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StudentPulse

Backed by independent research

The four factors that decide whether students thrive.

In 2026, the Danish Evaluation Institute (EVA), an independent body under Denmark's Ministry of Education, studied what actually promotes students' academic outcome, wellbeing and completion at university. It found four factors that institutions can act on: academic engagement, self-efficacy, collaboration and belonging. Students who score high on them are far more likely to finish, do well, and thrive.

The research names which factors matter. The StudentPulse Framework is how you measure and move them, through short check-ins across the year rather than one survey.

The primary lever

Academic engagement moves the most.

Of the four factors, EVA finds academic engagement has the greatest effect across dropout, grades and wellbeing, even after correcting for background factors. It is also the one teaching can shape most directly. In StudentPulse data, the most engaged students report wellbeing 1.3 points higher than the least.

Read the analysis
-19points lower dropout risk
+1.2higher grade average
-16points lower risk of poor wellbeing

The four factors, and where students sit

1 Primary lever

Academic engagement

How far students are interested in the material, find it useful, and work actively with it. EVA finds it the single strongest lever on completion, grades and wellbeing, and the one teaching can shape most directly.

EVA, high vs low -19 pts dropout +1.2 grades -16 pts poor wellbeing

How StudentPulse measures it

Motivation & Engagement 8.0 Course Content & Relevance 7.7 Learning Goals & Outcomes 7.8 Effort & Study Habits 7.7
Read the academic engagement analysis →
4

Belonging

Students' sense of belonging to their programme and their peers. EVA finds it especially important for wellbeing, and it is formed most in the transition into study life.

EVA, high vs low -9 pts dropout +0.3 grades -16 pts poor wellbeing

How StudentPulse measures it

Sense of Belonging & Community 7.9
Read the belonging analysis →

The four factors and their effect sizes are from EVA (the Danish Evaluation Institute), 2026. StudentPulse scores are sector means, 0 to 10, across the last 12 months. Cross-institution aggregate; no single institution identified.

See your institution on all four factors

StudentPulse measures all four factors, academic engagement, self-efficacy, collaboration and belonging, continuously and at programme and cohort level, so you can act on what moves completion and wellbeing before an annual survey would even notice.

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