Another drop in foreign students at Dutch universities

Universities attracted 6 per cent fewer international bachelor’s students this academic year. And this is even before the government’s strict plans come into effect. The universities’ association, UNL, fears ‘an indiscriminate cull’.

It was particularly bachelor’s students from Europe (EEA) who sought opportunities elsewhere, according to UNL. Their numbers fell by 9 per cent. Last year was the first time international intake declined.

A positive note is that more Dutch students than expected enrolled. The ministry had predicted a drop in domestic enrolment, but universities reported a 1 percent increase.

Total numbers

In total, counting both first-year and returning students, the fourteen major universities now have slightly fewer students enrolled than last year: 338,400 compared to 340,000. University-specific figures are not yet available, as these are the first preliminary counts.

The University of Groningen has already reported that EU student enrolment in September was down by 14 per cent. At VU Amsterdam, international enrolment has dropped by 23.5 per cent. Currently, 21 per cent of VU’s bachelor’s students are from abroad, and the administration believes it should not fall below 20 per cent. For this reason, VU is now putting an end to its “rebalancing” of internationalisation.

Less recruitment

Six months ago, universities themselves decided to reduce the international intake. This was done at the request of The Hague, but the institutions also felt the growth could not continue indefinitely. They decided to provide more instruction in Dutch and scale back recruitment abroad.

However, this decision was made under the previous cabinet. The new cabinet now plans to cut 293 million euros from international student budgets as quickly as possible and impose much stricter oversight on English-language education.

Full brake

UNL chair Caspar van den Berg fears this could endanger the survival of some programmes, ‘including for Dutch students‘. According to him, other countries are actively pursuing more international talent and are prioritising research and innovation. “The Dutch cabinet, on the other hand, is doing the opposite: slamming on the brakes and adding several major cuts on top of that.”