Universities seem to be growing once again, but not (yet) in Delft

At the beginning of August the universities had received 97,000 applications, as against 94,000 at the same time last year. That is a rise of 3.2 percent. Experience learns that several tens of thousands of students pull out. Last year, 63,000 appeared at the start of the academic year. But the provisional application numbers say something about the trend.

More recent figures are not available. “We stop updating the application figures on the website after the first week of August”, says Ruben Puylaert, spokesperson for university association UNL. “In August, a lot of changes are put through in the student administration departments, so the figures can differ greatly from day to day.”

There can be all sorts of reasons why students do not begin their study programme. They might decide to take a gap year or they might forget to pay the tuition fees. Or they might not be able to find accommodation and have to abandon their plans.

Delft bachelors
In Delft, the numbers are also changing daily. TU Delft keeps track of the number of final enrollments and there the counter now stands at 3391 new bachelor students, excluding internal study switchers. However, to make a comparison with the national applications (which are not yet final) it is better to look at the weighted applications (weighted, because TU Delft takes into account that students apply for multiple studies). The latest overview of 30 August comes to 4167 applicants. That’s 2 percent less that the same week in 2021, but it does not say much about eventual growth or contraction.

Master’s programmes
Before the summer the Master’s degree programmes seemed to have attracted ten percent fewer students, but the number has since increased. “Currently, the number of Master’s degree programme applications is slightly lower than last year, but not by much”, says Puylaert.

The universities had already put those figures into context: it might have something to do with changed deadlines for applications. Furthermore, with international Master’s students you are less sure about whether they will actually come. Last year, the highpoint of international student applications was 61,000, while only 18,000 started their Master’s degree programme.

TU Delft masters
At TU Delft, the number of weighted applications for masters is also lagging behind last year. The counter on 30 August stands at 4521 students, 6 percent less than in 2021. Of those students, two-thirds have currently completed full enrollment.

HOP, Bas Belleman/Delta, Saskia Bonger