Dutch universities teach in English. It鈥檚 making them too popular.
Dutch universities such as the University of Amsterdam, seen here, teach many of their courses in English, making them highly attractive to foreign students, both from across the European Union and around the world.
Robin Utrecht/Abaca/Reuters/File
Amsterdam
For Regina Huang, transporting her life from China to the Netherlands for an anthropology degree was a no-brainer.
Many Dutch university classes are taught in English, Amsterdam is one of Europe鈥檚 most international cities, and the study of anthropology thrives on a diversity of cultures. 鈥淎nd there are quite a lot of [nongovernmental organizations] and consultancies here that are open and value the work of anthropologists,鈥� says Ms. Huang, who is studying for her master鈥檚 degree at the University of Amsterdam.
Yet a controversial new education proposal threatens to effectively roll up the Netherlands鈥� welcome mat.
Why We Wrote This
Dutch universities are having to balance their desire for international students against their need to protect limited resources 鈥� by using tools generally wielded by nationalists.
It would require universities to teach more classes in Dutch and allow certain enrollment caps, thus effectively shrinking the number of students coming in from outside the Netherlands.聽Education Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf to address the 鈥渦nchecked pace of internationalization, both in education, and more broadly, in the workplace and the community.鈥�
This proposal has everyone from foreign professors to international students rethinking their futures in the Netherlands.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit sad,鈥� says Ms. Huang. 鈥淲ith my study background, I鈥檓 all for cultural diversity and intercultural communication, and it鈥檚 really helpful for people to understand differences between people. I do think this discourages people鈥檚 confidence to build a future after graduating here.鈥�
Internationalization is becoming an ideological flashpoint as right-wing political groups gain influence across Europe, and in the Netherlands, international students have unfortunately become an easy target, say the proposal鈥檚 critics. But even universities are worried about being overwhelmed by quantities of international students beyond their ability to accommodate them 鈥� and are searching for ways to control their numbers.
Foreign students now make up 40% of all incoming university students in the Netherlands, and Dutch classrooms and student housing are overloaded, with spaces becoming less accessible to locals. So universities are trying to improve access for Dutch students to access their services without turning off the international spigot so central to the Netherlands鈥� reputation in a global economy.
鈥淥ur top universities are playing in the international field 鈥� it鈥檚 like a Champions League for soccer,鈥� says Jeanet van der Laan, a member of the Dutch parliament. 鈥淲e have to be connected. Our country thrives on development and innovation, and we have a lot of big international companies. We can鈥檛 be too radical in the decisions we make for the future of the Netherlands. We don鈥檛 want to be caught up in a conservative agenda to restrict international students because some parties don鈥檛 want migrants.鈥�
Too many students, too little space
While the obvious solution to Dutch concerns about too many international students may seem to be simply to cap the numbers, there鈥檚 a reason that鈥檚 not being considered: It would violate European Union law. Under EU strictures, non-Dutch EU citizens must get the same treatment as Dutch citizens. Thus, they can鈥檛 be barred from enrolling in Dutch universities. While a bar could be applied to students from outside Europe, 鈥渕ost of the international students come from the rest of the EU. We cannot discriminate between them,鈥� says Wouter van der Brug, a political scientist at the University of Amsterdam.
That legal framework is what prompted the government proposal鈥檚 focus on English and Dutch languages instead of student citizenship. And Dutch student Aziza Falal understands how the proposal comes off to non-Dutch.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not nationalistic, absolutely not,鈥� says Ms. Falal, who advocates for students鈥� rights as chair of a university student union. 鈥淲e want to be a knowledge economy because we like inclusivity and we like to have other people to learn from.鈥�
But after watching countless students聽鈥� both local and international聽鈥� struggle to access university spots and secure housing from an increasingly scarce supply, Ms. Falal says she sees the merits of pressing the pause button. Some 115,000 international students are enrolled in Dutch higher education, a proportion that increased by almost 50% from a decade ago. That translates to roughly 4 of 10 incoming students hailing from outside the Netherlands.
To Ms. Falal, the education minister鈥檚 proposal is about ensuring that a system bursting at the seams has enough resources for all.
