Slowing down the increase in international students is a difficult job for the minister | Politics

Jan 31, 2023 at 10:11 PM

The Netherlands has too many foreign students, believes a majority of the House of Representatives. The cabinet also sees that the limits have been reached, but finding a solution to limit the number of international students is not that easy.

In recent years, the number of people from abroad studying at a university of applied sciences or university in the Netherlands has risen sharply. In the 2021/2022 academic year, there were 115,000 international students. Fifteen years earlier, there were only 33,000. Nowadays, one in four first-year students comes from abroad, Statistics Netherlands calculated.

The problem is especially big at the universities. 40 percent of the students come from abroad. Both the House and the cabinet believe that the limits have been reached. The quality of education is under pressure and there are major problems with housing.

At the same time, MPs and Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf (Education, Culture and Science) value the internationalization of higher education. It contributes to the quality of science and to the economy. In addition, certain sectors, such as healthcare and technology, need international students.

“But should we also train hundreds of German students in English in psychology and economics?” Hatte van der Woude (VVD) asked the minister on Tuesday evening during a debate on international students. For example, her party wants to put a maximum on the number of students from non-European countries.

The issue is also the subject of a broader discussion about migration that the government is addressing. It is therefore about asylum and labor migration. All coalition parties want to get a grip on this population growth again, but are not on the same page when it comes to solutions.

Room wants customization, but not too much

Almost all MPs warned the minister on Tuesday evening about generic measures. Not all regions have the same problems with student housing. In addition, a number of universities and colleges are located in border regions, such as Enschede and Maastricht. Some educational institutions, in particular the technical universities, are also in need of international students.

Customization must therefore be possible, but SP Member of Parliament Peter Kwint pointed out that every institution believes that they should be the exception to the rule. Minister Dijkgraaf shares this concern. “In a sense, we also have to be cautious about that,” he told the MPs.

Another bottleneck that the House is very concerned about is the way in which educational institutions are financed with public money. Lisa Westerveld (GroenLinks) explained why this leads to attracting more international students.

“It’s about a distribution model. Simply put: if one institution recruits more students and, for example, has more foreign students, then it gets a larger share of the pie. That leads to competition,” said Westerveld. Minister Dijkgraaf will present a letter on this matter before the summer.

Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf (OCW) listens to the input of the members of the House of Representatives. Photo: ANP

Universities and colleges are temporarily not allowed to recruit

The increase in the number of international students has often been discussed in Parliament. Last year, a majority called for a recruitment freeze for universities and colleges. For example, they place advertisements and are present at all kinds of student fairs abroad. Dijkgraaf assured the MPs on Tuesday that this call has been heeded.

The minister will present his new policy plans in mid-March. He is currently investigating how to make the number of international students manageable can best be regulated by law. He also wants to work with the educational institutions and conclude (additional) agreements.

“We ask a lot of the minister,” admitted Stieneke van der Graaf (Christian Union). Still, like the rest of the House, she hopes that the minister will come up with concrete plans soon.

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