Number of registered students

The total number of students registered at universities has risen once again. On 1 October 2018, there were 291.277 students registered for a Bachelor's or Master's programme, an increase of 5.3%. This is a record high. 

 
The 'dip' in 2012 (see graph above) was caused by a rapid outflow resulting from the proposed introduction of increased statutory tuition fees for long-term students. This would have constituted a fine for students who take more than one year longer to graduate, and motivated many students to quickly complete their studies. In the end, the introduction of the increased statutory tuition fee was with retroactivity abolished after a few months .
 
Number of registered students per university

The University of Amsterdam has long been the largest university in the Netherlands. Followed closely by Utrecht University and the University of Groningen. Moreover, the majority of universities has been growing in student size in recent years.

International students

As a result of the increased focus on internationalisation, the number of international students in Dutch academic education has been steadily rising over the past ten years. In 2018, 55.969 international students attended a university. This is 19% of the total student population at universities.