The Netherlands has been in the headlines recently due to a heated debate about the reduction of international students. The debate was sparked by a draft law from Mark Rutte’s current government. Similar to the UK or Canada, a public opinion has emerged that wrongly focuses on the negative side-effects of internationalization and attempts to provide simple solutions to complicated problems.
With its English-taught study programs and comparably low tuition fees, the Netherlands has enjoyed popularity among international students for several years. The number of international students (over 120,000 in 2022-23) has rapidly grown over the past decade. This growth is due to the excellence of the universities, the widespread use of English in everyday life and the strong immigration culture in the Netherlands. Another boost, and perhaps the most important, was the realization of Brexit. After Brexit, many European students saw the Netherlands as a favourable, English-speaking, affordable alternative to the UK. But more on that later.
As a result of growth, some politicians believe they have discovered specific political problems for the Netherlands. There is a general lack of housing, lecture theatres are overcrowded at many public universities, the quality of education is declining, the use of the Dutch language is deteriorating, and Dutch students are perceived to be crowded out by international students. The housing crisis is probably the biggest of current issues. According to the Dutch National Student Accommodation Monitor, there is currently a shortage of almost 27,000 student housing units. As the country is struggling with a severe and ongoing housing crisis, the housing situation for students and young professionals has become particularly problematic. The housing shortage is expected to rise to 44,800 units in the 20 largest Dutch university cities by the 2029/30 academic year.
The demographic change is hitting the Netherlands just as hard as other Western European countries. This is why the Netherlands also needs an influx of skilled labour. Another argument favouring reducing the number of international students is that only a small proportion of international students remain in the Netherlands after completing their studies, which would benefit the labour market.
The Dutch Minister of Education has introduced a bill that would give universities legal powers and stricter (exceptional) rules for English-taught degree programs to give them control over policy on the language of instruction and student admissions. The aim is to effectively reduce the number of English-language degree programs offered and to control the number of international students coming to the Netherlands. However, the government broke up in the summer of 2023 and the bill may not be passed at all. A decision is not expected until after the new government has been constituted. The formation of the new government following the election victory of the extreme right is also proving problematic.
Digression: the same debate took place in Denmark a couple of years ago and was actually implemented. There, only universities can offer English-taught programmes and all universities of applied sciences had to switch their courses to Danish. There are no tuition fees in Denmark.
Why would the sharp reduction of international students does not offer any solutions to existing problems? Looking at the distribution of international students by country of origin, it immediately becomes clear that most international students come from Europe. In figures, this means that only 15% of international students come from third countries (non-EU). According to European law, Dutch and other European students must be treated equally. This applies both to their admission requirements and to the tuition fees charged. In this respect, the call to reduce the number of students from abroad is a popular choice and would hardly improve the situation. Reducing English-taught degree programs to the Dutch language would tremendously harm the higher education industry.
What possibilities are there that could offer real solutions – without the self-isolation of the Netherlands? Increasing tuition fees for Dutch and EU students would greatly improve the financing of the higher education system and automatically ensure an easier decline in student numbers from Europe. Most of the students are European students, as statistics confirm by Nuffic.
The introduction of compulsory language courses would lead to better integration and retention of students and would also benefit the labour market. Universities could be incentivized or even obliged to build a minimum number of halls of residence for international students. Public-private partnerships could play a significant role in solving the housing issue.
No matter which path the Netherlands takes, this public debate is damaging the image of the Netherlands as a study destination. Hopefully, the Netherlands will recognize international students’ positive economic, social and cultural influence when making its decision. Expanding language support and integration courses, investing in student residences and adjusting tuition fees to market realities could actually solve the problems and not just treat the symptoms.
