For three years in a row, the number of new students at Dutch universities fell. International students in particular stayed away, and last year the number of Dutch first-year students declined as well. This academic year, intake rose by 3.5 per cent. Growth was even stronger among international students, whose intake increased by almost 6 per cent. In total, 17,600 internationals started a degree programme.
Self-regulation
The previous cabinet wanted to cut the number of international students drastically: the number of English-taught programmes was to be reduced, and there were substantial budget cuts. The current cabinet is less hostile towards internationals, but does believe that recruitment of international students should be targeted. It has placed that responsibility with the universities and universities of applied sciences: they have ‘self-regulation’ and may balance international intake themselves. The universities promised to admit no more than 16,766 internationals a year.
Cap exceeded
That maximum has now been exceeded. Most of the growth in international intake, however, was in technical programmes. Engineering is one of the sectors facing shortages, for which the cabinet is actually keen to attract international talent. But more internationals in one sector means less room for other sectors, the cabinet argues. Universities therefore have to take measures to limit intake. And they will, Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) says in a press release. Several institutions will lower the numerus fixus for a number of English-taught programmes, including psychology, economics and business administration.
Decline
A total of 330,000 first-year and senior students are now enrolled at a Dutch university, about 2,000 fewer than last year. According to forecasts by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), the decline will continue in the coming years.