The Netherlands Won't Restrict Existing English-Taught Degrees

In a welcome reversal, the Dutch government has announced that it will not require existing English-taught programs at Dutch universities to pass the controversial ‘Test for English Language.’ The announcement came earlier this month after a majority vote in May opposed the introduction of the test.

Why were the Netherlands considering this test?

A 2022 survey of international students in the Netherlands highlighted issues related to high numbers of international student enrollments in the European country, including housing shortages and overcrowded classrooms. In response, in 2024, the former Minister of Education, Robbert Dijkgraaf, introduced a bill known as the Balanced Internationalization Act.

The bill proposed a series of budget cuts and legislation aimed at curbing the number of international students coming to the Netherlands. Among these was the introduction of the Toets Anderstalig Onderwijs (TAO) or ‘Test for English Language,’ which would have required universities that wanted to offer courses taught in languages other than Dutch to prove that teaching the course in another language was both necessary and beneficial.

How Dutch universities responded

When the current Minister of Education, Eppo Bruins, took over the position last summer, he continued to support Dijkgraaf’s bill, including the provision for the TAO. However, the TAO was highly controversial and heavily criticized by higher education leaders in the Netherlands. In October 2024, the Chairman of the Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) Association Casper van den Berg responded to Bruins' plans, saying they would:

Impoverish education, deprive us of important scientific talent and also scare away international students.

In response to the government’s plans to cut the education budget and introduce measures meant to dissuade students from enrolling, UNL responded with its own plans to reduce international student enrollments, including considering enrollment quotas for English-taught programs and halting the development of new English-taught programs.

What’s next?

In May, the Dutch House of Representatives voted against the introduction of the TAO, and earlier this month, Bruins announced that the Balanced Internationalization Act would not require existing English-taught programs at Dutch universities to pass the TAO. However, in the future, proposed English-taught programs will need to demonstrate one of the following conditions:

• The field of study relates to a sector with labor shortages
• The program is only available in one location
• The program is taught in an area with a declining population
• The field of study is inherently international in nature

Additionally, the Dutch government and UNL are still working to find ways to decrease international student enrollments in the Netherlands, improve conditions for those who do study in the country, support teaching in Dutch, and encourage international students to stay and work in the Netherlands after they graduate.

Supporting Dutch-language learning

One measure, encouraging international students to learn Dutch, is at the forefront of continued discussions. When Dijkgraaf first introduced the Balanced Internationalization Act, he emphasized the importance of learning Dutch:

Education and research in Dutch are valuable. I want to guarantee it. Mastering the Dutch language is also a key to finding work and playing a part in our society.

Echoing this, Bruins said in November 2024 that the Netherlands:

still [needs] to attract talented international students… But we want to attract the right international students. And if they become proficient in Dutch, they’re more likely to stay and work in the Netherlands.