Policies previously put forward to limit the number of English-language courses taught at universities in the Netherlands are now being pushed through by the current Dutch government. The plans, which have the main aim of reducing the number of international students, could be even stricter than those first proposed, and this has not gone down well with higher education institutions.

New higher education policy for international students in the Netherlands

The Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science Eppo Bruins has presented a policy to the House of Representatives that would ultimately curb the number of international students coming to study in the Netherlands and save the government 293 million euros. This policy was originally proposed by Bruins’ predecessor Robbert Dijkgraaf, but the newer version has stricter criteria.

According to Bruins, more than 20 percent of first-year bachelor students were not from the Netherlands. "The large influx puts pressure on student housing, among other things, and creates overcrowded lecture halls and pressure on students," wrote Bruins to the Tweede Kamer.

Stricter criteria proposed for English-language courses at Dutch universities

In the new plan, institutions of higher education would be allowed to set a separate Numerus Fixus - the student selection process - for courses taught in English from 2025, which would limit the number of students that can enrol for an English-taught programme specifically. 

Also, less funding would be made available for international students, making it more difficult to receive a study grant. The rising student fees would therefore further deter internationals from studying in the Netherlands. 

The government also wants at least two-thirds of bachelor programmes to be taught in Dutch. In order for a programme to be taught in a foreign language such as English, it will have to meet stricter requirements. For example, if the course has “international uniqueness” where it is the only programme of its kind and a language other than Dutch is necessary to keep the field in the Netherlands.

Dutch government’s plans for higher education receive criticism

There are concerns in higher education that the new policy will do more damage rather than improve the situation. "In fact, the government is taking a blunt axe to colleges and universities," says Casper van den Berg, chairman of Universities of the Netherlands.

If more English-language programmes are cut, the existence of some Dutch-language courses will actually be threatened as they rely on the financial support of English-taught courses to survive. International students also bring in a lot of income for universities, with student union LSVb chairman Abdelkader Karbache calling their financial contributions “indispensable”.

The Association of Universities of Applied Sciences has also pointed out that the “anglicisation” of Dutch universities isn’t as big a problem as it’s been made out to be, stating that 92 percent of higher professional education programmes are already taught in Dutch. 

With how reliant higher education is on English-speaking staff, if more courses were to make the transition to being taught in Dutch, there would not be enough Dutch-speaking staff to cover all the courses. This would worsen the effects felt due to the worker shortage in the Netherlands.

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