A number of private universities are available for courses such as business administration or international business management. The German Institute for Service Quality tested the service and the range of eleven of them with an economic focus.
Studying is more popular than ever, which is also evident at the private universities: More than 300,000 students were enrolled here in the 2020/2021 winter semester – an absolute record to date. A number of private universities are also available for courses such as business administration (BWL) or international business management. The German Institute for Service Quality has examined eleven of them in terms of service and the offer.
The private universities examined achieved a good overall result (72.9 points). Six of the eleven providers secure the quality rating “good” and two universities cut off “satisfactory” – three others left the official inquiry about the offer unanswered and therefore remain unrated in the overall result.
Many private universities score with a large variety of courses and often numerous additional offers, for example e-learning or online live lectures, internship opportunities and support in finding a job after successful graduation. The institutes also offer forms of financing such as university grants or student loans. With a price guarantee for the standard period of study, all universities surveyed also ensure greater financial planning security.
Overall, the services do not go beyond a satisfactory result; only four universities secure the quality rating “good” in this area. Especially when it comes to processing e-mail inquiries, the universities show some glaring weaknesses: in the test, more than a third of the e-mails remain unanswered. The information received is technically correct throughout, but it is often incomplete and not very individual. Even on the phone there is no lack of competence of the employees. However, the often lack of accessibility and the often incomplete information cloud the picture.
Markus Hamer, Managing Director of the German Institute for Service Quality: “The websites of the universities provide basic information, but individual questions can best be clarified over the phone. It is advisable to make an appointment in advance, which significantly increases the chance of targeted advice.”
The FOM University of Economics and Management emerged as the test winner from the study (quality rating: “good”). In the comparison of providers, both the online service and the service by e-mail are leaders. The website offers a high level of information and provides extensive contact information. E-mail inquiries are answered quickly, competently and friendly. The university also offers the largest number of possible study locations.
The Fresenius University of Applied Sciences took second place (quality rating: “good”). In terms of offerings, the provider is in first place overall, partly because of the large variety of courses. The service for interested parties is also good overall, with the strengths particularly in the online service of the website.
CBS International Business School (quality rating: “good”) placed third with the second-best service in the test. There are only short waiting times on the phone – the advice is very competent and friendly. The offer can also score points, for example e-learning lectures are also part of the portfolio.
(This article was first published on Thursday, July 07, 2022.)
