More Dutch students are choosing to spend a portion of their higher education abroad, reflecting a gradual return to international mobility following the disruptions of the global coronavirus pandemic. However, despite this positive upward trend, the overall proportion of graduates with international study experience remains below pre-crisis levels, according to the latest official figures released by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).
Data compiled by the national statistics agency shows that approximately 24% of students who graduated from Dutch research universities and vocational colleges in 2025 completed part of their academic curriculum outside the Netherlands. Among this group, about one in six graduates—representing roughly 17% of the total cohort—chose to stay abroad for a substantial period of three months or longer.
This steady increase marks a significant recovery from the depths of the public health crisis. Five years prior, during the height of international travel restrictions and campus closures enforced during the most restrictive phase of the coronavirus pandemic, just 16% of all graduating students had spent any time studying outside Dutch borders. While the 2025 figures demonstrate a resilient rebound in student appetite for international experiences, universities and educational authorities note that participation rates have yet to fully catch up to the baseline standards seen prior to 2020.
The resurgence in student mobility is heavily supported by structured international exchange programs, most notably Erasmus+. Historical data tracking participation in the Erasmus+ scheme between 2014 and 2024 highlights distinct regional preferences among Dutch students seeking European horizons. Spain emerged as the single most popular destination for participants, capturing 16.9% of the total exchange student share over the decade-long tracking period. Germany followed in second place with 9.7% of the total, while the United Kingdom secured third place, accounting for 8.9% of Erasmus+ placements from the Netherlands.
The sustained popularity of the United Kingdom is particularly noteworthy given its shifting diplomatic and administrative relationship with the European Union. The UK officially departed from the Erasmus+ student exchange framework in 2020 as a core component of the Brexit agreements. Despite this multi-year absence from the continental program, British institutions remained a favored choice for Dutch scholars, and geopolitical ties are set to normalize further with confirmation that the United Kingdom is slated to rejoin the Erasmus+ scheme starting next year.
Beyond short-term exchange semesters and placement programs, the CBS data also examined students who opted to cross borders for their entire degree programs. For graduates who completed their whole undergraduate or postgraduate education outside the Netherlands, neighboring Belgium proved to be the top destination, followed closely by the United Kingdom and the United States. These full-degree relocations highlight ongoing academic integration within the immediate European region alongside continued interest in traditional Anglo-American higher education hubs.
Online Decline
While physical mobility is on the rise, the landscape of virtual international education has experienced a notable contraction. The pandemic era triggered a massive surge in remote international collaboration, leading many academic institutions to experiment with virtual classrooms, cross-border digital projects, and online guest lectures hosted by foreign colleges and universities. In the immediate aftermath of widespread campus shutdowns, remote international learning was hailed as an accessible alternative to travel.
However, the latest statistics indicate that this digital trend is now facing a downward trajectory, particularly among university-level students. During the 2025 tracking period, only one in seven students overall participated in online lessons or academic projects hosted by foreign institutions. Within the research university sector specifically, just 10% of students followed an online course offered by an international partner. This represents a clear decline compared to 2021, when 14% of university students engaged in such virtual learning initiatives.
Vocational college students, known in the Dutch system as HBO students, showed slightly higher resilience in virtual cross-border engagement, though they too experienced a minor dip. The proportion of vocational students participating in online international coursework slipped from 19% in 2021 down to 18% in the latest figures.
Despite the general retreat from standalone digital classrooms, remote learning tools continue to play a supporting role for students who embark on physical journeys abroad. CBS figures reveal that more than one-third—specifically 36%—of recent graduates who spent time studying physically outside the Netherlands also integrated an online learning component into their international experience, blending traditional travel with digital educational connectivity.
