The Dutch Reclame Code Commissie has found the commercial exam study provider AthenaStudies guilty of misleading marketing practices. Radboud University is amongst the plaintiffs who filed a complaint against the company.

AthenaStudies is again in hot water at Dutch universities. In early 2023, the Amsterdam-based provider of extracurricular study materials, known for their violet booklets, faced allegations of improper advertising practices. Following the allegations, multiple Dutch universities, including Radboud University, filed a complaint with the Dutch Reclame Code Commissie (RCC). Now, the RCC has reached a verdict, confirming the allegations.

“Several faculties had complaints about the advertising methods of Athena Studies,” wrote Stéphanie van der Werf, a legal counsel at Radboud University, in an email to Vox. According to Van der Werf, six universities have been listened as plaintiffs at the RCC. In the Netherlands, the RCC is responsible for overseeing marketing practices.

WhatsApp scripts

In 2023, it was reported that AthenaStudies had set up WhatsApp groups at multiple universities, using official university logos. In the groups, Athena ambassadors had posed as students, promoting the company’s material and courses. The company had thereby made use of a script that its employees had been instructed to use. Screenshots of those practices had been obtained by multiple university newspapers at the time, including Vox.

At Radboud, the company had targeted large studies like Law and Psychology. Following the publication of the allegations in multiple university magazines, Radboud had considered taking legal action against Athena.

‘Non-compliant’ list

That Athena has now been found guilty of multiple instances of misleading marketing does not have direct legal consequences for the company. It means, however, that the company is urged to stop with the practices or run the risk of being placed on a public ‘non-compliant’ list. At Radboud, Athena continues to offer courses and study booklets.

The company did not respond to a request for comment.