{"id":167765,"date":"2024-05-15T11:31:14","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T09:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=167765"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:20","slug":"new-bill-on-internationalisation-door-still-open-for-international-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2024\/05\/15\/new-bill-on-internationalisation-door-still-open-for-international-students\/","title":{"rendered":"New bill on internationalisation: door still open for international students"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over two years after taking office, Minister of Education Robbert Dijkgraaf has sent his \u2018Internationalisering in Balans\u2019 (Internationalisation in Equilibrium) bill to the House of Representatives. As far as he\u2019s concerned, international students continue to be welcome.<\/p>\n

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Robbert Dijkgraaf, Minister of Education, Culture and Science, on a visit to Erasmus MC.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLevien Willemse<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The anglicisation of higher education and the influx of foreign students has been a hot topic in Dutch politics for years. It even became one of the main themes in the most recent elections.<\/p>\n

However, closing the door to international talent isn\u2019t a good idea, outgoing Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf feels. \u201cThe Netherlands relies on knowledge\u201d, he said in a press release<\/a> accompanying his bill<\/a> on Monday. \u201cSo we cannot do without international talent, whether for science, the labour market or the quality of the programmes themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

He does think internationalisation is entering a new phase, where other questions are becoming important: where do we need international students, how do we keep them in the Netherlands and are degree programmes staying accessible?<\/p>\n

Accessible<\/h2>

To start with the latter question: in programmes with a restriction on the number of first-year students, Dutch prospective students have to compete with their foreign counterparts in the selection process. The bill makes it possible to distinguish between the English-taught and Dutch-taught track. This allows for restricting the intake into the English-taught track, while keeping the Dutch-taught one open.<\/p>\n

This possibility has been eagerly anticipated by the universities, which have been asking for \u2018instruments\u2019 to manage the influx of international students for years. Equally eager, the House of Representatives adopted a controversial amendment<\/a> by VVD that anticipated this development.<\/p>\n

The bill also provides programmes with an \u2018emergency brake\u2019: they can implement an enrolment restriction overnight if a lot of prospective students suddenly enrol. And what\u2019s also new: programmes are allowed to establish a maximum number of students from outside Europe.<\/p>\n

Housing<\/h2>

Internationalisation has sparked debate in several ways. For example, some cities are experiencing a considerable housing shortage, caused in part by the arrival of students from abroad. This is less of a problem in other cities. The regional economy is also a factor: tech companies around Eindhoven are keen to welcome international students and researchers.<\/p>\n

This is why Dijkgraaf doesn\u2019t want to use a one-size-fits-all approach for the higher education institutions. They have to make their own decisions. Or, as he puts it: they are given control. The bill makes it possible to intervene \u201ccarefully, specifically and appropriately\u201d, but \u201cwith universities and universities of applied sciences themselves still collectively taking the lead in the first instance.\u201d<\/p>\n

But he\u2019s not handing over the reins completely. The minister wants to make \u2018administrative arrangements\u2019 with the education institutions, for example on the recruitment of students abroad and on the language of instruction.<\/p>\n

Dutch<\/h2>

The latter subject, language of instruction, also plays an important role in the bill. In the future, institutions will have to ask for permission if they want to start a non-Dutch-taught programme. What\u2019s more, the current programmes will also be scrutinised: are they allowed to be in English or not?<\/p>\n

Such a request is assessed against a number of criteria, such as the regional circumstances, the labour market, the international positioning of the programme and how unique it is.<\/p>\n

Moving forward<\/h2>

Four parties (PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB) are currently negotiating the formation of a new cabinet. The next minister may have entirely different opinions on some matters. After all, Dijkgraaf himself binned the bill drafted by his predecessor (and fellow party member). So it\u2019s uncertain what will happen moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\t

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