Netherlands less popular among international students; Increase slowing down

The number of internationals coming to the Netherlands to study is stagnating. This academic year, almost 52,000 people from other countries have registered for a study program in the Netherlands. That is only 0.4 percent more than the previous academic year. “The smallest increase since 2007-08,” according to the organization Nuffic, which is committed to higher education internationalization.

The total number of international students has also barely increased. This academic year, over 131,000 international students are registered in the Netherlands. That is 3 percent more than a year earlier, according to Nuffic, the smallest growth percentage in ten years.

The number of new registrations from bachelor’s programs is already falling. Universities of applied sciences saw 7 percent fewer international students register for that phase. Universities saw a decrease of 5 percent.

The number of international students registering for a master’s program is still increasing, but this will also decrease eventually. “A decrease in new international students could eventually lead to a decrease in master’s programs,” Nuffic said.

For university studies in technology, the number of international students is still increasing. In Eindhoven and Delft, the number of registrations grew by over 20 percent. According to Nuffic, this could be good for the Dutch economy because companies in technology are struggling with staff shortages.

Germany is and remains by far the most important country of origin for international students, but their number has fallen below 20,000 for the first time since 2008. That is followed by Italy (more than 8,600), Romania (almost 8,000), Spain (more than 6,500), and China (more than 6,100).