In the past weeks, both Leiden University and Utrecht University have disclosed plans for major cuts to their Humanities programs, many of which might disappear altogether.
This Humanities overhaul is just the latest news to shake up Dutch higher education.
It follows the cabinet’s recent announcement of possible education budget cuts worth €1 billion and its goal to substantially reduce the intake of international students.
What is being proposed?
Leiden University is considering three possible scenarios, reports Mare.
The most drastic one involves cutting 36 of its 51 Humanities programs, as well as about 300 courses and over 60 full-time academic staff.
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While the changes still need to be discussed internally before becoming official, it is unlikely that they will be scrapped altogether, and their effects may be felt as early as 2026.
As for Utrecht University, the decision seems final: six degree programs will be axed by 2030, and a transition plan is being drawn to further restructure other programs, the university announced in a press release.
What programs might be scrapped?
Wait, does this mean that your degree program might no longer exist in a few years?
Well, possibly. Here are the affected programs for Leiden University:
- BA African Studies, Latin American Studies, and corresponding MAs — scrapped
- BA Chinese, Japanese, Korean and South and Southeast Asian Studies — merged into “Asian Studies”
- BA French, German and Italian — merged into “European Languages and Cultures”
- BA Middle Eastern Studies, Linguistics and Ancient Near Eastern Studies — radically downsized or scrapped
- MA Asian Studies and Middle Eastern Studies, merged into “Area Studies”
As for Utrecht University, these are the programs that will stop taking in students as of September 1 2026:
- BA Celtic, French, German, Islam and Arabic, Italian and Religious Studies
Why are they doing this?
Both universities cite financial concerns as the chief reason behind their drastic Humanities overhaul — simply put, these programs are no longer profitable.
At Leiden University, the Humanities Faculty is expected to lose €5.7 million annually after 2025.
Downsizing the Faculty, then, promises to help alleviate this deficit — although how much money will be saved exactly remains unclear.
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Utrecht University, in turn, has a clearer financial picture of the situation.
In order to eliminate its deficit, which is currently expected to grow from €7 million in 2025 to €13 million in 2027, the university will cut 10% of its Humanities budget.
According to the administration, this will allow the university to shore up its finances by 2030.
What do you think of this major Humanities overhaul? You can have an academic debate about it in the comments below.