Dutch universities have announced their intention to implement measures to decrease the number of international students.
This announcement follows a call amid increasing political pressure, from the Dutch House of Representatives for both the government and higher education institutions to develop a plan with specific measures aimed at reducing the proportion of English-taught courses
The Universities of the Netherlands (UNL), representing the collective interests of Dutch universities, emphasized the importance of internationalization but acknowledged that the growing population of overseas students was posing challenges. These challenges include inadequate student housing and potential impacts on the accessibility and quality of education.
Limiting the enrolment of non-EU students
Education Minister Robert Dijkgraaf urged the UNL to take proactive steps in managing international student inflows and considering teaching in languages other than Dutch.
Nairametrics learns that for some time universities have been advocating for the authority to limit the enrollment of students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and the admissions to English-taught programs. However, political inertia in the Netherlands has hindered progress.
In its official statement, UNL announced that its member institutions unanimously agreed to offer “all major bachelor’s programs” in Dutch, with no plans to introduce new English-language bachelor’s programs in the immediate future.
Additionally, Dutch universities will discontinue recruitment efforts at international fairs, focusing active recruitment solely on courses associated with sectors experiencing significant labor shortages. Foundation years for international students will be eliminated, and UNL has also committed to enhancing the Dutch language skills of both academics and students.
What the Education Council says
Moreover, the Education Council, an advisory body to the government, conducted an assessment of the government’s Internationalisation in Balance Bill.
This legislative proposal stipulates that programs with less than two-thirds of instruction in Dutch must undergo a “foreign-language instruction test” administered by the education minister.
Additionally, it mandates that students enrolled in non-Dutch language programs must enhance their proficiency in the Dutch language.
Furthermore, the proposed legislation would grant universities the authority to limit student enrollment for specific segments of a program, such as those taught in English, and introduce quotas on students from outside of Europe in situations where teaching capacity is constrained.
While the Education Council commended the proposed quota measures, it voiced apprehensions regarding the provisions concerning non-Dutch instruction.
The council determined that these measures lacked adequate justification and raised uncertainties about their potential repercussions. Additionally, it deemed the foreign-language instruction test as “disproportionate” and potentially unfeasible.
Additionally, the council highlighted the current financial incentives for universities to admit international students and recommended that the government consider this aspect when formulating regulations regarding the number of students allowed from other countries.
Overseas recruitment to suit individual disciplines
Ben Jongbloed, an associate professor at the University of Twente’s Center for Higher Education Policy, argued that limitations on overseas recruitment should be customized to suit the needs of individual disciplines.
- “Our labour market desperately needs STEM graduates, so it doesn’t make sense to limit international intake there. But psychology is a different field,” he said.
- “The way we fund our universities is the real problem here. Universities need more students to receive a bigger share of the pie. So, let’s introduce a system of performance agreements linked to funding, where each university can decide how much it wants to take on board and let them make sound arguments for that.”
