Dutch Universities See Third Consecutive Year of Declining Enrollment

Dutch universities have enrolled fewer new students for the third year in a row, with the number of first-year bachelor's students dropping by more than 3 percent compared to last year. The decline is particularly pronounced among international students, though domestic enrollment is also falling.

New figures presented by NOS from higher education institutions show that international student intake at universities fell by 3.6 percent, with the steepest decline among students from other European countries, where numbers dropped by 4.4 percent. The number of new Dutch students also decreased, falling by 3.3 percent. Universities of applied sciences (HBO) saw a smaller overall decline but recorded a 7.6 percent drop in European student enrollment.

"The drop is steeper than expected and even exceeds the Ministry of Education's own reference projections," said Ruben Puylaert, spokesperson for Universities of the Netherlands (UNL), the umbrella organisation representing 14 Dutch research universities.

The decline in Dutch student numbers reflects demographic changes and shifting preferences among young people. According to UNL, fewer students graduated from pre-university education (VWO) in 2025, reducing the pool of potential university entrants. Additionally, more young people are opting to take a gap year before starting higher education.

The trend of declining enrollment at Dutch universities has continued every year since 2020. Total university enrollment now stands at around 332,000 students, down more than 6,000 from last year. Ministry of Education forecasts suggest this number will continue falling in the coming years.

The decrease in international students is largely the result of deliberate policy choices. Universities have stopped actively recruiting abroad, and some now warn prospective international students about housing shortages in their cities. The previous Schoof government actively discouraged internationalisation in higher education, including by limiting the number of courses taught in English.

Under the Internationalisation in Balance Act, Dutch must be the language of instruction for at least two-thirds of bachelor's degree curricula. Universities have reduced their English-taught bachelor's programmes by about a third in recent years.

"We think our own measures have contributed to the fall in enrolments," Puylaert acknowledged. However, universities remain concerned about the combined pace of decline, which is sharper than anticipated.

Science and technology programmes have seen the largest drops in enrollment. ICT programmes in particular received significantly fewer applications, despite ongoing shortages of ICT professionals in the labour market.

At universities of applied sciences, technical programmes saw a 7.5 percent decline in new students. Maurice Limmen, chairman of the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences, called the trend worrying. "The Netherlands faces major challenges in construction, energy, defence, and digitisation," he said, warning that the government will need to make a concerted effort to reverse the decline.

The drop in technical enrollment reflects both fewer students choosing technical profiles in secondary school and reduced interest from international applicants who had previously been drawn to Dutch engineering and computing programmes.

Not all fields are shrinking. Primary school teacher training programmes (PABOs) saw enrollment rise by 7.6 percent, continuing strong growth from last year. Around 6,200 students are now training to become primary school teachers, which Limmen attributed to recent efforts to make the profession more attractive.

However, secondary school teacher training saw an 8.6 percent decline, highlighting ongoing challenges in attracting people to teach older students.

The enrollment decline has raised concerns about the Netherlands' economic competitiveness. Research by SEO Economic Research has estimated that significantly reducing international student numbers could shrink the Dutch economy by €4.8 billion over time, citing lost tuition revenue, reduced tax income, and fewer skilled workers entering the labour market.

UNL chairman Caspar van den Berg has warned that the Netherlands cannot fill its talent needs from domestic sources alone. "We simply don't have enough young people for that," he said, calling on the government to develop a clear strategy for attracting and retaining talent.

The combination of fewer students and ongoing budget cuts is putting universities under financial pressure, as government funding is tied to student numbers. Universities are now calling for stable, long-term funding to maintain essential programmes and research capacity.