Dutch universities less eager for international students

Universities in the Netherlands have changed their tune when it comes to eagerly attracting international students. Nearly all the universities have stopped actively recruiting students from abroad and are now focusing on providing information, Financieele Dagblad reported after surveying 13 universities.

The decision to stop recruiting international students has everything to do with the explosive growth in students Dutch universities experienced in the past years, according to FD. They universities said they are struggling with overcrowded lecture halls, overworked lecturers, and a shortage in student housing.

"We definitely don't need to get bigger or attract even more students," a spokesperson for the University of Amsterdam said to the newspaper. 

Despite the fact that the Dutch universities are no longer actively recruiting students from abroad, they are still very popular among foreign students. On average, the number of international students studying at universities in the Netherlands increases by about 15 percent per year, according to figures from the association for Dutch universities VSNU.