Number of university students in the Netherlands 2016-2022

The number of university students in the Netherlands grew annually, with enrollment especially increasing between 2019 and 2021. In 2022, 341,900 students were registered at universities around the country. The largest share of these students was studying degrees related to behavior and social sciences, at around 63,400. By comparison, roughly 1,500 students were enrolled in a teaching program.

 Internationalization of higher education 

  The growth in the number of university students is mostly the result of an increased number of international students finding their way to the Netherlands. In the last decade, the number of enrolled international students more than doubled. Whereas in 2008 less than 40,000 international students were studying in the Netherlands, by 2018 this had grown to just under 86,000.

 Netherlands especially popular among German students 

  In the academic year 2018/2019, over 22,500 German students were enrolled at universities in the Netherlands. Germans formed by far the largest international student community in the country. In 2018/2019, the number of German students in the Netherlands was nearly twice as large as the second, third and fourth-largest communities (Italian, Chinese and Belgian students) combined.