The latest report by Nuffic maps the stay rate, labor market position and financial returns of international graduates in the Netherlands. Overall, between the academic years 2006-2007 and 2015-2016, a total of 138,640 foreign students graduated from Dutch higher education institutions (HEIs). Almost a quarter of them still reside in the country five years after graduation. Even more so, the vast majority of them (about three quarters) are currently employed. In addition, their net contribution to Dutch public finances is increasing, surpassing EUR 1.5 Billion in 2021.

The study also demonstrates that higher education plays a key role in attracting international knowledge workers to the Netherlands. Interestingly, female alumnae had a slightly higher job market participation rate than male graduates. Moreover, graduates with an engineering degree have a relatively high stay rate (40%) compared to other disciplines.

Another notable conclusion is that foreign alumni from countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA) have a higher stay rate than those from the EEA; 38% of graduates from non-EEA countries still resides in the country, compared to 19% of alumni from the EEA.

Read the full article here and the original report in Dutch here.