The Netherlands has seen considerable growth in International student admissions this year, posing problems for Dutch universities due to housing shortages.
Dutch universities witnessed 78,361 international student admissions for this year, contributing to 23% of the overall 3,40,700 newcomers – representing a 4% increase over the previous year. “We can no longer handle that growth. There is a housing shortage, there is no longer enough space on the campuses, the workload of employees is unacceptably high, and the quality of our education is also under pressure. The groups are getting bigger, teachers have to supervise more theses; it is overflowing completely,” Director of the University Van Amsterdam, Geert ten Dam, said.
Even though is not the first time the Netherlands has seen a surge in the number of students moving there for studying purposes, figures from 2021 show an incremental increase in new students, which can be attributed to two main factors: students who deferred their studies last year due to Covid-19 and Brexit.
The process of withdrawal of the UK from the European Union (EU) has negatively impacted numerous sectors and industries including creativity, travel, and education, despite the fact that it grants more decision-making independence and frees the country from tax obligations to Brussels.
The “EU exit: predicting the implications on UK higher education” report, commissioned by the British government and published by London Economics for the UK Department of Education, indicated that institutions in the UK might lose €73.1 million (£62.5 million) in tuition fees each year. The following list illustrates the universities which can be considered an option for EU students as an alternative to the UK:
- The Netherlands (49 per cent)
- Germany (36 per cent)
- France (19 per cent)
- Ireland (16 per cent)
- Sweden (14 per cent)
Due to Brexit, the students from the UK will be required to apply for a visa authorization if they wish to go to the university at any of the 27-nation bloc’s universities, as the UK is no longer a member of the European Union.
The procedure can be time-consuming and exhausting, and it subjects the students to the risk of losing out on their academic year. The students from the UK, currently enrolled in foreign language programs or with internships in EU member states, are more likely to miss out on their plans due to delayed visa applications.
Despite the challenges faced by students from administrative authorities in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, those asking for visas in Spain faced the most difficulty, as many of them risked losing their first academic year for identical reasons. The Spanish embassy, on the other hand, highlighted that visa application paperwork was incomplete or incorrect.
The British students must meet all the requirements and criteria as that of the students from any other third country nations, including reapplying, said a spokesperson.
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