{"id":106651,"date":"2019-11-29T14:58:16","date_gmt":"2019-11-29T13:58:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=106651"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:24:35","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:24:35","slug":"student-enrolment-restrictions-set-to-drop-but-only-slightly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/11\/29\/student-enrolment-restrictions-set-to-drop-but-only-slightly\/","title":{"rendered":"Student enrolment restrictions set to drop \u2013 but only slightly"},"content":{"rendered":"

The number of higher education programmes that restrict the number of student enrolments will decrease from 58 to 55 in the next academic year. While restrictions in four technical studies are due to be lifted, three Bachelor\u2019s programmes in Psychology have decided to reintroduce them.<\/p>\n

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Enrolment restrictions have come in for a good deal of criticism. They are thought to undermine access to higher education and put young people from non-western migration or low-skilled backgrounds at a disadvantage. With this in mind, Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Ingrid van Engelshoven wants<\/a> to monitor the situation more closely and have the right to veto enrolment restrictions.<\/p>\n

Restrictions<\/h2>

The minister\u2019s plans have not yet had an impact on the number of enrolment restrictions<\/a>, but another intervention has. The Netherlands\u2019 four universities of technology will start receiving more funding in the near future. Earlier this year, Wageningen University and Eindhoven University of Technology already announced<\/a> that this would enable them to employ more teaching staff and either relax their enrolment restrictions or do away with them altogether.<\/p>\n

Eindhoven is lifting restrictions on three out of six programmes: Technical Business Administration, Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Technology. Not only that, but its three remaining restricted programmes \u2013 Architecture, Technical Computer Science and Industrial Design \u2013 will be admitting higher numbers of students.<\/p>\n

Wageningen had been planning to abolish enrolment restrictions on its Biotechnology programme in any case, when the maximum number of first-year students was not reached. The boost to its finances ensured that this decision could be taken more quickly. However, numbers are still being restricted for the Bachelor\u2019s in Nutrition and Health. The University of Twente only restricts enrolment for Technical Medicine, and is planning no changes in the coming academic year.<\/p>\n

Lagging behind<\/h2>

TU Delft says it sees no immediate reason to abolish the enrolment restrictions that apply to six of its programmes. With the extra funds, the university plans to invest in teaching staff and facilities, but insists that the cash injection will not solve the capacity problems just like that. \u201cStudent numbers have doubled in recent years, while funding has lagged behind. Our first priority is to ensure that this backlog is normalised,\u201d a spokesman clarifies.<\/p>\n

If the other universities of technology can do away with or reduce their enrolment restrictions, why not Delft? \u201cWe are the largest university of technology with over 25,000 students. I cannot comment on the situation others are facing,\u201d the spokesperson says. \u201cBut we can only maintain the quality of education if we grow moderately. Besides, we introduced enrolment restrictions not only due to lack of funding, but also because the demand for graduates from programmes such as clinical technology and nanobiology is simply not as great.\u201d<\/p>\n