Delft University: international exchange grows

The numbers of Chinese studying in the Netherlands has decreased in the past couple years, mainly because higher education standards have become stricter. But in Delft, the numbers are still high. In 2003, around 2,600 Chinese students received visas to study in the Netherlands. In 2005, that number decreased to 1,300, according to a Nuffic report about international mobility in Dutch higher education. Nuffic says the numbers have halved because of stricter admission requirements, higher tuition fees and, for the Chinese, the strong euro. The average number of new Chinese students enrolling in TU Delft in the past years has remained at around 100, while the total number of foreign students in Netherlands last academic year rose by 5,000, to 48,500 students. Also, more Dutch students are going abroad to study. In 2005, 17,500 Dutch students studied abroad, of which 5,000 were part one-year Erasmus exchanges, with Belgium and the UK the most popular destinations: approximately 3,000 Dutch students study in each country. Outside Europe, the US is the most popular destination: 1,700 Dutch students study in the US. Source: Delta.tudeft.nl