Netherlands caps English-taught bachelor intake at eleven programmes while new coalition weighs reversing internationalisation curbs
By Muntasir • Published Jun 05, 2026 • Updated Aug 08, 2026 • Study Abroad, Study in Europe, Education News & Policy
Eleven Dutch bachelor's programmes cap first-year places in their English-taught tracks for the 2026/27 intake, while the new coalition government softens enforcement of the wider Dutch-language rule.
🎓 The two-thirds Dutch-language rule requires most bachelor's programmes to teach at least two-thirds of the curriculum in Dutch from 2025/26.
Eleven programmes, including Hanze University's physiotherapy degree and five university psychology programmes, now set separate caps for English-taught places.
Hanze physiotherapy caps English-taught places at 75 students, with no cap on the Dutch-taught track.
The D66/VVD/CDA coalition scrapped the mandatory national language test and now negotiates voluntary agreements with universities instead.
💶 A 154 million euro fund targets international students in shortage fields such as technical programmes.
What changed for 2026/27 admissions
Dutch universities and universities of applied sciences began enforcing a language rule from the 2025/26 academic year. Bachelor's programmes now need to teach at least two-thirds of the curriculum in Dutch, leaving at most one-third in another language, under the Wet internationalisering in balans . A programme that wants to teach fully in English needs sign-off from a special assessment committee and the education minister.
For the 2026/27 intake, eleven bachelor's programmes go further and cap the number of first-year students in their English-taught track specifically, according to University Rant . If more students apply to the English track than there are places, the programme draws lots or selects among applicants. The Dutch-taught track at the same programme usually keeps its places uncapped.
Which programmes cap English-taught places
Ten of the eleven capped programmes sit at research universities, five of them in psychology. One is a university of applied sciences programme.
| Programme | Institution | English-taught cap | Dutch-taught cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physiotherapy | Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen | 75 places | No cap |
| Psychology | University of Groningen | 250 places | 365 places |
You apply to a Dutch-taught or English-taught track separately at these programmes. If you plan to study in English at one of them, check the university's admissions page early, since a capped track fills up or runs a lottery once demand is high.
The coalition is walking back enforcement
The D66, VVD and CDA coalition that formed in early 2026 changed direction on internationalisation policy, according to Erasmus Magazine . Instead of enforcing quotas through a mandatory national language test, the cabinet scrapped that test and now pursues voluntary administrative agreements with universities.
The government set aside 154 million euros for a talent strategy that aims to attract international students into fields the Netherlands needs, technical programmes among them. Universities had promised to convert some English-taught programmes in psychology, economics and business administration to Dutch, but the university umbrella body UNL withdrew that promise the day the coalition dropped the language test.
A self-imposed ceiling of 16,766 international bachelor's students a year across universities remains in place, 11 percent below the 2022 peak, and 17 English-language programmes carry some form of intake restriction. Education minister Rianne Letschert has no legal enforcement tool without the test and can only negotiate agreements that a future minister might not honor.
What this means if you are applying
Check whether your target programme lists a separate English-taught and Dutch-taught track before you apply.
Apply early to capped English-taught tracks, since some select by lottery once places fill.
Expect more programmes to add similar caps if the government keeps its 16,766 ceiling.
Watch for policy reversals. The coalition's approach relies on voluntary agreements, not law, and could shift again.