In August, ACA member Nuffic published a new report exploring why international students choose to pursue a Bachelor's degree in the Netherlands. The mixed-methods study, combining student and expert interviews with the responses to a questionnaire completed by 302 international students at Bachelor level, aims to fill a gap in existing research, i.e. shed light on why international students choose one destination country over another. 

The report finds that the widespread use of English, both inside and outside the classroom, is the single most decisive factor in choosing to study in the Netherlands at Bachelor’s level. Nearly 9 in 10 respondents (89.7%) rated the availability of English-taught programmes as (very) important, and 87.1% cited the everyday use of English in Dutch society as an almost equally strong pull factor. The report also shows that part of the preference over the Netherlands is related to post-Brexit developments. While the United Kingdom remained the most frequently mentioned study alternative by reporting students, rising tuition fees and more complex visa procedures were reported to increasingly push English-speaking students towards the Netherlands. 

Affordability and quality weigh heavily too: 82.8% of respondents identified affordable tuition as a key factor, 86.1% cited quality of life, and 80.5% pointed to programme quality and rankings. Career prospects also played a role, though Bachelor’s students found more attractive the opportunities on the international labour market (78.1%) than the actual career prospects within the Netherlands specifically (67.9%). 

Housing is the clearest source of concern: more than 7 in 10 respondents flagged the ongoing student housing shortage as a major worry during their decision-making process, although the report notes this varies considerably by region, with some universities of applied sciences reporting little to no shortage among their international students. 

Once enrolled, 77.5% of students said their experience matched or exceeded their expectations, citing the quality of education, safety and the international environment. However, 40.1% admitted they had not fully understood the distinction between universities of applied sciences and research universities before applying, and many underestimated how important Dutch language skills would prove for social integration and finding part-time work. 

The full report, Why pursue a bachelor's degree in the Netherlands?, is available on Nuffic's website, alongside interactive dashboards with country and field of study level data.