Costs and benefits of foreign students in the Netherlands

The debate is not new: in 2008 Dutch daily Het Financieele Dagblad estimated that foreign students cost Dutch taxpayers 100 million euros a year. The same figure appears prominently in a recent article in NRC Handelsblad, which led to some critical remarks by higher education leaders and politicians.

This spring former senior education official Ferdinand Mertens sparked the debate with an interview with Transfer Magazine, in which he questions the practice of recruiting German students by Dutch universities (of applied sciences) in the border region.

His argument is mainly financial: the Dutch government contributes 6,000 euros a year for every student from an EU country. This interview led to a lively online debate, and eventually to a small symposium with representatives of the Dutch Ministry of Education, the associations of higher education institutions, university leaders and other experts

Last week, national newspaper NRC Handelsblad published an opinion article by Mertens, in which he restated his views on the recruitment of foreign students.

A couple of days later, probably not coincidentally, the newspaper published an article claiming that the costs of foreign students amount to 100 million euros a year. In an editorial, the daily stresses the benefits of foreign students and claims that the number of foreign students is relatively low compared to other European countries, so there does not seem to be a large problem yet.

Free riders?

Former State Secretary Rick van der Ploeg, now Professor of Economics at Oxford University, criticised the recruitment of foreign students by Maastricht University in Nieuwsuur. He believes Maastricht has an entrepreneurial attitude, that unfortunately comes at the expense of Dutch taxpayers. In the same item, Socialist Party MP Jasper van Dijk warns for suppression of Dutch students by foreigners.

In response to the critical views of Mertens, Van der Ploeg and others, three directors of Maastricht University write in De Volkskrant that they work according to the well-received recommendations of the committee on the future of Dutch higher education, chaired by former minister and university leader Cees Veerman.

Geographically speaking, Maastricht is the most international university in the Netherlands. It promotes itself as a regionally, and therefore internationally, oriented institution with high-quality education. The authors state that Maastricht recruits talents, not foreigners.

A never-ending story

Reading the various views, it is easy to agree with all arguments. At least, that is what I found. On the one hand, I understand and value why Maastricht University (and others) recruits across the border. On the other hand, I realise that there might be problems (in terms of finances, capacity or quality) beyond a certain number of foreign students.

I am also aware of the fact that foreign students do not only cost money, but that they also contribute to the local economy and to the quality and diversity of Dutch higher education.

But it is difficult to make an analysis of the costs and benefits, because nobody agrees on the objectives of the promotion of student mobility.

I expect that, without facts, figures and clear policy objectives, this discussion will be repeated from time to time and the same stakeholders will be using the same arguments.