The Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher Education (Nuffic) has launched a new annual report on internationalisation entitled Mapping Mobility 2010: International Mobility in Dutch Higher Education. Future iterations of this yearly publication will highlight a variety of distinct themes, but the consistent overarching aim will be to inform readers about internationalisation developments in The Netherlands. Moreover, every edition will seek to compare the Dutch experience with developments in other countries. This year’s publication focuses on mobility into and within the European Higher Education Area, with growth being a key trend identified by the analysis. Specific points of interest include the fact that The Netherlands hosted some 76 750 international students in 2009/10, with the largest group (21 700 or 44% of the total) coming from Germany, followed (in rank order) by China, Belgium, Bulgaria, Turkey, Indonesia and Poland.   More female than male international students were present in The Netherlands in 2009/10 and the most popular area of study for foreign students was economics. In terms of outward mobility, among the 41 800 Dutch students who studied abroad 2006/07 (the latest year for which figures are available), the largest number opted to travel to the UK (5 000). Belgium and Germany were the second most popular destinations, hosting 3 650 and 1 950 Dutch students, respectively.   All signs point to continued visibility and popularity of The Netherlands as a destination for international students, as well as a tendency among many Dutch students to spend time abroad as a part of their studies. In 2006/07, the number of Dutch students abroad grew by 6.5% when compared to 2004/05 figures. The number of incoming international students also shows an upward trend, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of overall enrolment figures. Over the period 2005-2009, for example, foreign students as a proportion of total student enrolment in academic higher education (i.e., within research universities) grew from 6.3% to 9.3%; in higher professional education (in universities of applied sciences), the percentage of international students increased from 5.8% to 6.4% over the same period. 

Nuffic