The international nature of Maastricht University (UM) was assessed by an assessment panel on behalf of the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO). The panel studied the institution’s dossier and undertook a site visit in Maastricht on 2-3 December 2024.

The panel established that UM is a truly international university. Internationalisation is deployed to enhance the quality of education and research, and to serve communities in the region. The institution presents itself as ‘the European university of the Netherlands, with a global outlook’. It has an internationalisation vision that has been translated into an internationalisation strategy and Internationalisation Plan with five strategic internationalisation goals. The internationalisation goals have been shared with and are supported by internal and external stakeholders. The panel appreciates the strong involvement of internal stakeholders in the development of the internationalisation agenda and UM’s partnerships with external stakeholders within the Netherlands and abroad.

Based on the five strategic goals, UM has formulated targets and aims that function as measurable objectives. These objectives have been formulated in an elaborative and verifiable way that allow monitoring the achievement of UM’s internationalisation goals. The goals cover all possible areas and levels of internationalisation, including teaching and learning. The measures included in the Internationalisation Plan contribute to the further enhancement of UM’s international education.

Overall, the panel deems the criteria of this standard to be met and surpassed. The panel therefore assesses Standard 1: Intended internationalisation as excellent.

UM has translated its five strategic goals into specific and measurable actions into its Internationalisation Plan. The main principle in the current phase of internationalisation is achieving impact, with flexibility to adapt to the needs at faculty level. Action plans at institutional and faculty level ensure the achievement of the internationalisation goals. All of UM’s initiatives related to internationalisation in education have been further aligned in one integrative approach of Global Citizenship for Sustainable Development (GCSD), which facilitates their contribution to a high-quality international learning and teaching experience.

The Internationalisation Plan addresses the four dimensions (1) international and intercultural learning outcomes (IILOs), (2) teaching, learning and research, (3) staff, and (4) students. Two of the five strategic goals have an explicit focus on education and research. Each of the four dimensions is linked to at least one goal, two actions and seven specific targets. UM offers a complete support system, with a wide range of institutional facilities and instruments to implement UM’s internationalisation strategy. The panel considers it important that UM enhances its communication about internationalisation activities to students to make more students aware of the opportunities during and after their study time at UM. In addition, the panel recommends paying more attention to the skills needed to lead diverse teams in the leadership training offer. Overall, the panel deems the criteria of this standard to be met and therefore assesses Standard 2: Action plans as good.

UM has taken various steps to improve its management information system. The institution has implemented Power BI as the institution’s main management information system, which enables it to collect and process relevant information regarding internationalisation. This system currently covers operational activities in a functional and well-structured manner and UM is expanding its dashboard to also enable monitoring of the strategic goals on internationalisation. To further improve the information system, the panel recommends including more qualitative data based on student feedback. UM monitors progress on its internationalisation activities in multiple ways. The outcomes of formal evaluations and additional data are discussed with action holders to identify weaknesses and adjust activities or targets when necessary. In addition, UM is responsive to (inter)national developments in society at large, including technological developments. The university has a quality assurance cycle with meetings that follow up on the strategic agenda. Realisation of internationalisation plans is demonstrated in a systematic review cycle with mid-term reviews and final evaluations. These processes allow for close monitoring and taking timely actions, which facilitates the achievement of goals and ambitions. Overall, the panel deems the criteria of this standard to be met and therefore assesses Standard 3: Implementation as good.

Internationalisation approaches are a standard part of UM’s institutional quality assurance approaches in education and involve internal and external stakeholders. The university has a well-structured process to monitor enhancements and takes evaluations very seriously. The panel especially appreciates the way UM involves students and partners from the Brightlands campuses in its quality assurance activities. The panel also heard several examples of student involvement in enhancement processes. Students told the panel that this gives them a much-appreciated sense of ownership. According to the panel, this co-creation is a best practice. UM uses evaluations to prioritise improvements and future initiatives and formulates measurable KPIs to track progress on follow-up actions. The panel considers the structural investigation of international education at UM a strength. According to the panel, UM could expand its benchmarking activities and the panel recommends exchanging data and performing benchmarking exercises with other institutions within and outside the region. Overall, the panel deems the criteria of this standard to be met and therefore assesses Standard 4: Enhancement as excellent.

Responsibilities regarding the UM’s internationalisation goals, plans, implementation and enhancement are clearly defined and allocated. They are well-documented at central and faculty level. UM’s organisational structure stimulates vertical and horizontal interaction between internal stakeholders, and a close collaboration between the central and decentral levels of the university. This supports a coherent, university-wide and effective implementation of internationalisation activities, as well as a clear and comprehensive reporting structure. The panel appreciates the recent changes to internal processes, which have improved the effectiveness of these processes. The changes also show that UM adapts its organisational structures to achieve its internationalisation goals. UM demonstrates that it readily reacts to input from within and outside the institution regarding internationalisation activities. The panel concludes that UM is able to respond quickly and proactively to emerging issues. The openness to internal and external views secures an adequate response. Overall, the panel deems the criteria of this standard to be met. The panel therefore assesses Standard 5: Governance as good.

To conclude, the panel considers Maastricht University to be a truly international institution that surpasses the five standards of the Frameworks for the Assessment of Quality in Internationalisation. The panel therefore comes to a positive conclusion and advises to award the Certificate for Quality in Internationalisation to Maastricht University.