfaction and institutional reputation, TalTech ranked:

• TOP 20 worldwide
• TOP 10 in Europe
• 2nd in Estonia

These results position TalTech among the leading universities internationally for student experience and demonstrate that the university’s strategic focus on quality, student support, and an internationally competitive learning environment is delivering strong results.

International Students Value Highly TalTech’s Support, Campus Environment and Student Experience

The highest ratings from international students were given to support services, campus and infrastructure, safety, study spaces, transportation accessibility, learning experience, and student life.

TalTech’s support services were particularly highly rated, ranking between TOP 10–40 worldwide and TOP 10 in Europe. Several services, including dean’s office support, student services, and catering, achieved #1 positions in Estonia.

Campus buildings, safety, study spaces and transportation accessibility were ranked between TOP 2–20 worldwide and consistently among the TOP 10 in Europe.

Teaching quality and learning-related indicators placed mostly within TOP 50–100 worldwide, TOP 20–30 in Europe and TOP 2–3 in Estonia.

Student life indicators, including social life, networking opportunities, and international student experience, also performed exceptionally strongly, with some categories ranking in the TOP 2–20 worldwide and frequently #1 in Estonia.

Areas Identified for Improvement

The survey also highlighted several opportunities for further development in the international student experience. Key areas for improvement include career services and employability support, as well as administrative processes, study organization, pre-arrival communication, social integration, and practical student support services.

Strong Overall Student Advocacy and Happiness

Overall, international student feedback for Tallinn University of Technology remained very strong despite the identified areas for further improvement:

• Net Promoter Score: 11th worldwide, 4th in Europe, 1st in Estonia
• Recommendation: 16th worldwide, 6th in Europe, 2nd in Estonia
• Overall happiness: 12th worldwide, 9th in Europe,  2nd in Estonia
• Value for money: 29th worldwide, 10th in Europe, 3rd in Estonia

The results demonstrate that international students value TalTech’s supportive environment, campus experience, and overall study experience highly, while also providing important insights into where future improvements can create even stronger international competitiveness.

More information:

Alexander Chanadiri

Chief Specialist of International Marketing