All applicants for the bachelor’s programme in Psychology go through a selection process. Currently, the 450 candidates with the highest scores are offered a place first (if they decline, the next person on the list is invited), and only then is their choice of track considered. Since its introduction, students – including native Dutch speakers – have consistently preferred the English-taught track. In 2024, 330 out of 401 students chose the English track, while just 71 opted for the Dutch-taught track.
From the 2026/27 academic year, applicants will first be asked which track they wish to follow. The selection process itself will remain unchanged, but each track will have its own ranking list, with 300 places available per track. The faculty still aims to admit 450 first-year students in total, but since some applicants inevitably decide to study elsewhere, more candidates are invited than there are places available. FPN hopes this new system will result in more students enrolling in the Dutch track.
The change was made possible by an amendment passed last year in the House of Representatives, proposed by VVD Member of Parliament Claire Martens-America. This amendment allows universities to impose capacity restrictions on individual tracks within a degree programme. Previously, such restrictions could only be imposed on entire programmes.
At the latest Faculty Council meeting, where the proposal was discussed, members asked what would happen if one of the tracks failed to attract enough applicants. “In that case, the remaining places will go to the other track”, explained Vice Dean for Education Anke Sambeth. She also reassured the Faculty Council that there are enough Dutch-speaking tutors available should the Dutch track see the desired increase in student numbers. There are no concerns about admitting students who would not have passed the selection process previously, as the scores in the middle range are generally similar.