Universities are taking measures to reduce the influx of international students and increase the Dutch language skills of students and employees. The 14 universities have agreed on steps to ensure this. No new English-language bachelor’s programs will be developed for the time being. The universities will also inventory which courses are currently taught in English and can be switched entirely to Dutch. Active recruitment at international fairs is no longer allowed, although the institutions make an exception for sectors with significant labor market shortages.
It is not technically feasible to freeze the study interest for students who fall under the loan system next year at the 2023 level, Education Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf wrote this to the Tweede Kamer on Friday. The Tweede Kamer had previously called on him to do so in a motion; a parliamentary majority supported a proposal from GroenLinks-PvdA and ChristenUnie at the end of October.
The total study debts of current and former students in the Netherlands (1.6 million people) were 28.2 billion euros at the start of 2023, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) calculated. According to the statistics office, that is an increase of 1.7 billion euros compared to the previous year. The interest paid on study debts will rise from 0.46 percent to 2.56 percent on 1 January 2024, the highest level in 14 years.
The outgoing Rutte IV Cabinet’s budget for next year was met with concerns from various sectors. Students feel forgotten, senior citizens are worried about cutbacks, the healthcare sector wants more attention, and Oxfam Novib called cuts to development cooperation “inhumane.”
Four of the eight medical study programs in the Netherlands are considering no longer awarding “cum laude” to graduates or have already stopped doing so, Trouw reports after surveying the university medical centers (UMCs). They hope by removing the “with honors” option in graduating, they can reduce performance pressure among medical students.