鈥淭here are a lot of people who are really happy with this proposal,鈥� says Ms. Falal. 鈥淭he capacity of Amsterdam is really too small to have all the international students, get them a good education, and house them. Maybe in five to 10 years, it will be different.鈥�
Yet teaching classes in Dutch and restricting international student numbers would be a tough balance to strike at Eindhoven University of Technology. It鈥檚 located in a hub of the Netherlands鈥� high-tech sector, in the city that birthed Philips and DAF Trucks. All Eindhoven University classes are taught in English, and the school is a magnet for computer scientists and engineers from all over the world. What happens when English becomes limited on campus?
鈥淚 have to find some Dutch[-speaking] professors, which we don鈥檛 find ... anymore in artificial intelligence, electrical engineering, 5G, and 6G,鈥� says Robert-Jan Smits, president of the executive board of Eindhoven University of Technology.
For Ali Hamdan, a political scientist who relocated from Los Angeles to the University of Amsterdam only last year, the proposal feels like whiplash, or a possible reversal of fortunes.
鈥淭he fact that the university is in entirely English was a huge draw, and for equally obvious reasons, it is very stressful to imagine the system changing in such a dramatic way,鈥� says Dr. Hamdan,聽who points out that non-Dutch speakers would need additional time聽and resources聽to reach teaching proficiency in Dutch. 鈥淎t Dutch universities, the teaching load is already聽a bit聽higher than research-intensive universities in the U.S. What this could聽do is incentivize people who really prioritize research to leave.鈥�
And the Netherlands is in dire need of workers聽鈥� especially university students willing to stay and enter the job market 鈥� as well as academics and workers of all skill levels. Just considering the tech sector, only 1 or 2 Dutch students out of 10 go into STEM fields, which would mean a tremendous shortage of talent for an economy that prides itself on being an innovation hub.
鈥淭he Dutch are facing, like most European countries, an enormous demographic decline,鈥� says Dr. Smits. 鈥淚f we鈥檙e not overtaking that with top-notch talent from abroad, then of course we have huge problems for the academic system, but also economy.鈥�
Not about the right
It鈥檚 easy to view the proposal as a byproduct of the rightward political shift happening all over the world. The Netherlands鈥� fragile four-party coalition government collapsed this summer over migration policy, with new elections slated for the fall. Though the proposal is in a waiting period now, most analysts do expect it to pass in some form no matter what coalition is formed after elections.
鈥淭here is a very strong sentiment in parliament, especially among the more conservative parties, that we need to protect the Dutch language, Dutch culture, etc.,鈥� says Dr. van der Brug, the political scientist.
But most university representatives agree that the unfettered influx of international students over the last few decades聽鈥� driven by a host of push and pull factors such as skyrocketing U.S. college costs as well as the growing reputation of Dutch universities聽鈥� need to be controlled somehow. Since the English-language curriculum became the norm at the University of Amsterdam, numbers have increased too rapidly for the university to adapt, says Dr. van der Brug. 鈥淵ou need lecture halls; you need facilities; you need staff. So we want to control the numbers. They have come up with something, but it鈥檚 not really what we asked for.鈥�
Dr. van der Brug says limiting access to English-language tracks, while promoting聽Dutch-language courses and Dutch enrollment, is the best way to provide such control. But the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science isn鈥檛 allowing that, he says, and much else about the proposal is vague.
Overall, the danger is that the plan would result in unintended consequences.
鈥淭he Dutch always had a liberal, open country,鈥� says Dr. Smits, the Eindhoven University board president. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a strength of the economy for centuries. The Portuguese Jews, when they were kicked out in the 17th century, came to the Dutch. The Huguenots, the Protestants when the French king kicked them out. The Flemish artists after the conquest of Antwerp. The Spaniards. They all came to Holland.
鈥淒ecoupling, to use a term of American politics, is a very bad idea because you are creating barriers,鈥� Dr. Smits adds. 鈥淵ou are creating distances between countries, which is extremely dangerous in the long run, that there is no mutual understanding anymore, no exposure to each other鈥檚 cultures. We are creating walls again, and that鈥檚 not good for peace on this planet.鈥