Number of international students at Dutch universities falls for first time in 20 years
The number of international students in the Netherlands has decreased for the first time since 2006. In the 2025/26 academic year, 129,764 international students are enrolled in a full degree program at a Dutch university or university of applied sciences. That is 133 fewer (-0.1%) than last year, reported Nuffic, the organization for the internationalization of education.
“Although it is a slight decrease, it certainly indicates a break in the trend,” said Nuffic researcher Jonatan Weenink. In recent years, the number of international students in the Netherlands has increased by 10 to 20 percent each academic year.
The number of German and Chinese students fell sharply. Germany is still the largest country of origin for international students in the Netherlands, but the number of German students has decreased for five consecutive years. This year, the number of German students fell by 8.4 percent to 18,241.
The number of Chinese students saw the biggest decrease, dropping by 27.5 percent to 1,993. For the first time since 2006, China is no longer in the top 5 countries of origin, dropping to 7th place. “The fact that there is such a large decrease is certainly striking,” Weenink said. “A possible explanation for this is the rising position of Chinese universities in international rankings, making students more inclined to study in their own country.”
Conversely, the number of students from India increased. The number of Indian students enrolled in a master’s program in the Netherlands jumped by 16.5 percent this year. Among students from countries in the European Economic Area, the number of students from Spain increased the most (+28%).
The number of new international enrollments in bachelor’s programs has been declining for several years, so Nuffic considers it likely that the number of international students will decrease further in the coming years. “The fact that intake for bachelor’s programs is declining further makes it plausible that the international student population will decrease further in the coming years. This also applies to master’s programs,” Weenink said.
Amsterdam is still by far the largest student city, also for international students. But the number of international students in the capital decreased for the first time this year (-1.7 percent). “Amsterdam is the city with the most international students and has the image of a very international city,” Weenink said. “The decline fits the national picture, but is striking in that light.”
In Eindhoven, the number of international students grew by 13.4 percent, putting the Noord-Brabant city in the top 5 of municipalities with the most international students. That is partly due to more international students pursuing an engineering degree (+11%), something that the Eindhoven University of Technology is known for. After economics, engineering is now the most popular field of study for international students in the Netherlands.
