Why International Student Numbers Are Falling in the Netherlands After 20 Years of Growth

The Decline Begins at Bachelor’s Level

The most important change is not the loss of 133 students from the national total. It is the continued decline in the number of international students beginning bachelor’s degrees.

In 2025–2026, 48,139 new international students enrolled in Dutch higher education. This was 180 fewer than the previous year, equivalent to a decrease of 0.4 percent. Most of the decline was concentrated in undergraduate programmes: new international bachelor’s enrolments fell by 2.9 percent at universities of applied sciences and by 3.8 percent at research universities.

This matters because international students normally remain in the Netherlands for several years. A smaller incoming bachelor’s class does not immediately produce a dramatic fall in the total student population. Instead, its effect gradually becomes visible as larger graduating groups leave and fewer new students take their place.

Nuffic researcher Jonatan Weenink therefore believes the overall decline is likely to continue. The latest figures do not simply describe what happened during one academic year; they may signal the beginning of a longer adjustment in Dutch international education.

Why the Master’s Figures Need a Closer Look

International master’s enrolments initially appear to tell a more positive story. Research universities recorded a 2.9 percent increase, reaching 19,808 new international master’s students, while universities of applied sciences reported an increase of 8.4 percent, reaching 2,527.

However, a considerable proportion of this growth came from students who were already studying in the Netherlands. At research universities, 45.6 percent of new international master’s students were transfer students who had completed an earlier Dutch degree and continued into postgraduate study.

In other words, the master’s increase does not represent an equivalent rise in the number of students newly arriving from abroad. According to Nuffic, once these transfer students are removed from the calculation, international master’s intake at research universities also shows a decline.

This creates a link between today’s bachelor’s figures and tomorrow’s master’s population. If fewer international students begin Dutch bachelor’s degrees, fewer will later be available to progress into master’s programmes within the same system.

Germany Remains Number One—but Its Student Population Is Shrinking

Germany continues to send more international students to the Netherlands than any other country. Nevertheless, German enrolments have now been declining for several consecutive years.

New enrolments from Germany fell by 8.9 percent to 6,277 students, while the total German student population declined by 8.4 percent to 18,241. Germany remains the largest country of origin, but the downward trend has continued since German student numbers reached their peak in 2021.

The decline is particularly noticeable in psychology. Nuffic suggests that changes to German requirements for psychotherapist training have made some Dutch psychology routes less attractive to students who plan to return to Germany for clinical postgraduate study.

A Dutch bachelor’s degree in psychology previously offered a relatively straightforward route into certain clinical master’s programmes in Germany. Stricter German requirements introduced in 2020 have complicated that progression for some students.

Nuffic also points to the Netherlands’ continuing housing difficulties and the decision by some institutions to reduce active international recruitment. Together, these factors may be making the country a less automatic choice for German students than it was during the years of rapid growth.

China Records Its Sharpest Decline Since 2006

The most striking decline outside the European Economic Area came from China. New Chinese enrolments fell by 27.5 percent to 1,993 students—the sharpest decrease since Nuffic began measuring incoming degree mobility in 2006.

For the first time since the 2006–2007 academic year, China is no longer among the five largest countries of origin for newly enrolled international students in the Netherlands. It has now fallen to seventh place.

China nevertheless remains an important part of Dutch international education. With 5,093 students currently enrolled, it is still the largest source country outside the EEA.

Nuffic emphasises that the fall is not limited to the Netherlands. Other European and Western study destinations are also receiving fewer students from China, suggesting a broader change in international study patterns.

One possible explanation is the improving global reputation of Chinese universities. As more institutions in China achieve strong positions in international rankings, students may feel less need to travel abroad to obtain a respected degree.

India and Spain Are Gaining Ground

The decline is not uniform across all countries. While enrolments from Germany and China are falling, India and Spain are becoming more important to the Netherlands’ international student population.

New master’s enrolments from India increased by 16.5 percent during the 2025–2026 academic year. There are now 3,679 Indian students studying in the Netherlands, bringing India closer to China in total student numbers.

Spain has also moved into a more prominent position. For the first time, it appears among the five largest source countries for both international bachelor’s and master’s students.

These changes form part of a wider shift within Europe. Over the past ten years, the proportion of international students arriving from Western Europe has fallen from 42 percent to 24 percent. During the same period, the share arriving from Southern and Eastern Europe has increased.

The Netherlands is therefore not simply becoming less international. Its international student population is changing composition, with some long-established source countries becoming less dominant and others taking a larger role.

Engineering Is Moving in the Opposite Direction

While the national total has fallen slightly, engineering and technology programmes are growing rapidly.

In 2025–2026, 16,709 international students were enrolled in engineering programmes, representing an increase of 11 percent in a single year. Engineering has now overtaken behavioural and social sciences to become the second-largest field of study for international students at Dutch research universities, behind economics.

This growth reflects the way Dutch universities are managing international recruitment. Institutions have agreed to reduce active recruitment in several areas while continuing to attract students to sectors facing skills shortages. Science and technology are among the areas treated as strategically important.

The strongest growth was recorded at the Netherlands’ two leading technical universities. International student numbers rose by 18.9 percent at Eindhoven University of Technology and by 8.4 percent at Delft University of Technology.

These figures show that the country is not turning away from international students across the board. Instead, growth is becoming more closely connected to particular subjects and to the skills the Netherlands wants to attract.

Eindhoven Rises as Amsterdam Records Its First Decline

The growth of engineering and technology is also changing the geography of international student life.

Eindhoven’s international student population increased by 13.4 percent, adding 1,106 students in one academic year. The city has now entered the five Dutch municipalities with the largest international student populations.

Its growth is closely connected to its position as a centre for engineering, technology and innovation. Eindhoven University of Technology and the wider regional economy continue to attract students interested in technical fields.

Amsterdam, by contrast, recorded its first decline since Nuffic began tracking the figures. Although it remains by far the Netherlands’ largest international student city, its international student population fell by 1.7 percent, equivalent to 439 students.

The contrast between Amsterdam and Eindhoven reveals more than a difference between two cities. It suggests that international growth is increasingly moving towards specialised university centres where academic programmes, research institutions and employment opportunities are closely connected.

What the Figures Really Mean

The latest figures do not suggest that the Netherlands is disappearing as an international study destination. Almost 130,000 international students remain enrolled across the country, and Dutch higher education continues to attract students from Europe, Asia and beyond.

What appears to be ending is the expectation that international student numbers will automatically increase every year, across most subjects and in most university cities.

Bachelor’s intake is falling, Germany and China are sending fewer students, and Amsterdam has recorded its first decline. At the same time, engineering is expanding, Eindhoven is growing, and India and Spain are becoming more important source countries.

The overall international population is therefore not simply becoming smaller. It is becoming more varied by nationality, academic subject and location.

After two decades of growth, the Netherlands appears to be entering a more selective phase in which international education remains important, but expansion is increasingly concentrated in the areas where universities, regions and the wider economy see the greatest need.

A New Phase for International Education in the Netherlands.

A decline of 133 students does not represent a collapse in international education. Nevertheless, it marks a genuine turning point for a system that had experienced almost uninterrupted growth since 2006.

The Netherlands remains an international education destination, but the students driving that international character are changing. Fewer are arriving from some of the country’s traditional source markets, while new regions and nationalities are becoming more visible. At the same time, technical fields and specialised university cities are gaining ground.

The most important story is therefore not that international students are leaving the Netherlands. It is that the country’s international student population is beginning to move in a different direction.

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