Transition to an international degree programme:Preparedness, first-year experiences and study success of students from different nationalities

Global student mobility, one of many things affected by the Bologna Agreement, has stimulated the increase of international degree programmes at universities in non-English-speaking countries such as the Netherlands. The educational and cultural diversity of students applying for international degree programmes in non-English-speaking countries demands flexibility of programmes and staff and faculty to address differences in study cultures of various nationality groups. This chapter uses Nicholson's transition model to study student background characteristics and factors pertaining to the teaching and learning setting that affect the transition from high school to university. It explains two cross-sectional cohort studies based on survey data collected by the economics and business faculty at the large research-intensive university in the Netherlands. The first study primarily focuses on the preparation phase, particularly on students' perceptions of their readiness and expectations. The second study focuses on the encounter and adjustment phases in students' transition process, investigating students' course experiences, study behaviour and study results