HBO graduates perform remarkably well in university master’s programmes

Contrary to popular belief, HBO graduates perform well in university master’s programmes. They rarely drop out and tend to graduate quickly, according to figures from student finance agency DUO.

HBO are the Dutch universities of applied sciences, as opposed to research universities such as Erasmus University, which are basically one level up. Every year, around five to six thousand students with an HBO bachelor’s degree start a university master’s programme, sometimes after completing a pre-master’s. One in ten university master’s students comes from a university of applied sciences.

Figures on academic success in master’s programmes are difficult to come by. The universities association UNL does not publish them on its website. DUO has now shared some data in a trend report.

This shows that students from HBO backgrounds perform quite well. Within a maximum delay of one year, about 83 percent obtain their master’s degree. Students entering with a university bachelor’s degree are slightly slower – 77 percent graduate within the same time frame.

After a delay of three years, the graduation rate rises to over 90 percent in both groups. Drop-out rates are also similar, at around 4 percent. Students coming from universities are slightly more likely to switch master’s programmes. HBO graduates rarely do so.

Viewed with suspicion

Government policy discourages HBO graduates from moving on to university. They do not receive a basic grant for a research university master’s, although they do get one for a master’s at a university of applied sciences.

Universities themselves also look at incoming HBO students with suspicion. A quarter of academic master’s programmes do not admit HBO graduates at all, even if they have completed a pre-master’s. Some programme directors consider HBO students a threat to academic success and quality, as revealed earlier this year in a report by the Education Inspectorate.