In the previous academic year, Dutch higher education institutions hosted a total of 123,000 international students, marking an increase of 8,000 compared to the preceding

year. This influx of international students now constitutes 15% of the student population in the Netherlands, according to CBS (Statistics Netherlands).

Of the international students enrolled in university courses or HBO (higher professional education) training programs, three-quarters hailed from European countries, with the largest contingent originating from Germany.

The majority of international master's students opted for technical, industrial, and building-related studies, while journalism, law, and business programs remained popular among both international and local students across Dutch universities.

However, concerns have arisen regarding the rising number of international students and the limited availability of courses conducted in Dutch. Last year, due to a nationwide housing shortage, some students were advised to defer enrollment unless they secured housing arrangements in advance. Reports emerged last month of seven-hour queues for student registrations at Amsterdam municipality.

Restrictions on international student enrollment may be introduced for specific fields of study. Earlier this year, Education Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf proposed that traditional bachelor's degree programs should not offer more than one-third of their courses in languages other than Dutch, such as English.

Yet, certain universities have voiced apprehensions about potential decreases in educational and research quality if language restrictions were implemented.

An online consultation regarding these educational proposals is currently underway, with public input accepted until mid-September, having already garnered 101 responses. Photo by C messier, Wikimedia commons.