International student intake at the UvA rises despite agreements to reduce numbers
Although the UvA’s student population has shrunk for the second year in a row, the intake of new bachelor’s students is once again on the rise. The increase in the number of international students is particularly striking: it grew by 7.5 per cent this year, even though the university had been aiming to curb it.
For the second year in a row, the student population at the University of Amsterdam is declining. This is evident from the university’s provisional enrolment figures. A total of 42,601 students are enrolled at the UvA this year, compared with 43,137 last year. That was the first time in a decade that the number of UvA students had fallen.
The decline is mainly due to falling enrolment in master’s programmes and students dropping out during their studies. By contrast, enrolment in bachelor’s programmes increased by 6.5 per cent over the past year.
Student population trends since 2017–18:
Self-regulation
The rising number of international first-year students is particularly striking. This year, 3,183 international students began a bachelor’s programme at the UvA, an increase of 7.5 per cent compared with last year. In a joint set of self-regulation agreements made by Dutch universities, however, the UvA had pledged to limit the intake of international bachelor’s students. Last year, the university came close to meeting its target of reducing international enrolment by 20 per cent compared with the 2022–2023 academic year. This year, that target has moved further out of reach. The number of Dutch first-year students also increased, by 5.9 per cent.
According to President of the Executive Board Vinod Subramaniam, the growth in bachelor’s enrolment is concentrated in a number of programmes. “At some faculties, there is clearly a decline. In the longer term, we are anticipating a contraction due to demographic trends. At the same time, we now need to bring the intake of international bachelor’s students more into balance, as agreed with the other universities.” To achieve this, the UvA is tightening the numerus fixus limits for several English-taught bachelor’s programmes. For the first time, the English-taught track of Political Science will have a numerus fixus next year.
International enrolment in Bachelor’s programmes (EEA-internationals vs. non-EEA-internationals):
Subramaniam: “We are making careful, gradual adjustments, taking into account the quality, accessibility and practical feasibility of our education. We also want to distribute the impact fairly across faculties and over time. Making changes too drastic too quickly could place unnecessary pressure on degree programmes, students and staff. The UvA will remain an international university. We believe this is important: different experiences and perspectives enrich our teaching and research, and cross-border collaboration helps us address societal challenges.”
Differences
The picture for bachelor’s enrolment varies considerably between faculties. At the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG), for example, intake increased by 17 per cent. According to the university, this is mainly due to the growing popularity of the Political Science programme and the expansion of the English-taught track in Communication Science, which was subject to a numerus fixus for one year only last year. The Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) also saw substantial growth, with intake rising by 10.6 per cent. This increase was largely driven by the Dutch-taught track of the Business Administration programme.
At the bachelor’s programmes of the Faculty of Law (FdR), the Faculty of Science (FNWI) and the Faculty of Humanities, by contrast, intake has remained virtually unchanged compared with last year.
Change in Bachelor’s enrolment by faculty:
Master’s programmes
While enrolment in UvA bachelor’s programmes is on the rise, the number of new master’s students is declining this year, by 5.6 per cent overall. The decrease is evident at almost all faculties: only the Faculty of Economics and Business has seen a slight increase in the number of new master’s students.
The final enrolment figures will be published in February. These figures generally differ little from the provisional numbers.
