As of the coming academic year, students can no longer enrol in the English-language track, which for years accounted for “a very substantial share of total applications”, says Pim Teunissen, vice-dean of education at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, to Observant. “So we’re not surprised by the drop. We expected it.”
Phased out
The FHML Faculty Board decided in early 2025 to phase out the English-language track because of its high costs. Teaching materials had to be translated and students received Dutch language training throughout the programme. Another factor in the decision was that the University of Groningen had stopped admitting new students to its English-taught medicine track, which led to a surge in applications in Maastricht. “All of this means more work and expense”, Sylvia Heeneman, programme director of the Bachelor in Medicine, told Observant at the time.
Up to sixty students
The English-language track had space for up to sixty students each year. But that number was never reached, according to Teunissen, despite the high number of applications. Many international applicants were screened out before the selection process even started, often because they did not meet the previous education requirements. Every year, between forty and fifty students actually started the track, with the remaining places going to Dutch-speaking students.
The selection process for the coming academic year has now been completed. All 309 successful candidates have been notified that they can start studying in Maastricht this September – provided they obtain their secondary school diploma and, where necessary, brush up on their knowledge in time.