Slight uptick in new students registered at Dutch univerisites

A slightly higher number of students have enrolled at universities and universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands this academic year. Technical programs, in particular, are in high demand. There has also been an increase in the number of new international students, despite commitments from institutions to limit such enrollment. They have promised to implement measures to prevent this from happening again next year.

On Tuesday, the representative bodies Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) and the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (VH) released preliminary enrollment figures. Following the summer break, over 58,000 students began a bachelor’s degree program at a university, an increase of approximately 3.5 percent compared to the previous academic year. The number of new students at universities of applied sciences rose by 1.9 percent to 109,300.

At the university level, the number of new students enrolling in technical programs grew by over 11 percent. In technical master’s programs at universities of applied sciences, enrollment climbed from about 1,100 to approximately 1,600 - an increase of nearly 50 percent. Teacher training programs at universities of applied sciences also saw a rise in registration. Conversely, enrollment for university programs in language and culture dropped by nearly 8 percent.

Among first-year university students, approximately 17,600 are from abroad. This represents an increase of about 6 percent, following three consecutive years of decline in the number of international students. According to the universities, students from other countries are “increasingly choosing to study in Europe due to developments in the United States.”

The universities had previously agreed to cap the number of international students at 16,766 to ensure that internationalization would not come at the expense of Dutch students. Nevertheless, UNL views the rise in international enrollment as positive news. In the Netherlands, international students primarily enroll in technical fields, where Dutch companies face staff shortages and urgently need well-trained employees. “We are in dire need of international talent,” said UNL president Caspar van den Berg.

Universities are reducing the number of available spots in English-taught degree programs such as psychology, economics, business administration, and political science. They are lowering the numerus fixus, or fixed admission quota, to ensure that, in the coming academic year, the universities "do not exceed the maximum limit they set for themselves."

The intercity student association ISO is against the numerus fixus measures that limit access to higher education. “Every student should have the freedom to pursue the program of their choice,” the ISO said. If universities decide to limit enrollment, the ISO maintains that students must be involved in that decision-making.