Rise in international students at Dutch universities over; Enrolment same as last year

For the first time in years, the influx of international students into Dutch higher education did not increase. Enrollment was more-or-less the same as last year, NOS reports based on provisional figures from the universities and universities of applied sciences.

This past summer, slightly fewer international students started a bachelor’s program at a Dutch university. Slightly more international students started a bachelor’s degree. Together, over 35,000 international students enrolled in Dutch universities - the same as last year.

The universities of applied sciences also saw a slight increase in the number of master’s students and a slight decrease in bachelor’s students. On balance, over 12,000 international students enrolled in higher professional education.

According to the umbrella organization Universities of the Netherlands, the number of international students in the master’s programs did grow, but over a third came from another study in the Netherlands. The number of master students new to the Netherlands decreased.

Universities of the Netherlands attributed the decrease to universities recruiting less abroad and actively informing prospective students about the student housing shortage in the Netherlands.

Dutch universities are trying to strike a balance between not overburdening their education system with too many students and maintaining the educational institutions’ international character. International students fall under migration - the hot topic in this year’s parliamentary election - and almost all political parties want additional measures to limit their influx.

“These figures show that the growth of international inflow at universities has come to a standstill,” Jouke de Vries, interim chairman of Universities of the Netherlands, told NOS. “We urge politicians not to take radical measures that could seriously damage the quality of our education and research.”

The total number of students increased at universities and decreased slightly at universities of applied sciences. Students also decreased in the sectors where the Netherlands is facing widespread staff shortages - science and technology (-6 percent), healthcare (-3.5 percent), and education (-0.5 percent).

The number of students in the higher professional education master’s programs increased by 7 percent. Maurice Limen, chairman of the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences, called that good news. “Because if we want to maintain our lead in the field of innovation, we seriously need more students doing an HBO master’s degree.” The HBO master's diploma is equivalent to a master’s degree at a university but focuses more on professional practice.