international students

The Dutch are considering a travel card for international students to give them a discount on public transport after a successful trial in 2018 involving five universities and four universities of applied sciences. About 3,000 of these special OV-chipcards were issued. Another test run across the country will be done in the next academic year.

Despite being diagnosed with Diabetes Type 1 as a boy, Indian student Chayan Taldar has not allowed this to stop him from studying abroad and living a full, normal life. "I want to show people that being diagnosed with diabetes does not mean your life is over. You can still enjoy all the things you want to and achieve all your goals.”

She has modelled for international brands like Chanel and Adidas, graced the pages of fashion magazines like Vogue Italia and Harper Bazaar, now Chinese student Yudu Zeng, is doing an MSc in Sport Business Management at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences.

Stakeholders in the Dutch higher education sector met in The Hague on Wednesday for a seminar on the future of international students in the Netherlands.

There are growing reasons why students choose to study abroad, and the result is, particularly in the Netherlands, that this year has seen an influx of international students enrolling - 10,000 more than usual, according to NUFFIC, the Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education. Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences has itself seen a 50% increase in enrolments from last year. The question is, then, what attracts so many students to Dutch universities?

WITTENBORG has recently established a new collaboration with Fletcher Hotels – one of the biggest hotel chains in the Netherlands – to allow students to complete their internships at their branches.

As the Dutch Minister of Higher Education prepares to introduce a new policy on internationalisation to parliament this summer, the management of Wittenborg University has written her a letter urging against regulating the number of international students in the Netherlands. In its letter, Wittenborg also raises serious concerns about research universities' disregard for the Dutch binary system in higher education, specifically with regard to entrance requirements for non-EU students, for instance from China and Russia.

What does it take to start a business in the Netherlands? We asked Wittenborg's business development advisor, Ben Prins, for a few tips.

From 3 May 2018 international students in the Netherlands will pay considerably less for study permits, as well as post-study permits that grant them one year to look for a job after graduation. In addition, it will also become cheaper for companies to hire highly skilled migrants. The Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) announced the new fees a day after a letter, explaining the reduced amounts, was sent to the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer). The cost for a study permit will be dropped from €321 to €192. To apply for an orientation year permit after graduation (“zoekjaar”) will be reduced from €641 to €285 from 3 May.