Since its proposal, the Balanced Internationalisation Bill (Wet internationalisering in balans, Wib)has been debated and adjusted, redebated and readjusted by multiple Dutch cabinets.
Jetten’s cabinet, however, is aiming for ‘balance.’
According to the Government of the Netherlands, the bill’s initial intent, when proposed by then-Minister of Education Robbert Dijkgraaf, was to ensure that higher education remained accessible to Dutch students amid high numbers of international students.
In 2022, up to 33% of first-year students were from outside the country, coming to the Netherlands to pursue English-taught university programs, according to the NRC.
In the years that followed, cabinets made multiple plans to reduce these numbers.
What did past cabinets say?
The most recent cabinet, led by then-Prime Minister Dick Schoof, was notably strict in its approach to the bill.
For the Minister of Education under Schoof, Eppo Bruins, the language of instruction was a major issue.
In a 2024 letter to parliament, Bruins argued that maintaining Dutch as the language of instruction was essential to keeping students connected to Dutch society and the workforce.
His efforts were intended to make existing measures stricter. For instance, he minimised the possibility of exemptions for the toets anderstalig onderwijs (test for foreign-language education) for Dutch university programs.
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This ‘test’ allows the Minister of Education to assess and determine whether existing or proposed English-language programs can justifiably be taught in English.
Due to his lack of exemptions, many programs that appealed to internationals were under threat.
The idea was to protect Dutch as the primary language of instruction, not just to manage student numbers. This was not surprising given the general rhetoric of political leadership in the Netherlands under the Schoof cabinet.
The significant influence of the PVV and other right-leaning parties brought nationalist sentiments to the forefront. And international students were, in some ways, an easy target: keep Dutch universities Dutch.
A lighter approach
However, when Geert Wilders withdrew his party from the coalition in 2025 over immigration concerns, the Schoof cabinet collapsed. And with it, so did their plans on the Wib policy.
Jetten’s cabinet is taking a different approach. While they recognise the need to safeguard opportunities for their young Dutch students, they also see the value in internationals coming here.
Universities are breathing a sigh of relief: under Jetten, the ‘test’ for English-language programs is planned to be entirely scrapped.
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English-taught programs at some universities that were set to be cancelled are now back from the brink.
As D66 MP Ilana Rooderkerk tells the NRC, “We need international talent for the future of our country.”
It’s also worth mentioning that in recent years, the number of international students enrolling at Dutch universities has declined.
However, some measures will still be brought in
While the Jetten cabinet is sure to be lighter in its implementation of the Wib, there is still a need to balance international enrollment with admission of Dutch students.
Some measures are still planned, reports NRC. For instance, the numerus fixus plan, which caps the number of students added to a program from outside the EEA (European Economic Area), will still be included.
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Similarly, an ‘emergency fixus’ cap is also planned, which allows last-minute maximums for English-taught programs when application numbers are too high.
The biggest change, however, remains the removal of the foreign-language ‘test.’
Scrapping this element means that existing programmes can continue, and new English-taught programmes can be set up without ministerial sign-off on the language of instruction.
In other words, if you’re an international student, you can be cautiously optimistic that Dutch uni life is in your future!
What do you think of the Jetten cabinet’s approach? Let us know in the comments!
