There are currently two current issues facing the University of Twente: finances and internationalisation. These two topics are related to each other. In this update, we would like to inform you about the latest state of affairs.
UT's financial situation
There are some major financial challenges facing UT. There are several reasons for this.
UT is also suffering from inflation. Due to increased costs for various expenses, it is becoming increasingly difficult to stay within current budgets.
These budgets will also be reduced in the coming period. On the one hand, because it is expected that in the coming period, fewer students will start their studies at UT. This is due to demographic developments resulting in fewer young people, especially in our region. We also expect to have fewer international students in the coming years, as a result of national policy for this.
In addition, we are facing national government budget cuts in higher education. Those cuts add up to around one billion euros nationwide. Part of those cuts will also affect UT. How much exactly we don't know yet, for that we have to wait for the exact plans. Those plans are not yet final and as long as that is the case, we will continue to take action together with all other universities, staff and students to reverse the budget cuts for higher education. For example, during the upcoming protest on Monday 25 November.
How big is the problem?
As mentioned, because there is still a lot of uncertainty about the future intake of students and the exact consequences of the central government cuts, it is not yet possible to say exactly how much UT will have to cut back in the coming years. However, we did make a forecast just before the summer. This showed that up to 2029, we may have to cut between EUR 35 and 57 million on an annual basis, depending on the plans. In preparing our budget for next year, we are updating our projections at this moment.
The amount we need to save is substantial. To give an idea: UT's budget is just under 500 million euros. So, having to save such a large amount is a big task. Since a large part of the university's costs are staff costs, this cut will therefore also affect employees. The TNW faculty already announced a reorganisation, and the Executive Board indicated last week that it would not rule out a UT-wide organisational change.
What is UT doing to stay financially healthy?
When it became clear last year that UT faces major financial challenges, we took two actions: acute measures affecting the short term and developing a long-term approach to make UT future-proof.
Acute measures
We have introduced acute measures that should lead to immediate cost savings. For example, we have stopped hiring external staff (as much as possible), employees are no longer allowed to travel abroad from regular budgets (first money flow) and there are strict agreements on which vacancies can and cannot be filled.
We also had to take the decision just before the summer to limit the employment of students for so-called Student Jobs. Think of student teaching assistants on call for a variety of jobs. This is a temporary measure to help reduce the short-term financial shortfall. We made this decision with pain in our hearts: as a university, we greatly appreciate the efforts of students for various jobs within UT.
In exceptional cases, the deployment of students will still be used, for example if it is necessary for the continuity of activities that really need to continue. Contracts already in progress are also continued for the agreed period.
Future-proofing UT
We are also working on medium- and long-term solutions. UT must adapt to the new reality of possibly fewer students and less income.
One of the priorities is maintaining the quality of education. We are first and foremost an educational institution. Students give UT a high rating in the National Student Survey; we want to maintain that.
In our plans, for example, we are looking at how we can organise education more efficiently and effectively, while maintaining as much quality as possible. We are also looking at more efficiency in our research. All these plans are organised in so-called ‘building blocks’. You can read more about them on our website.
In the choices we make, we try as much as possible to focus on our vision for the future. That way, we make logical choices that fit our vision of how we want to make a societal impact in the future. An initial impetus for that vision can be found in the document Reinventing the UT, drawn up by the Executive Board, the deans of the faculties and scientific directors of the institutes. This vision will be further developed in the coming period.
Internationalisation
As already mentioned, developments in internationalisation have a major impact on UT's future. We have many international staff and students, and we cherish their presence. They are a valuable for our academic community.
There is a widely held view in national politics that internationalisation of universities has gone too far. There are too many international students, they argue, creating problems around capacity and student accommodation. While there are universities facing such problems, this is not the case for UT.
There is also a broad call in national politics for more attention to the Dutch language. Therefore, according to a majority in Dutch Parliament, the number of bachelor programmes offered in English should be reduced.
Legislation for this is currently being developed. We do not yet know exactly what it will look like, clarity may be given somewhere in the coming months. Study programmes must demonstrate why it is necessary to be taught in English. The minister has indicated that there is very limited room for exceptions to the rule. For example, exceptions are possible if the labour market has a severe shortage of staff in a specific sector. Regional circumstances - in UT's case, its location on the border - could also play a role. So there are opportunities for UT to claim exemption grounds. However, we also know that the rules for doing so will be very strict.
No impact on current students
As said, we do not yet know exactly what the exact future will look like on this issue. We do know that the possible change of course language will not affect current students.
If you are currently studying in an bachelor programme, you can continue to study in the current language. Should the language of study change, we will at least ensure that you can complete the programme in the current language. There will be a transition period, during which you should reasonably have sufficient time to complete your studies, in case there are study delays. No changes are planned for master's programmes.
Stay informed
We try to keep staff and students informed about the current situation adequately. To this end, we have set up a page on the service portal about the financial situation and one about internationalisation. There you will find all relevant information. If you have any questions that are not answered there, you will also find contact information on these pages.
