{"id":174548,"date":"2024-12-19T10:54:50","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T09:54:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=174548"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:38","slug":"further-cuts-on-international-students-may-not-be-necessary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2024\/12\/19\/further-cuts-on-international-students-may-not-be-necessary\/","title":{"rendered":"Further cuts on international students may not be necessary"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to an analysis by HOP, there may no longer be a need for higher education institutions to cut their budgets for foreign students, as they\u2019ve already reached their target. If the institutions attract the same number of international students in 2030 as they do now, further cuts will not be necessary.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFemke Legu\u00e9<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Last spring, the coalition parties came up with a plan to significantly reduce the intake of international students. But last week, after lengthy negotiations<\/a> with the opposition, some of the proposed cuts were rolled back. The target for 2030 has been lowered from 293 million euros to 168 million euros.<\/p>\n

Based on the assumption that the number of European students would increase by 20,000 in 2030 compared to today, the government\u2019s plan was to create more room in the budget by specifically preventing that growth. But the cuts that have now been agreed will require the number of European students to be reduced by 19,000 \u2013 roughly the same number. This means that the reduction target is already locked in if international intake remains at its current level.<\/p>\n

EEA students<\/h2>

Presented with these figures, university umbrella organisation UNL and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) say that the calculations seem sound, although OCW does note that it\u2019s still early days. The ministry wants to wait for new projections for international intake, which are expected next spring.<\/p>\n

This year has already seen a slight drop<\/a> in the inflow of foreign students, defying predictions of further growth. Particularly pronounced was the decline in the number of students from other European countries, which happens to also be the group the government wants to spend less money on. After all, European students cost money, unlike their peers from outside the EU. This means that budget cuts on international students can only be realised by reducing the intake of the former.<\/p>\n

Randstad and region<\/h2>

The outcome of the budget negotiations does contain a catch for higher education institutions in the Randstad region: areas outside the Netherlands\u2019 main metropolitan area will be exempted from the stricter requirements for English-language instruction. This has been agreed by the Christian parties, JA21 and coalition parties PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB.<\/p>\n

The education minister must now decide what this will look like in practice. If the growth of regional institutions is allowed to continue, the number of students in the Randstad will have to shrink in order to achieve the proposed budget cuts.<\/p>\n

International intake trends are currently difficult to predict, especially given the expected introduction of the new internationalisation act, whose aim to reduce English-language instruction is also likely to deter foreign students. The impact of this legislation will only become clear over time, but if the effect on intake is stronger than expected, the government may get its tougher cuts after all.<\/p>\n\n\t

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