{"id":18517,"date":"2025-09-19T22:20:40","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T20:20:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?p=18517"},"modified":"2025-09-19T23:37:53","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T21:37:53","slug":"less-welcome-less-growth-internationals-in-dutch-higher-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/18517\/less-welcome-less-growth-internationals-in-dutch-higher-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Less Welcome, Less Growth: Internationals in Dutch Higher Education"},"content":{"rendered":"

Outside Dutch universities today, international students are packing their suitcases and leaving. Once drawn by affordable tuition and inclusive campuses, they now face higher fees, a worsening housing crisis, and increasing political debates. In the Netherlands of 2025, populist rhetoric has turned them into targets, pushing many to reconsider their future here.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Drawn into debates<\/strong><\/p>\n

Populist parties in the Netherlands often rely on \u201cus versus them\u201d language to mobilize voters. Traditionally, this \u201cthem\u201d has referred to migrants or refugees. Recently, however, international students have been pulled into the same rhetoric. At the university level, this shift has been felt most in discussions about language policy. During his time in the council, Saban Caliskan, a fifth-year physics student and activist who served two years in Utrecht University\u2019s council, observed repeated debates over minimizing the number of English-taught programs. \u201cThe university wanted to cut back on a lot of international-friendly programs,\u201d he claims. \u201cThey even wanted to turn the bachelor\u2019s in economics into a Dutch-only track\u201d. \u00a0Across the country, Universities are considering Dutch-language tracks<\/a> as part of broader efforts to rebalance internationalization, but concrete changes depend on policy and curriculum adjustments.<\/p>\n\n

Instead of expanding support for integration, resources for internationals have been reduced. Proposals for free Dutch courses, for example, never materialized due to a lack of government funding. \u201cPeople got tired of accommodating internationals,\u201d Saban explains. \u201cThere was no money available, no credits given, so the idea was dropped.\u201d<\/p>\n

A growing sense of exclusion
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"

International student leaving the Netherlands after completing their studies. Photographer: Corina Dasc\u0103lu<\/p><\/div>\n

The change is not only institutional, but also cultural. According to Saban, many Dutch students do not actively integrate internationals during introduction weeks or student life. \u201cYou\u2019d want to accept and integrate them as equals,\u201d he says. \u201cBut in practice, they\u2019re often treated as outsiders.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Ukrainian refugees and students, the situation has worsened. They were once allowed to pay the same tuition as Dutch and EU students but are now charged the higher international rate of \u20ac10,000 to \u20ac20,000 per year, unless they can secure a hard-to-find waiver.<\/p>\n

This atmosphere has consequences. \u201cAs soon as we got the new government, I felt that the internationals in the university didn\u2019t want to live here anymore,\u201d Saban says. \u201cThey liked it before. But now, most just want to finish their degree and get out.\u201d The numbers appear to\u00a0confirm this sentiment.<\/u> After years of rapid growth, the intake of international students has started to stagnate.<\/u><\/a> Universities report fewer applications from abroad, showing that the Netherlands is losing its reputation as a top study destination.<\/p>\n\n\n

Shifting the blame<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Sleeping

Sleeping on the floor: the reality of some international students in the Netherlands. Photographer: Corina Dasc\u0103lu<\/p><\/div>\n

While international students are not the main scapegoats of Dutch populism, with groups like Muslims and other minorities more often in the spotlight, Saban does see how they are pulled into the debate. \u201cThe government itself cut university budgets and raised housing prices, but instead of taking responsibility, they point at internationals. It\u2019s easier to blame students than to confront structural problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s at stake if this trend continues, Saban warns of serious risks for Dutch education and society. \u201cMost of my professors are the best in their field, but they\u2019re not Dutch. If universities start limiting internationals, we\u2019ll also lose that diversity and quality,\u201d he says. For him, the danger is clear: \u201cIf internationals keep being portrayed as burdens, they will stop coming altogether, and Dutch education will suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Outside Dutch Universities, suitcases roll out the door. For many international students, the Netherlands is no longer the welcoming place it once seemed. Rising tuition fees, a deepening housing crisis, and heated political debates have made international students a target of Dutch populist rhetoric. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3762,"featured_media":18536,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cbj","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLess Welcome, Less Growth: Internationals in Dutch Higher Education - International Journalism<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Less Welcome, Less Growth: Internationals in Dutch Higher Education - International Journalism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Outside Dutch Universities, suitcases roll out the door. For many international students, the Netherlands is no longer the welcoming place it once seemed. 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