Photo WUR That is more than in previous years. The number of international students who remain in the Netherlands is highest among graduates from Eindhoven University at 48.9 per cent. Among those who graduated from Wageningen, the percentage is 28.2.
Internationals do not immediately pack their belongings after obtaining their degrees. One year after graduating, more than half remain in the Netherlands, a new report published by internationalisation organisation Nuffic states. This data is relevant to the political squabbling over the internationalisation of tertiary education. The longer international students remain in the Netherlands for work, the more the economy benefits.
More often
Most depart over the years. Still, internationals appear to choose to remain in the Netherlands more often. Over 30 per cent of the class of 2018/2019 was still living in the Netherlands five years later (in 2024). This percentage is likely higher for subsequent classes.
This may be attributed to the tight employment market, but there is something else too: internationals are easier to find. They are more frequently registered in the municipal registration systems, says Nuffic, which means they are easier to trace. If this is true, the likelihood of international graduates staying may have previously been underestimated.
Where the graduates obtained their degree is relevant. Graduates from Eindhoven are likely to stay. Some 49 per cent are still in the Netherlands after five years, while those who obtained their degrees in Delft remain in 39 per cent of the cases. These numbers reflect international students who obtained a degree at a university or professional education institute in these cities.
The origin of these international students is a major factor in whether or not they stay in the Netherlands. Many German students enrol in the Netherlands, but they mostly return. Some 20 per cent of the European students remain here after five years. The percentage of non-European internationals that remain is double that. Students from Suriname (79 percent) and Iran (71 percent) are relatively likely to stay.
There is no decisive difference in students with university or professional college degrees. University graduates remain slightly more frequently, but the difference is just one percentage point.
Teachers
What they studied is relevant. Students who follow a teacher’s training are more likely to remain in the Netherlands. Teachers who graduated from university, in particular, have a one hundred percent likelihood of remaining in the Netherlands. However, international students don’t often opt for a teaching degree.
Economists are more likely to leave, but there are so many that those who choose to remain still form a sizeable group. Technical students and students with natural science degrees are twice as likely to stay; still, their absolute numbers are smaller.
Many end up in the region of Amsterdam (37 per cent) or Rotterdam, The Hague, Delft, Utrecht or Eindhoven.
