University intake falls again, gains for universities of technology and Rotterdam

For the fourth consecutive year, university enrollment has declined. This is shown by the final counts. Universities in Maastricht, Amsterdam, and Nijmegen in particular are seeing losses, while technical universities and Rotterdam are recording growth.

In September, nearly 58,500 students started a university bachelor’s degree, one percent less than last year. This is mainly because 1,000 fewer internationals started. The number of Dutch students grew by 350.

TUs profit

The shift in popularity between different universities and fields of study is striking. The technical universities in Twente and Eindhoven recorded a 9 percent growth, while TU Delft welcomed 2 percent more students. Erasmus University Rotterdam also sees an increase of 4 percent.

In contrast, there is a significant decline at traditional strongholds. Maastricht University, known as the most international university in the Netherlands, sees an 8 percent drop as a result of welcoming over four hundred fewer international students. Amsterdam universities are also taking hits: the University of Amterdam (-3%) and Vrije Universiteit (-6%) each lose around three hundred first-year students.

The Behavioural and Social Sciences sector sees a sharp decline in international interest (-17%), while technical studies grow for the first time in five years, mainly thanks to foreign students. The share of non-European students among the international population has increased from 23 to 26 percent in five years. (HOP, OL/BB)