Council of State largely positive on law to curb foreign students

Advisory body approves of Dutch legislation designed to control intake of students from abroad

The Council of State has published advice on the ‘Internationalisation in Balance’ bill, which aims to limit the number of international students at Dutch universities.

The bill introduces measures that give colleges and universities more control over the number of international students they admit to their English-language courses. Under the proposed new law, institutions would be able to set specific limits on students from outside the European Economic Area, which encompasses the EU along with Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway. In addition, the language of instruction of bachelor’s programmes would officially be Dutch, with at least two-thirds of education offered in Dutch.