More international students at universities

© ANP / Ramon van Flymen
In the 2022/’23 academic year, almost 123 thousand international students attended higher vocational education (HBO) or a university (WO) in the Netherlands. They made up 15 percent of the total HBO and WO student population. Over three quarters of the students came from elsewhere in Europe, mostly from Germany. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this based on a new analysis for The Netherlands in numbers.

Where do international students in the Netherlands come from?Europe 93,410 Asia 21,130 Americas 5,260 Africa 2,230 Oceania 160 Stateless / unknown 110 Where do international students in the Netherlands come from? Europe 93,410 Africa 2,230 Oceania 160 Stateless / unknown 110 Asia 21,130 Americas 5,260

International students often at universities

In the 2022/’23 academic year, more than two thirds of all international students were studying at university. The majority were enrolled in a Bachelor programme (43 percent). Around a quarter of all international students were studying to obtain an HBO Bachelor’s degree. More than half of all Dutch (non-international) students were enrolled in a Bachelor’s degree programme at an HBO institution. Few students took a HBO Master programme. This applied to both the international and the Dutch student population.

International Master’s students often choose technical university courses

International and domestic university students most often chose studies in the field of journalism, social sciences and behavioural sciences or law, administration, trade and business services. Compared to their domestic peers, international students were somewhat more likely to choose these programmes and less likely to opt for healthcare and welfare or education. Many international Master’s students attended a programme in technology or engineering.

Art courses popular among international HBO students

Compared to Dutch students, relatively many international HBO students (both Bachelor and Master) attended programmes in the field of design, arts, language and history. They were less likely to study education or healthcare and welfare. A popular field among both international and Dutch students is law, administration, trade and business services.

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