Erasmus University doesn’t want to be a ‘case study in the House of Representatives’ during internationalisation debate

The Erasmus University wants to reduce the number of international students because it is one of the few universities where that number increased over the past year. “We must prevent ourselves from being cited as an example in the House of Representatives later on”, Executive Board president Annelien Bredenoord told the University Council on Tuesday.

Last week, the international bachelor’s programmes in Psychology, Economics (IBEB) and Business Administration (IBA) were informed by the Executive Board that they must lower their intake restriction for 2027-2028. As a result, the number of international students in these programmes would have to decrease by 100, 110 and 20 respectively compared with last year. At the ESHCC, the number of international students fell naturally by seventy last year; in 2027, the faculty – like all other faculties – will have to maintain that level.

The impact is felt most strongly in Psychology, as the programme had already reduced student numbers last year in anticipation of government measures. Professor of Clinical Psychology Mattias Wieser called the Executive Board’s decision an ‘incomprehensible choice’. “In recent years, Psychology has already voluntarily reduced its international intake. Apparently, those who take responsibility are punished. Moreover, there has not been a single discussion with us about this, just as there was none regarding the earlier decision on self-regulation. That undermines trust in collegial governance.”

Wieser fears that the measure will ‘structurally weaken’ the programme. “A reduction of one hundred international students from an intake of six hundred creates an imbalance.”

No across-the-board reductions

The Executive Board expressed understanding in the council for the disappointment within Psychology. At the same time, Bredenoord argued that council members could ‘also see the glass as half full’. “The original Internationalisation in Equilibrium bill would have led to the complete abolition of the international bachelor’s in Psychology and a budget cut. Thanks to lobbying efforts – including many by myself – all that remains is a reduction in student numbers.”

When asked by a council member whether the Executive Board considered this distribution ‘fair’, Bredenoord replied that the measure had not been designed on the basis of fairness. “Every choice would have been painful. We decided on this because we believe it is strategically the wisest option, based on the university’s profile and the reputation and labour market prospects of the programmes. We did not want to apply an across-the-board approach, because that would only make us more vulnerable as a university.”

ESHCC positive

At the ESHCC, where the number of international students must remain at the same level as in a year that already saw a decline in international applications, the response to the plan has been relatively mild. ESHCC vice-dean for education Tonny Krijnen said she was ‘very pleased that the international classroom at the faculty is being respected by the Executive Board’. According to Krijnen, the faculty can no longer do without internationalisation. “An international classroom is more than simply speaking English to one another from now on. It also involves intercultural competencies, for example, and that is genuinely embedded within our faculty. The focus is on the international context, cultural diversity and inclusion. These kinds of issues are deeply woven into our curricula.”

The faculty has seen a decline in international student numbers in recent years, so Krijnen is not worried about a sudden increase. “The number of Dutch students is allowed to grow, and we would very much welcome that.” In Media and Communication, Dutch students account for around 35 per cent of the student population, and the intention is that this share should not fall any further.

What the Executive Board particularly wants to avoid with the reduction is Erasmus University being held up as an example in politics. “The Internationalisation in Equilibrium bill will be debated in the House of Representatives in the autumn, and we would then be one of the few universities where the number of international students increased over the past year”, Bredenoord said during the council meeting.

Agreements only for 2027-2028

Whether the measure will actually prevent that remains to be seen. Some international tracks, such as those at the ESHCC, do not have an intake restriction and therefore offer few opportunities to regulate enrolment. If numbers increase there, Erasmus University could still end up with a higher number of international students overall. Programmes such as Communication and Media and Erasmus University College can, however, use selection criteria to reduce intake. The new law is expected to provide the possibility of setting a maximum number of non-European students and introducing an emergency intake cap if enrolment numbers get out of hand.

Although the law still has to pass through the House of Representatives, Minister of Education Rianne Letschert and the universities have already reached agreements. The intention is that the number of international bachelor’s students entering Dutch universities in 2027-2028 should be lower than 16,766. The agreement applies only to that academic year; no arrangements have yet been made for subsequent years. According to figures from UNL, universities are already below that threshold this year, with 16,721 students. At Erasmus University, 1,866 international bachelor’s students enrolled this year.