Government wants to see Dutch as the norm and fewer foreign students in higher education
In a letter sent to the House of Representatives today, education, culture and science minister Eppo Bruins wrote that he wants to restore Dutch as the standard language of instruction in higher education. Mr Bruins will therefore proceed with the Internationalisation in Balance bill (WIB) and tighten up the relevant secondary legislation. He will also make agreements with higher education institutions. These measures are intended to safeguard the accessibility of higher education, improve proficiency in Dutch and retain international talent for the Dutch labour market.
‘The Netherlands is proud to be an internationally oriented, knowledge-based society,’ Mr Bruins said. ‘And we want it to stay like that, for a prosperous future. But over the past several years international student numbers have grown sharply, resulting in major student housing shortages, crowded lecture halls and diminishing use of Dutch as the language of instruction. Measures are needed to reverse these trends. I want to restore Dutch as the norm. This will improve students’ proficiency in Dutch and help retain international students after they graduate, for the benefit of the Dutch economy and society in general.’
Assessment of courses not taught in Dutch
The bill lays down that Dutch-taught modules or components must be available for at least two-thirds of the curriculum of Dutch bachelor’s degree courses. No more than one-third may be taught in a language other than Dutch. This leaves scope for guest lectures by international academics and scientists, for example. A bachelor’s degree course can only be taught entirely in another language after approval is obtained from a special commission and the education minister, following a mandatory assessment (Toets anderstalig onderwijs, TAO). There will be four possible grounds for exemption: 1. educational institutions in border regions or regions with shrinking populations, 2. training for jobs in sectors with labour market shortages (e.g. specific courses in engineering and sciences), 3. courses that are offered at one location only, and 4. inherently international programmes. In comparison with the previous government’s policy, the minister wants to more strictly define the last two grounds in order to prevent exceptions from becoming the rule and ensure that Dutch is the main language in higher education.
Retaining international students
The minister also emphasised that higher education and research are and will remain internationally oriented, despite the measures to curb the influx of international students. ‘We still need to attract talented international students, particularly in sectors with labour shortages, in border regions and regions with a declining population,’ Mr Bruins explains. ‘This approach will also help us maintain education provision in the regions. But we want to attract the right international students. And if they become proficient in Dutch they’re more likely to stay and work in the Netherlands after they graduate.’
The stay rate for the total group of international graduates five years after graduation is around 25%. But the stay rate of students who come from the European Economic Area (EEA), and who pay the same tuition fee as Dutch students, is only 19%. Research by Nuffic (the Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education) found that language proficiency requirements are a major barrier to finding work and participating in Dutch society.
Administrative agreements and autonomy
Ultimately, the government is aiming to bring down the total number of incoming international students, in line with its intention to reduce expenditure on international students as of 2026. While educational institutions retain autonomy in terms of student recruitment, they are expected to take appropriate measures, starting with restricted enrolment in non-Dutch pathways within a course as of the 2025/2026 academic year. The minister wants to make administrative agreements with higher education institutions on how they will limit the influx of international students to ensure that the budget cut is achieved.
Originally published at https://www.government.nl/latest/news/2024/10/15/government-wants-to-see-dutch-as-the-norm-and-fewer-foreign-students-in-higher-education
