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International graduates more likely to stay and work in the Netherlands

An increasing number of international students are still living in the Netherlands five years after graduation. This is according to our latest research on the so-called stay rate. Researcher Ece Arat: ‘Higher education, industry and policy makers are showing a growing interest in stay rates.’

Five years after graduation, 25.3 per cent of international graduates still live in the Netherlands. This is higher than the 24.1 per cent from the previous study in 2022.

This is according to our new study 'Stay rate and labour market position of international graduates 2013–2022'. The study is based on national register data from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the Education Executive Agency (DUO), the Personal Records Database (BRP), the Tax and Customs Administration and the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV), among others.

Of the students who completed their studies in 2023 – the latest year for which data are available – 57 per cent were still staying in the Netherlands one year later. This is considerably more than for students who graduated in 2018 (40 per cent). In other words, more recent graduation cohorts have higher stay rates. A further rise in the stay rate after five years is therefore in line with expectations.

Interesting differences are visible within the large group of international graduates. For example, the stay rate is higher among master's students who also completed their bachelor's in the Netherlands. Of this group, 30 per cent still live in the Netherlands after five years. ‘These people are already more rooted in the Netherlands’, says Nuffic researcher Ece Arat. ‘They have had more time to learn the language and expand their network.’

The stay rate also varies greatly by country of origin. Graduates from Suriname are by far the most likely to stay (more on this below). Education and Engineering graduates – sectors with large labour market shortages – are also more likely to stay in the Netherlands.

They are generally ambitious, internationally minded young people who have shown courage and perseverance. A higher stay rate thus contributes positively to our economy. – Ece Arat, Nuffic Researcher

Good news for the economy

Arat calls the rising stay rate ‘good news for the Dutch economy’. ‘There are acute shortages of highly skilled staff in many sectors. International students have much to offer to the Netherlands. They are generally ambitious, internationally minded young people, who have shown courage and perseverance. A higher stay rate thus contributes positively to our economy.’

Of the students still living in the Netherlands five years after graduation, 80 per cent have a paid job. A significant proportion of them earn a high income. Graduates with an international background are more likely to earn over €65,000 a year than their Dutch counterparts.

‘Labour market opportunities are one of the main reasons for international students to remain in the Netherlands after their studies. (...) International students, even more than Dutch graduates, will weigh up the possible financial returns and other benefits on the Dutch labour market versus the possible returns in their country of origin or in other countries. After all, they tend to have an international outlook. For example, youth unemployment in the Netherlands is low. Moreover, nowhere in Europe has labour market tightness increased as much as in the Netherlands in recent years.’ – Michel van Smoorenburg, International Labour Market Analyst, UWV

Students from Eindhoven more likely to stay

The Nuffic study contains several new elements. For the first time, the stay rate by country of origin and city of graduation was examined. Those data indicate that large differences exist.

International students who graduated from educational institutions in Eindhoven are by far the most likely to stay in the Netherlands. Almost half (49 per cent) still live in the Netherlands five years after graduation. After that come Delft (39 per cent) and Utrecht (37 per cent). Students from university of applied sciences and research universities in Maastricht (12 per cent) have the lowest stay rate in the Netherlands, although many students are known to stay in the region (just over the border) after graduating in Maastricht.

Ultimately, the majority of international graduates settle in the Groot Amsterdam region, with around 37 per cent of graduates working in or around the capital five years after graduation. The Rijnmond and Haaglanden regions are also popular. Eindhoven (the Zuidoost-Brabant region) is home to over 7 per cent of all international graduates, putting the region in fifth place.

Stay rate by country of origin, top five

The stay rate by country of origin has shown some striking results. For instance, the top five countries of origin for stay rate do not include any country from the European Economic Area. People from Suriname are most likely to stay: as many as 80 per cent of all Surinamese graduates still live in the Netherlands after five years. Suriname is followed by Iran (71 per cent), Ukraine (58 per cent), Turkey (52 per cent) and Russia (50 per cent).

Researcher Arat notes that students from other European countries often do not stay in the Netherlands after their studies. ‘Germans and Italians come to the Netherlands a lot, but they do not stay often. Romania is the only European country of origin that ranks in the top 10 for both incoming students and stay rate.’

‘Speaking the language and having a network make it easier to stay in the Netherlands. This could explain the high stay rates of these groups’, Arat continues. ‘Surinamese people often speak Dutch, and the Netherlands has large communities of people from Surinamese, Turkish and Ukrainian descent.’

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