By Lila Burkle
Collage by Nieka van Lieshout
Amsterdam University College is a potential exception from the proposed Dutch government policy that could significantly impact international students and programs across the Netherlands. The recent policy, which calls universities to suspend active international recruitment, sparked significant nation-wide opposition within the university community. However, AUC’s management, including Dean Martin Van Hees and Director of Education Marianne Riphagen, does not think AUC will be as affected as other programs due to its different international status as a “University College.”
In the current phase of the legislation development, “the minister explicitly mentions the university colleges as an example of education to which the new rules may not apply,” van Hees says.
The plan to suspend international student recruitment arises from the capacity concerns, notably housing shortages, and overcrowded lecture halls. This long-standing problem is now prompting the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science to actively pursue the change of regulations in the coming years. This is apparent in the letter they sent to the House of Representatives addressing the management of the influx of international students in higher education.
The Culture and Science Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf has presented the plan for the 2025-2026 academic year: universities must ensure that a minimum of two thirds of annual Bachelor’s credits are taught in Dutch. This isn’t applicable for AUC as it remains an international program. It could, nevertheless, make small changes to its curriculum that “could for instance be about knowledge of Dutch culture and Dutch society,” van Hees says. Riphagen mentions that she hasn’t “seen the impact yet, but that doesn’t mean that it might not be there in the future.” She thinks that, if there is a change, the students will just have to complete a mandatory Dutch course, which “restricts your freedom, but at the same time you can argue from a liberal arts and science perspective that this is about learning new things.”
The current management team at AUC does not view the policy as a significant concern. Van Hees further emphasises the positive change the policy will bring, highlighting that it could benefit AUC as “it allows us actually to make more clear why we are an international program and why this is so valuable”.
While the policy’s specifics are not widely known among students, optimism persists among some. Lou Barbier, a second-year AUC science student from France, thinks that “it could be a good thing if it means we learn about Dutch culture,“ since AUC is all about exploring different angles. Similarly, Gaia Lucidi, a second-year social-science student, thinks that “the fact that our management isn’t sweating suggests they think some good things could come from this” and that “it might spark some creative changes in our classes”.
However, not all international students agree on this view. In fact, Leonor Koppitz, a second-year AUC social-science student from North Macedonia, believes that “it will bring a loss of diversity in the essence of the Netherlands“. Additionally, Dutch students who came to AUC to bathe in multiculturalism can also sometimes be reluctant to the policy impacting the Netherlands. Anna Hutchings, a Dutch second-year science student says that “the international student community in Amsterdam adds so much to the overall studying experience that it would be a pity to limit it.“
As AUC and its students navigate these changes, they remain vigilant regarding the shifting landscape of Dutch higher education. As van Hees expresses: “since the new legislation is still in development, we do not yet know for sure how the university colleges will be affected.”
The Herring 