'Internationalisation does not stand in the way of Dutch interests'

The previous Dutch government intended to reduce the number of international students in the country, but the new coalition is taking a different approach. Educational institutions are once again free to recruit talented students and researchers from abroad. The government even intends to allocate 154 million euros for a so-called "talent strategy." 

A significant portion of the funds aims to attract international talent in sectors where the Netherlands faces shortages. However, a balance must be maintained, “to retain the benefits of internationalisation without undesirable effects on accessibility or capacity," in the words of the Minister of Education, Rianne Letschert. She wrote this in response to parliamentary questions posed by the far-right party PVV, a member of the previous cabinet. She had previously outlined her approach in a policy letter.

Self-sufficient
According to the minister, universities and universities of applied sciences must be able to “assess for each course and each region where international students add value and where limits are needed." This could be achieved through an enrolment cap, for example. This way, more international students in one sector would mean fewer in another.

“There is no contradiction between internationalisation and Dutch interests,” emphasises Letschert. “It can contribute to the quality of education, strengthen the Netherlands’ international position and support a strong economy.”

Displaced?
PVV claims that Dutch students are being "displaced" by foreign students. Letschert retorted that this is not true, arguing that, in general, higher education in the Netherlands is easily accessible: most students manage to get into their desired degree programmes, even when those have an enrolment cap. Only 5 per cent of all students in Dutch higher education are unable to enrol in their first-choice programme.

However, the Dutch government wants to maintain control over internationalisation, so it needs to enter into administrative agreements "in the short term". Universities had already promised not to admit more than 16,766 international undergraduate students annually. The agreements also cover "Dutch language proficiency, improving retention rates and accommodation".

Turning off the funding tap
It remains to be seen how the minister will enforce her policy now that the idea of establishing a "language test" to determine whether degree programmes must be taught in English or Dutch has been scrapped. The only leverage she has left is to turn off the funding tap. In that case, institutions would receive funding for a certain number of students, and no more.