The decision was driven by the high costs associated with the International Track in Medicine, which was officially renamed “Bachelor of Medicine” in 2022. Students take Dutch language courses throughout the bachelor’s programme – a requirement for admission to the Dutch-taught master’s programme, the English equivalent of which was previously discontinued. “The substantial costs of these language courses and other expenses, such as having teaching materials translated, are covered by the education budget”, explains Sylvia Heeneman, programme coordinator for the bachelor’s programme in Medicine.
The higher costs of the international track have been felt even more strongly since the Ministry of Education imposed a reduction in the numerus fixus enrolment quota. As a result, seven fewer students can now enrol in the bachelor’s programme in Medicine each year. The total annual intake of the English and Dutch tracks taken together is just over three hundred students. “While this may not sound like a significant reduction, it has a major impact on the faculty budget”, says Heeneman. “This is a highly subsidised, six-year programme, so losing even a single student results in a considerable financial shortfall.”
On top of that, the University of Groningen discontinued the English-language track of its bachelor’s programme in medicine. Like Maastricht, Groningen originally launched the track to educate students funded by the Saudi Arabia King Abdullah Scholarship Programme in The Netherlands. “Since Groningen’s decision, we’ve seen a sharp rise in applications for our track, which means more people undergoing the admissions and selection procedure. At the same time, we can no longer work together with Groningen on certain aspects of the programme. All of this means more work and expense.”
Surprise
These factors led the FHML Institute of Education’s Board of Directors, which includes FHML programme directors, to request the Faculty Board to stop admitting these “expensive” English-speaking students, also in light of the anticipated budget cuts in Dutch higher education. The Faculty Board agreed, after consulting the Education Programme Committee Medicine and the Faculty Council. “The earliest we can discontinue the track is September 2026, as the selection procedure for the upcoming academic year is already underway”, explains Heeneman. Current students and those who start next academic year will still be able to complete their bachelor’s in English.
As the decision was made “quite recently”, prospective students attending this Saturday’s Open Day may be in for an unpleasant surprise: the English-language track is still being advertised on the university website. “We’ll need to communicate clearly with prospective students on Saturday, and update the website.”
Internationalisation debate
The discontinuation of the track, which admits around fifty students per year, means that all 309 available places will be allocated to the Dutch-language bachelor’s programme from the 2026-2027 academic year onwards. FHML’s decision could be seen as a response to the national debate on the internationalisation of Dutch higher education. Last year, the coalition government announced plans to limit the intake of international students. According to Heeneman, however, the decision is unrelated. “The bachelor’s programme will still be open to international students, but they will need to meet the minimum language requirement – B2 level Dutch – before enrolling.”
Heeneman adds that she is “very sad to see the English-language track go. It has also given us so much. It has made our student body more diverse, which has been a valuable learning experience for both staff and students. It has also helped us build international connections. All our teaching materials are available in English, which makes it easier to exchange information, and we regularly host institutions interested in educational innovation.” The track was also the only English-taught programme at UM where students received intensive Dutch language training and prepared them for a Dutch-taught master’s – something some coalition parties have actually been advocating for. “In that sense, our track actually set a good example.”