Fewer registrations in higher professional education than last year
It seems that the universities of applied sciences will not welcome a record number of new freshmen in the coming academic year. At the moment, almost 158 thousand prospective students have registered: 6,8 percent less than last year after the registration deadline.
Image: NHL Hogeschool
Now that the registration deadline of 1 May has passed, higher education is taking stock. Last year, both higher professional education and academic higher education grew rapidly, but this time the figures at the universities of applied sciences show a different trend: a drop of just under seven percent.
The comparison with last year is difficult to make for various reasons. In order to give applicants a little more time to think about it in the middle of a crisis, the deadline was moved one month in 2020 to 1 June. In addition, the central final exams were canceled due to the crisis, as a result of which an exceptional number of HAVO students were able to transfer to higher professional education.
Real picture
The Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (VH) has therefore opted to compare the current registration figures with those of 1 June 2020. That would provide the most realistic picture. A total of 157.950 students have now registered for a higher professional education program (141.662 for bachelor, 6.884 for associate degree and 8.046 for master). For reassurance, those who missed the May 1 deadline may still be admitted.
“We are now slowly returning to pre-corona levels,” says VH chairman Maurice Limmen. Despite the general decline, registrations for training courses in healthcare are stable. That is good news, he thinks. "The new growth is badly needed there."
Registrations are not yet actual registrations. Last, more than a quarter of the applicants dropped out. Only after the summer will it become clear whether all students who have registered now actually show up.
Recruitment campaign
The predicted decline is somewhat contrary to expectations. In recent weeks, several universities of applied sciences have already announced that they are eagerly looking for hundreds of new teachers. Hogeschool Utrecht even sent out a press release for her largest recruitment campaign ever. How does that fit with these new figures?
This has to do with the record number of registrations last year, explains VH spokesperson Eva Kloosterman. Then about 125 thousand first-year students were added: ten percent more than in 2019. "Of course, those students will not disappear: they will still be there next academic year, as second-year students."
Presenting the National Education Program the government announced that it will invest hundreds of millions of euros extra every year to compensate colleges and universities for the increased student numbers. The universities of applied sciences now want to use that money to hire more lecturers, Kloosterman explains.
And what about the internationals? Significantly more students from Europe have registered for a Dutch HBO bachelor's degree, the VH reports: an increase of 17,1 percent. The number of applications from students from outside Europe remains roughly the same.
Universities
The universities, on the other hand, expect slightly more students. Their bachelor's programs are about five percent in the plus.
Also read: 'Research shows: billion euros shortfall in higher education'
