Very few Dutch students get a degree abroad

Many Dutch students spend a year abroad on an Erasmus exchange, but following an entire programme abroad is a lot less popular. Only 1.4 percent of Bachelor's students in the Netherlands do so, while the European average is 3.5 percent.

Nuffic, the Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education, surveyed 378 Dutch students to find out why they are not keen on getting a degree abroad. Almost 50 percent of the respondents said they did not want to be far away from their family and friends.

Financial reasons form an important factor too. Many students are afraid that following an entire programme abroad will be too expensive. That's why they would like to get better information about the courses on offer, the costs, financial support options, and how to prepare. 

Out of balance
In 2023-2024, over sixteen percent of university students in the Netherlands came from abroad. The Minister of Education, Eppo Bruins, aims to balance this out by slowing down the influx of international students and motivating more Dutch students to look across the border.