The campus in Leeuwarden has had fewer students than expected
The University of Groningen (RUG) is considering transferring studies to Leeuwarden, as one of the possible measures to attract more students to Campus Fryslân. The University has managed to secure a 17.83 Million Euro subsidy to fund the campus until 2023, but after that it must support itself, reports the Dagblad van het Noorden.
For the same reason, there are plans to set up a new bachelor’s program in the Frisian capital, and opportunities for short-term study programs are being explored. The university and province are meeting today to discuss the plans.
The action plan is not unexpected. In December the province asked the RUG to ensure that more students commit to the campus in Leeuwarden. There are far fewer studying in Friesland than expected. For the broad bachelor’s and master’s degrees together, the number of students is 197, where there were 525 expected, with a growth to 100 students in the long term.
The RUG-designed bachelor’s degree ‘Global Responsibility and Leadership’ was given a top-choice quality mark by the ‘Keuzegids’ guide for 2020. Professor Jouke de Vries, the leader of the Universities’ steering committee, thinks that this can provide a base for future growth: “In such short time? That’s unheard of”, he said, continuing “when the University wanted to open a Chinese satellite, we got criticism. I have cancelled Yantai and am now working on a lovely project in the North. After 2023 we will take on the risk of Campus Fryslân: we’re there for the long term. More pride in Friesland is always a good thing.”
Image via the RUG
