There have been calls by the Dutch Minister for Education, Robbert Dijkgraaf, for universities and universities of applied sciences in Holland to stop actively recruiting International students.
Robbert’s proposal is predicated on the exacerbating housing crisis which has affected a majority of students in the Netherlands.
Earlier in 2022, the pressure on universities was so great that the University of Amsterdam (UvA) had to tell international students without accommodation not to come.
Dijkgraaf also points out that the major influx of students can “put pressure on the sustainability, affordability and quality of the Dutch higher education system.”
Around115,000 international students moved to the land of clogs and tulips for college in 2021 alone, effectively putting pressure on tutors and professors.
As a result, Dijkgraaf has asked school boards and the Dutch government to stop actively recruiting new international students through grant and application systems.
However, it has been suggested that exceptions should be made for students studying courses in which there is a labour shortage. This includes healthcare, science and education.
