International staff and students feel unwelcome in the Netherlands: Survey

Most international students and staff in Dutch universities feel less welcome today than they did when they first arrived in the country, according to a survey conducted by six independent university newspapers and magazines – University Newspaper Groningen (UKrant), DUB Utrecht, VOX-Nijmegen (Radboud University), TU Delta at Delft University, Resource Wageningen and U-Today at the University of Twente.

Conducted in November 2023, the survey included 1,330 international students and employees.

According to the survey, 70% of students and staff members who responded had felt welcome or even very welcome when they first came to The Netherlands. That number has now dropped substantially to 55%. About 50% of students and staff members said Dutch politics is increasingly negative about internationals. About 30% of the respondents noted that the media are negative about internationals. Over 90% of the respondents had at least heard about parliamentary measures to restrict international student numbers. Over 80% of respondents were aware of the strong movement towards reducing the use of the English language, the survey revealed.

Academic staff more frequently reported feeling unwelcome compared to students. Among the University of Groningen staff, 68% initially felt welcome or very welcome, but that number had decreased to 37%. For bachelor students, this percentage dropped by 15%, UKrant reported.