Comeback for lots at numerus fixus

Comeback for lots at numerus fixus

Lots as a selection instrument for Bachelor’s programmes with a numerus fixus will be allowed again. In February, D66 and CDA submitted a motion to return the drawing of lots, as this would be fairer and easier. Education Minister Van Engelshoven now wants to implement this motion. She writes in a letter to the House of Representatives that selection is sometimes necessary. “But it is important to be aware of the side-effects that certain selection methods can have.

Drawing lots had been forbidden for a number of years. Students are now selected on the basis of motivation and suitability. TU Delft also uses a numerus fixus for a number of bachelor’s programmes (engineering, technical computer science, aerospace engineering, industrial design, clinical technology and nanobiology). This means that a limited and fixed number of students are admitted to one of these studies. 

With bachelor’s programmes with a fixus, the diversity of the student population is smaller than with other programmes, warns Van Engelshoven. Partly for this reason, the Minister wants the draw to return. Her bill must be ready by the beginning of 2021. It remains up to the institutions themselves whether and how they wish to use the draw. (HOP, Evelien Flink)