English-taught programmes prompt growth

Nationwide, the number of first-year Bachelor’s students rose this academic year by eight percent. This is partly because more international students are coming to the Netherlands to study for a Bachelor’s degree. The University of Twente (UT), for instance, has attracted 20 percent more first-years this year, which is largely due to the increase in the number of programmes offered in English, says a spokesperson in the university magazine UTnieuws. This year the university is offering twelve English-taught Bachelor’s degrees, up from six last year. The University of Amsterdam (UvA) attracted 18 percent more first-years, with the number coming in from abroad going up by 95 percent.

Wageningen University & Research has plans to introduce international Bachelor’s degrees too. From September 2018, 7 of the 19 programmes are to be taught solely in English; other interested programmes will follow suit later. Growth is definitely not the aim in Wageningen, though, state the authors of the advisory report on international Bachelor’s degrees. Although Resource has recently noted that individual programme directors do see growth as desirable for their programmes.

• Executive Board wants six English bachelors

  Student – 08 September 2016 15:26-The Executive Board wants six out of the 19 bachelor’s programmes at Wageningen to be taught in English. This is a resolve that still requires…

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  Student – 09 September 2016 13:09-The executive board will decide soon whether Wageningen BSc programmes should be English-taught, as MSc programmes already are. Resource asked several…

• English not a problem for first-years

  Student – 25 August 2016 09:38-Nearly 90 percent of the incoming Bachelor’s students do not see the possible introduction of English as the language of communication on their…