The proposals – outlined in a letter sent from education minister Eppo Bruins to the House of Representatives on October 15 – set out plans to increase the proportion of Dutch-taugh degrees, reduce international student numbers and increase the stay rate of those that do study in the Netherlands.
“The Bill is called Balanced Internationalisation, but this government is bluntly chopping away at universities and universities of applied sciences, also cutting €293 million from the budget for the intake of international students,” said Caspar van den Berg, Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) president.
Representing 14 universities across the Netherlands, van den Berg said that the institutions were “very concerned” about the plans, which risk the Netherlands losing its leading position as a knowledge economy as well as decimating universities’ finances.
Under the Bill, at least two thirds of bachelor’s degrees must be taught in Dutch, with exemptions for universities in border regions or areas with shrinking populations, sectors with labour market shortages, courses that are only offered in one location, and “inherently international programs”.
A bachelor’s degree course can only be taught entirely in another language after approval from the education minister following a Foreign Language Education Test (TAO), states the Bill.
The government has said that institutions will retain autonomy over student recruitment but that they are “expected to take appropriate measures, starting with restricted enrolment in non-Dutch pathways” as of the 2025/26 academic year.
This academic year, Dutch research universities offered 52% of bachelor programs in Dutch, 30% in English, and 18% in combined Dutch and English degrees, according to Nuffic, the Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education.
From September 2025, Dutch universities – for the first time – will be able to cap the number of students on an English-language track of a degree offered in both Dutch and English, as per legislation already passed through Parliament.
Previously, it was only possible for universities to restrict the number of English-taught programs rather than student numbers.
The programs that will apply the new English track cap will be known at the end of the year, and the Internationalisation Bill is due to be decided on in 2025, according to Nuffic.
“We think it is good that Dutch education institutes will have the option to better control the – sometimes fluctuating – influx of international students, if needed.
“In the past, some bachelor programs had too few study places and teachers to accommodate all students… This put the quality of education under pressure,” a Nuffic spokesperson told The PIE News.
However, they warned against too much government intervention and the need for institutions to retain international talent, particularly in regions with shrinking populations.
Both the proposed Bill and the new cap are intended to restore Dutch as the norm and reverse the diminishing use of Dutch as the language of instruction, underscored by budget cuts of €293m.
UNL has said that the Bill amounts to “an austerity exercise” that will cause the forced closure of degree programs and have major consequences for Dutch academic research.
“This approach will impoverish education, deprive us of important scientific talent and also scare away international students, whom we desperately need in our country,” said Ruben Puylaert, UNL spokesperson.
This approach will impoverish education, deprive us of important scientific talent and scare away international students
Ruben Puylaert, UNL
As laid out by Bruins, the government wants to improve the Dutch-language proficiency of international students and improve the stay rate of those who do study in the Netherlands.
Roughly a quarter of all international students remain in the Netherlands five year after graduating, but the stay rate of European (EEA) students who pay the same tuition fee as Dutch students is 19%, with language proficiency a major barrier to working and participating in society.
“We still need to attract talented international students… 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,” said Bruins.
As seen in other study destinations including Australia and Canada, the need to alleviate student housing shortages is another stated aim of the legislation.
However, UNL has questioned “whether this restriction on international intake is legally feasible, given European treaties on the free movement of persons”, and is calling for a fresh review of the Bill by the Council of State.
Earlier this year, Universities in the Netherlands proposed their own targeted plans to control the intake of international students and increase the role of the Dutch language while preserving the country’s knowledge economy.
The new four-party coalition government, with Geert Wilders’ far-right PVV as the largest party, has taken a more active stance in curbing internationalisation.
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