Following last year’s slowest growth rate in the decade (see more in ACA Newsletter – Education Europe, August 2025), the number of international students enrolled in Dutch higher education has fallen for the first time since 2006. In the 2025–26 academic year, 129,764 international students were registered at universities of applied sciences and research universities, 133 fewer than a year earlier. 

The decrease amounts to only 0.1%, but it marks a shift after years of growth. The underlying figures show that the decline is not spread evenly across the sector. It is concentrated mainly in bachelor programmes and in several major countries of origin, while some fields and cities continued to record growth. Five trends stand out from the data: 

• Bachelor’s enrolment is falling further. New international enrolments in bachelor programmes declined at both types of institution: a 2.9% fall at universities of applied sciences and 3.8% at research universities. Master’s programmes grew, but predominantly from international students already studying in the Netherlands who moved on to a master's degree. 
• China records the steepest decline in new enrolments. New enrolments fell by 27.5% to 1,993, the largest drop since Nuffic's measurements began, and China fell out of the top five countries of origin for the first time since 2006–07. Nuffic notes the trend is also visible in other European and Western countries. 
• Germany remains the largest country of origin, but numbers are falling.  New German enrolments fell by 8.9% to 6,277. The decline is particularly visible in psychology programmes and could be linked to changes in German rules for psychotherapist training, as well as housing pressures and reduced active recruitment. 
• Engineering continues to grow. The number of international students in university engineering programmes rose by 11% to 16,709. Engineering has now overtaken Behavioural and Social Sciences as the second-largest university field for international students, after Economics. Growth was concentrated at TU Eindhoven and TU Delft. 
• Eindhoven grows while Amsterdam declines. Eindhoven recorded a 13.4% increase in international students and entered the top five municipalities for international student numbers. Amsterdam remains the largest international student city, but registered its first decline, with numbers down 1.7%. 

The country-of-origin figures also point to a broader regional shift. While over the past decade the share of international students from Western Europe has fallen from 42% to 24%, Southern and Eastern Europe have gained ground, with Spain entering the top five countries of origin for both bachelor's and master's students, Nuffic notes that continued declines in bachelor intake are likely to affect total student numbers in the years ahead, since today's bachelor students form part of the future master population. 

The figures come after several years of political debate over internationalisation in Dutch higher education, including the government's Internationalisation in Balance bill and steps by institutions to limit active recruitment (see ACA Newsletter – Education Europe, April 2024, December 2024, August 2025) 

Read more in the press release and the full report (in Dutch).