Dutch universities want fewer intl students

THE HAGUE - Dutch universities have agreed to curb the growth in the number of students in the coming years, especially those from abroad, said Dutch daily NRC on Friday.

Dutch universities are largely funded based on their student numbers. Since the total government budget for higher education has not been growing proportionally with the total number of students, there is less money left per student for education. The universities now believe it is better to limit the growth of the number of students.

VSNU, the association of universities in the Netherlands, will present their plan with details to the government next Monday.

The total number of students at the fourteen Dutch universities has risen by 10 percent since 2013, from 250,000 to 275,000. Two thirds of the growth comes from foreign Bachelor and Master students. That number has increased from 31,000 to 48,000 since 2013.

On average, international students make up 12.2 percent of the entire student population, according to figures from Nuffic, the Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education.

Under the current funding system, faculties with more foreign students can receive a steady or larger share of the total education budget, even if the government contribution per student steadily declines, said NRC.

In order to attract more students from abroad, Dutch universities have taken active measures to switch to English-language teaching, which is also criticized by some as disadvantaging Dutch students.

Dutch education minister Ingrid van Engelshoven is conducting an investigation into the current funding system of higher education. Parliamentary members have been invited to give their opinion. A official position might be announced in autumn.