The outgoing cabinet aims to drastically reduce the number of international students without distinction, partly by placing greater emphasis on the Dutch language in academic education. Even though the law has not yet been debated in the House of Representatives, its effects are already being felt, as the national budget includes a ‘financial task reduction for internationalisation’. This means that universities are already receiving less funding from the government in anticipation of the law’s adoption.

Self-regulation

The proposed legislation also threatened to introduce a Foreign Language Education Test, which would have major implications for existing English- and bilingual-taught programmes. Many English-taught tracks would have to be discontinued.

In response, the universities jointly submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science to take their own measures aimed at better balancing the international student intake.

You can read the specific measures in the self-regulation package here. One of the universities’ firm conditions is that the language test must be withdrawn. It remains unclear when these measures can be discussed with a responsible minister.

Timeline

The parliamentary debate on the WIB had already been postponed until the end of 2025. However, due to the cabinet’s collapse and the resignation of NSC ministers – including the Minister for Education, Bruins – it is now unlikely that the bill will be considered before the end of 2025. Whether, and in what form, it will be debated at all may depend on the coalition negotiations following the elections.