For the third year in a row, Dutch universities are seeing a decline in international bachelor’s students, particularly from Europe. Last year, European enrollment dropped by nine percent, and this year it fell by nearly five percent. At the same time, the number of Dutch first-year students also declined by about 3.5 percent.

In total, 332,000 students—including first-years and continuing students—are now enrolled at Dutch universities, roughly 6,000 fewer than last year. According to forecasts from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), this number is expected to continue declining in the coming years.

Stable funding needed

Caspar van den Berg, chair of the Dutch universities’ association UNL, voiced concern over the declining enrollment: “It’s urgent that a new cabinet develops a clear strategy for attracting, educating, and retaining talent.” He emphasized that talent cannot come solely from the Netherlands: “There are simply too few young people here.”

The drop in student numbers, combined with budget cuts from the outgoing government, puts additional pressure on universities. UNL expects that these developments could lead to the closure of programs and cuts to research. Van den Berg stressed that “more stable funding for universities” is necessary so that institutions are less dependent on student enrollment numbers.

TU/e continues to grow

While enrollment is falling nationally, total student numbers at TU/e have increased slightly compared with last academic year, from 13,453 to 13,854. Both bachelor’s and master’s programs saw growth.

This increase is entirely driven by international students: enrollment from both the European Economic Area and beyond Europe is rising sharply, while the number of Dutch students is declining slightly. In this way, TU/e stands out from the national trend, where European student enrollment is falling.