Internationalisation and the University of Twente: where do we stand?

The global market for international students continues to grow. At the same time, student destinations are shifting. While the traditional “big four” — the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia — have long dominated, students are increasingly choosing other countries. Stricter immigration policies in several traditional study destinations, combined with the rise of strong universities in countries such as India, are reinforcing this trend.

At the University of Twente, this has resulted in a relatively stable situation in recent years. International enrolment in bachelor’s programmes has stabilised over the past three years. Within that stability, however, several shifts are visible: the number of students from outside the EEA has increased, the number of German students has declined, and enrolment from other EEA countries has remained largely stable.

Master’s programmes experienced growth from 2022 onwards. Based on enrolment figures as of 1 October 2025, a decline is now visible, particularly among students from outside the EEA. After three years of growth, enrolment from EEA countries has stabilised.

Alongside internationalisation, UT continues to pay close attention to the intake of Dutch students. A visible example is the Psychology bachelor’s programme, which has also been offered in Dutch since this academic year and has led to an increase in Dutch student enrolment.

At the same time, connecting international students to the Dutch labour market is becoming increasingly important. UT actively invests in this through initiatives such as the Going Dutch minor and the Employability International Students project group. The university also collaborates with regional and national partners to retain international graduates for Twente and the Netherlands.

In the draft institutional plan currently under development, UT is explicit about its position:

“Science is inherently international. UT has an international community and is proudly rooted in Twente. As a technical university, UT also contributes to key national ambitions, such as the Beethoven programme in semiconductor technology, which require us to provide ample opportunities for international talent. International talent (students, PhD candidates and staff) should be able to participate as easily as Dutch talent. This reflects our values as a university and as a collaborative partner within the Netherlands, and therefore receives high priority.”

Nationally, university enrolment is under pressure. Final enrolment figures for the 2025–2026 academic year show declines in both Dutch and international bachelor’s intake: respectively 3.3% and 3.6% compared with the previous year. International student enrolment has now decreased for the third consecutive year, with the largest decline among students from EEA countries.

Universities of the Netherlands emphasises that this development underlines the urgency of a coherent talent strategy to keep the Netherlands attractive for (international) talent, science and innovation. Technical and health-related programmes, however, are still showing modest growth. Full figures are available via Universities of the Netherlands.

The WIB aims to improve steering of international student inflow and strengthen the position of Dutch within higher education. The revised legislative proposal has recently been submitted to the Council of State for advice, an important step towards parliamentary debate.

In the revised proposal, the proposed language assessment for existing programmes has been softened and now applies only to new programmes. New non-Dutch-taught programmes must demonstrate the need for education in another language to the national efficiency committee (doelmatigheid).

The WIB aims to:

• provide additional instruments to manage international student intake, including programme-specific enrolment caps;
• introduce an efficiency assessment for new (and potentially existing) non-Dutch-taught programmes;
• preserve and strengthen the position of Dutch as a language in higher education;
• expand obligations to promote Dutch language proficiency to all students, including internationals.

The proposal was amended at the request of the House of Representatives and forms part of broader societal and political discussions about balancing international attractiveness with quality, accessibility and efficiency in Dutch higher education.

UT has long offered education in both Dutch and English. This bilingual foundation remains intact. Policymakers and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science recognise that English-taught education is appropriate for many UT programmes. Where this was less evident, adjustments have been made, such as in Psychology.

Since last year, UT has operated under an official bilingual working-language policy. The university has also invested for many years in improving Dutch language proficiency among international staff and students, including through an extensive and largely free NT2 programme.

Following the introduction of the new policy, several initiatives have been launched or are under development, including:

• a voluntary language coaching programme in which staff support international colleagues learning Dutch;
• new NT2 courses focused on “Dutch at the university” and “Dutch at work”;
• support for international lecturers who wish to teach in Dutch.

These efforts contribute to integration into Dutch society, strengthen regional ties and support collaboration within the university.

Political debate around internationalisation has raised questions among international researchers and students in recent years and occasionally led to hesitation. However, collaboration within international research projects has largely remained intact.

Recruitment of international talent has been affected, with candidates indicating they felt less welcome in the Netherlands. With increasing clarity around the WIB, UT now looks ahead with renewed confidence. The university remains committed to an open, inclusive and international learning and working environment, which is essential for the quality and societal impact of education and research.

The National ChipTech Talent Strengthening Programme (“Beethoven”) is a strong example. Between 2025 and 2030, this initiative brings together four technological core regions, Brainport, Twente, South Holland and Northern Netherlands, alongside knowledge institutions and industry partners to develop a scalable education and recruitment programme, with the ambition of making it structural from 2030 onwards.

Beethoven master’s programmes aim to grow by an additional 86 students annually from 2030 onwards (+26% compared with 2024). This growth is expected primarily from international external recruitment, while other groups (such as UT transfer students or students from universities of applied sciences) remain supportive but secondary.

Focus countries include Italy, Spain and Indonesia (in collaboration with RUG, RU, TU/e and TU Delft), as well as India and Turkey for UT-led initiatives.

Regionally, UT collaborates with Saxion, ROC van Twente, Ondernemend Twente and Twente Board to strengthen regional positioning — for example through increased online visibility (ohchips.nl) and participation in regional study fairs.

The thematic focus on semiconductor technology provides a clear message to prospective students and creates strong visibility and interest in a cost-effective way. Early results already show significantly increased interest in chip technology programmes. The coming year will focus on converting interest into applications and ultimately enrolments, in collaboration with CES, Strategic Programmes and the faculties.

Relationship management and communicating UT’s added value to international students — such as housing opportunities, the campus environment and labour market prospects — are also key priorities within marketing communications. UT Marketing & Communication manages an international network of school counsellors who regularly enquire about study opportunities at UT and receive proactive updates on admission requirements and open days.