We’ve already reported that more and more American citizens are moving to the Netherlands in recent years, so it’s no surprise that we can say the same of students.
While the CBS kept tight-lipped about any possible cause for the sudden increase in US citizens applying for Dutch visa, the NOS reports that the rise in international students studying in the Netherlands comes down to the “Trump-effect.”
Or as umbrella organisations UNL and VH put it more dipomatically: due to “developments in the United States.”
What sort of developments?
In case you have been blissfully living under a rock (can’t blame you there), you probably already know that US President Donald Trump isn’t big on education.
At least, that’s what his various restrictive measures towards higher education would indicate: he has clashed with several US universities, made checks on visa applications much stricter, and undermined academic freedom in general.
This has resulted in a great “brain drain” of academic experts from the US, many of whom the Dutch have snapped up.
READ MORE | American talent heads for the Netherlands as scientists flee US
And more students appear to be following in their footsteps.
According to NOS, these measures have pushed not only more US students towards the Netherlands for their studies, but also other international students who would have studied in the US if it weren’t for the orange man.
An increase for the first time in years
While the Netherlands has seen the number of international students decline over the past three years, this year, slightly more have started studying at either a Dutch university or university of applied sciences.
How many more? 800 more European students, and 300 more non EEA students. In particular, significantly more students from Asia have chosen to study in the Netherlands.
READ MORE | Study finds that international students offer many benefits for Dutch students (sorry, Wilders)
In fact, the number of international students who started studying in a Dutch university or technical college this year has actually exceeded the “numerous fixus” agreed upon by Dutch universities and universities of applied sciences.
This “numerous fixus” was set to limit the number of international students starting an academic study this year to 16,766. However, so far, about 17,600 international students have begun a study in 2026.
However, regardless of exceeding this limit, overall, the Netherlands still has fewer people studying at univerity or a higher education level this year, with 330,000 students currently enrolled.
Are you surprised by these findings? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
