The dean of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Leiden, Prof. Sarah de Rijcke, said international students who choose to study in the Netherlands bring economic benefits to the country, regardless of whether or not they remain in the country after graduation.
As the Dutch government continues to push for policies to attract fewer international students to the Netherlands, statements from different quarters have been pouring in denouncing this position which many say is detrimental to foreigners and locals alike.
Writing on LinkedIn, De Rijcke debunked claims made about international students and cited a recent CPB report that said the internationalisation in higher education and vocational education contributes to the Dutch economy.
“And the students who stay more than compensate for the costs,” she added.
However, de Rijcke also highlighted that even when international students return to their home countries after graduating, they still come with benefits for the Netherlands.
“Students who return contribute nothing? Also not true. They often remain indirectly connected to the Netherlands, which yields economic benefits,” the dean said.
De Rijcke also touched on the argument that “the Netherlands needs engineers and not behavioural scientists.” She says that “social scientific knowledge is crucial for innovation and tackling social problems.”
To make her case, she used the example of the energy transition, saying that “an engineer can make a really efficient water pump, but a psychologist is needed to understand why people do or don’t want to make the switch and how we can try to influence that decision.”
Recently the Dutch government has changed the policy for internationals wanting to study in in the Netherlands, as well as a plan to not add any new bachelor’s or master’s degrees in English. Over in the North, the University of Groningen also planned to look into limiting internationalisation by implementing this same measure and by looking at whether courses that are now taught in English can be switched to Dutch. Internationals are indeed important for the Netherlands, especially in Groningen. The city’s provincial executive already previously stated that Groningen thrives with internationals, and many other employers in Groningen have also expressed the need for internationals to stay in Groningen, instead of going back home or moving to the Randstad.
Statistics show that internationals often leave Groningen after graduating, something the municipality tried to reverse with their ‘Groningen recall’ campaign in order to stop the brain-drain. This is not just a problem in Groningen, however, as tech companies in other parts of the Netherlands also believe they benefit by having internationals in their workplace. Limiting internationalisation is a threat to them, according to tech CEOs.