Netherlands: Government-commissioned research finds that international students contribute much more than the public cost of hosting them
- More international students are staying in the Netherlands to work after completing their studies
- Their economic contribution over the whole of the time they are in the country exceeds the cost of hosting them
- Non-European students have a higher stay rate than European ones – a main reason that their economic contribution is more than twice that of other international students
- In other news, 13 Dutch universities have signed an agreement with the government to limit their new international enrolments to under 17,000 a year
The Dutch government’s economic policy analysis bureau, CPB, has conducted research that shows that international students represent . Foreign students are increasingly staying in the Netherlands after graduating, and CPB says the tax they pay within the Dutch economy is part of the reason that they “pay for themselves over time.”
The research found that the government’s investment in foreign students – e.g., supporting them through health services, social security, and financial grants – is less than what students who remain in the country after graduating contribute to the economy.
91ɬ 20% of graduates from the European Economic Area (aka the EEA, which is the EU plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) stay for at least some time in the Netherlands. This rises to around 40% of non-EEA students. The overall stay rate is approximately 25% more than 10 years ago.
Non-European students contribute more revenue
The benefits of EEA versus non-EEA students are different. EEA students pay the same tuition as Dutch students – €2,694 in 2026 – and can apply for student finance under certain conditions. Therefore, the costs of hosting them during their studies is higher than for non-EEA students. By contrast, non-EEA students pay full fare and cannot access financing, which means they contribute more revenue to universities while they study.
Even after graduating, non-EEA students who remain to work are more than twice as valuable to the Dutch economy than students from Europe. Over their lifetime in the Netherlands, non-EEA students contribute €243,000 compared with €82,500 for European students.
But what about housing?
CBP found that: “More international students do add to housing pressure in the short term. But over time, the effect is limited, because the market adjusts – and how far it does depends on housing policy, not student numbers.”
The housing situation for students in the Netherlands is so dire that some domestic students give up and either resign themselves to hours-long commutes from their family home or abandon applying to their preferred university because it is too far. As reported in the , “some universities, including the University of Amsterdam and Utrecht University, now officially advise incoming international students to reject their academic admission offers and stay home if they have not secured a verified housing contract prior to the start of the semester.”
A recent survey completed by social policy thinktank of 700 international students found that almost one-third reported searching for more than three months before securing accommodation. That research, and significant media coverage, finds that some students never secure suitable housing, leaving them vulnerable to homelessness and thievery.
Hanna Smit, a housing consultant at Dutch tenant rights firm Stichting WOON, advocates for significant investment in student housing on campuses, explaining that “because student campus projects are specifically zoned, they do not compete for land or resources with regular, high-priority residential housing developments.” This recommendation should be broadly interesting to governments in other major study abroad destinations, where public concern about housing often leads to negative perceptions of immigration levels and/or international students.
Despite the housing crisis, over 80% of international student respondents to the ResearchNed survey said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their experience in Dutch higher education.
A self-imposed cap
Just before the CPB released its research findings on the tangible benefits of international students, 13 Dutch universities signed an agreement on 15 July 2026 with the government to self-regulate their foreign enrolment volumes. The universities have committed to admitting fewer than 17,000 foreign students every year. This volume represents an 11% decrease over allowed enrolments in 2022 and 2023.
Dutch universities’ English-language programmes are a major draw for international students. According to the agreement, the 13 universities will not develop any more of these programmes in the short ter unless they are tied to labour shortages in sectors including STEM, healthcare, and technology. Also exempted are programmes developed within the European Universities framework, which is based on deep institutional cooperation across EU nations.
Some industry experts have criticised the deal, pointing to “random [international enrolment] targets” that fail to consider the sharp contraction of the Dutch working-age population and economic labour shortages. Max van Duijn, chair of the Young Academy of the Netherlands (De Jonge Akademie), told :
“Internationalisation should not be viewed as a problem to be tackled, given that it is a precondition for a well-functioning academic system and for an innovative country with an open economy.”
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