The blue seats in the House of Representatives hold 150 members of Parliament, who will be elected by Dutch voters this Wednesday. Voters can choose from 1,166 candidates across 27 parties.

After that comes the cabinet formation: parties negotiate until they form a coalition that holds a majority in the House of Representatives—at least 76 seats. The parties with the most votes take the lead.

There is also the possibility of forming a minority government, an option Geert Wilders is currently hinting at. According to the polls, his Party for Freedom (PVV) is in the lead, but several major parties have ruled out working with him.

BSA

While in the national media the elections mainly focus on topics like immigration, housing, and the state of democracy, this article zooms in on what political parties are promising for students, higher education, and science.

The Higher Education Press Agency (HOP) reviewed the election manifestos of the fifteen largest parties. Three parties explicitly want to abolish the binding study advice (BSA): D66, PvdD, and Volt.

Housing is another urgent issue for students—finding a room has become a challenge. All parties recognize this: each manifesto includes plans for extra housing for students, young people, and/or first-time buyers. Despite some differences in emphasis—PvdD prioritizes sustainable construction while BBB is less strict in that regard—all share the same building enthusiasm.

Bank balance

If you take your future bank balance into account when voting, you have several options. Seven parties promise to increase the student grant: D66, DENK, Forum for Democracy (FvD), GroenLinks-PvdA, SP, and Volt.

Several parties also want to lower tuition fees: CDA, D66, PvdD, SGP, SP, Volt, and VVD. Note that this often comes with conditions, such as being enrolled in a shortage field.

Some parties, including Volt and SP, propose tuition exemptions or reductions for student board members who have less time to take courses. SP even aims to abolish tuition fees altogether in the long run.

VVD, on the other hand, proposes a “short-study bonus” for students who graduate on time—the opposite of the “slow-progress penalty” that BBB wants to reintroduce. VVD would make higher education institutions pay a “delay contribution” when their students exceed the nominal study duration.

Finally, SP and the Christenunie want to make students eligible for housing allowance by extending it to non-self-contained housing such as student rooms. This would also make it more attractive for landlords to rent out rooms, as rents could then rise.

Budget cuts

Many were shocked when the current, now twice-outgoing, government announced plans to cut more than two billion euros from education. The final amount was reduced, but universities and universities of applied sciences still need to tighten their belts.

Fortunately, TU/e plays a key role in Project Beethoven, which involves significant funding. At other universities, such as the University of Twente, the cuts have already led to forced layoffs and the closure of academic departments.

Coalition parties BBB, NSC, PVV, and VVD continue to support the cuts, while others want to reverse them. D66, DENK, GroenLinks-PvdA, JA21, and Volt all state this in their manifestos. SP and PvdD don’t say so explicitly but do call for major investments in education and research.

Internationalization

Internationalization is vital to both the Brainport region and TU/e, but The Hague believes it could be scaled back somewhat. BBB, Christian Union, FvD, JA21, NSC, PVV, SP, and SGP therefore advocate for more Dutch-taught programs.

Other parties, such as GroenLinks-PvdA and PvdD, support universities’ efforts to manage internationalization themselves in a balanced way.

Academic freedom

In the United States, academic freedom has come under pressure—but how do Dutch parties view it? No one explicitly says they want to restrict researchers’ freedom, but some parties do call for more direction.

CDA wants to invest mainly in “key technologies of the future,” such as AI, green chemistry, and battery technology. BBB claims to fully support academic freedom “but also sees that science is becoming increasingly detached from practical reality.”

On the other side are parties that advocate for unconditional academic freedom: D66, GroenLinks–PvdA, NSC, PvdD, SP, Volt, and VVD. GroenLinks-PvdA even proposes to enshrine academic freedom in a special law.

Democracy

Beyond academic freedom, democratic values are also at stake. According to D66, GroenLinks-PvdA, NSC, PvdD, and SP, students and staff should have more influence on their universities’ policies through participation bodies, and they should receive fair compensation for that work.

NSC is the only party to explicitly mention the vital role of independent media in higher education—a fitting note to end on, from Cursor’s perspective.

Already know who you’ll vote for? Hopefully, this overview has helped clarify your choice. Voting will take place on Wednesday, October 29, at many locations, including MetaForum on the TU/e campus. Don’t forget your voting pass and ID!

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor