4. Educational programmes featuring AI
4.1 Key figures AI in education
The key figures for educational programmes featuring AI are the number of enrolled students and the number of graduates. These are listed in table 4.1.1 along with the total of all enrolled students and graduates in the Netherlands. The table distinguishes between two categories: ‘AI-broad’ programmes and ‘AI-narrow’ programmes. ‘AI-broad’ involves a selection26) of all educational programmes in which AI is addressed as part of a broader curriculum. ‘AI-narrow’ consists of educational programmes where AI is a central theme. AI-narrow is thus a subset of AI-broad.
| 2018/'19 | 2019/'20 | 2020/'21 | 2021/'22 | 2022/'23 | 2023/'24 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enrolled | Total | 1256950 | 1282500 | 1339620 | 1348170 | 1314010 | 1283970 |
| Enrolled | AI-broad** | 84780 | 88930 | 99520 | 103940 | 105780 | 103960 |
| Enrolled | AI-narrow | 3430 | 4100 | 5030 | 5740 | 6410 | 7130 |
| Graduated | Total | 310540 | 314210 | 332770 | 321770 | 330200 | |
| Graduated | AI-broad** | 14590 | 15350 | 17800 | 17640 | 19990 | |
| Graduated | AI-narrow | 580 | 790 | 1020 | 1060 | 1350 | |
| *provisional figures **AI-broad includes AI-narrow | |||||||
The number of students currently enrolled is many times greater than the number of graduates. This is because enrolled students include both first-year students and senior students, while graduates are exclusively senior students at the end of their studies.
The table set for this chapter contains too much data for the scope of this chapter. We have presented the key findings below.
4.2. Explanation of choices made
4.2.1. Selection of educational programmes
For this chapter, we made a selection of educational programmes with an AI component as well as programmes where AI is at the core of the curriculum. This selection was based on the international classification for classifying education of UNESCO. Within this classification, educational programmes are grouped based on their content. This is done at three levels: broad field, narrow field and detailed field. Statistics Netherlands has further subdivided the detailed fields by section. Some of these sections contain programmes from a single type of education, while others contain programmes from multiple types of education. We selected the AI programmes based on these sections. The reason for this is that tracking individual programmes over time can be difficult. Programmes can be split up into components or their names can be changed, for example, and keeping track of these changes is time-consuming. Not only that, but new educational programmes are added every year. These would all have to be assessed to ascertain whether they are AI programmes. This is unnecessary when looking at sections, as the division of programmes into sections has already been done.
We have opted for two delineations of AI programmes based on sections. The category of ‘AI-narrow’ corresponds to the section ‘artificial intelligence and knowledge technology’, which consists solely of educational programmes where AI is the core component. The category of ‘AI-broad’ consists of AI-narrow, supplemented by programme sections where AI is part of the curriculum but not central to it. Statistics Netherlands made an initial selection of sections for ‘education featuring AI’ (AI-broad) in consultation with the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO). These sections were then supplemented with programmes from an inventory of AI programmes by the Netherlands AI Coalition (NLAIC) from 2022. Finally, in consultation with TNO, we selected sections ‘in which there is room for AI-related skills.’
The sections and underlying programmes included in AI-broad are listed in this table set. The selection of these sections has a major effect on both the scope and development of AI-broad. However, for follow-up analyses, the AI-broad selection still needs to be finalised with input from subject matter experts.
4.2.2. Enrolments and graduates
In this chapter, we present figures on student enrolment in educational programmes featuring AI. In order to ensure that this large amount of information remains easy to read, the figures on graduates27) are only included in the table set on education featuring AI. When interpreting these figures, it should be noted that changes in the number of first-year students are not immediately evident for various reasons. In the case of the figures on enrolled students, it is because they include not only first-year students but also more senior students. With the figures on graduates, it is because these refer to students at the end of their studies.
4.2.3. Different table sets
Information on enrolled students and graduates is presented separately in the table set that accompanies this report, because these groups cannot be meaningfully compared within the same academic year. Additionally, there are separate tables for secondary vocational education (MBO) and higher education (HO), as these types of education have different subdivisions. MBO is divided by level of education; within higher education, distinctions are made between international- and non-international students, as well as the form of education (full-time, part-time).
4.3. Growth of education featuring AI
AI-narrow is a subset of AI-broad. Educational programmes that fall within AI-broad, but not within AI-narrow, are referred to here as ‘AI-applied’. The number of people enrolled in AI-narrow were a very small proportion (4 to 7 percent) of the total number of AI students (AI-broad).
| jaar | AI-narrow (total students enrolled) | AI-applied (total students enrolled) |
|---|---|---|
| 2018/'19 | 3430 | 81350 |
| 2019/'20 | 4100 | 84830 |
| 2020/'21 | 5030 | 94490 |
| 2021'/22 | 5740 | 98200 |
| 2022/'23 | 6410 | 99370 |
| 2023'/24 | 7130 | 96830 |
| AI-broad is the total of AI-narrow and AI-applied * provisional figures | ||
The number of students enrolled in AI-broad increased from 2018/'19 to 2022/23'. In 2023/'24, the number of students enrolled was similar to that of the previous year. The total number of enrolled students in the Netherlands also increased during this period, but this increase was less pronounced than that in the number of students in AI-broad.
The number of students in AI-narrow doubled from 2018/'19 to 2023/'24. Each year, it increased more than the total number of students did, as well as more than the number of students in AI-broad. There was also no stagnation as seen with AI-broad. The category of AI-narrow was clearly on the rise, although actual student numbers in AI-narrow remained relatively low (see Figure 4.3.1).
| schooljaar | Total in the Netherlands (index (2018/'19 = 100)) | AI broad (index (2018/'19 = 100)) | AI narrow (index (2018/'19 = 100)) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018/'19 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 2019/'20 | 102 | 105 | 120 |
| 2020/'21 | 107 | 117 | 147 |
| 2021/'22 | 107 | 123 | 167 |
| 2022/'23 | 105 | 125 | 187 |
| 2023/'24 | 102 | 123 | 208 |
| * provisional figures | |||
4.4.Most AI students in IT General
AI-broad had a total of 103,960 enrolled students28) in the 2023/'24 academic year. These were distributed between several fields of study and the underlying programmes. A section can contain programmes from different education types (MBO, higher vocational education (HBO) and university education (WO)), but this is not the case for every section.
Within AI-broad, ‘information technology general’ was the largest section in 2023/'24 for both HBO and WO students (34 thousand), followed by ‘marketing & commercial economics’ (21 thousand) with mainly HBO students. The section ‘application building & programming’ consisted of mostly MBO students. This section included a new MBO programme called ‘software developer’, which managed to draw a lot of students (see further in this section). 'Artificial intelligence & knowledge technology' (i.e. AI-narrow) ranked fourth among the selected AI sections with 7 thousand students enrolled.
| Onderwijsrubriek | University (x 1,000) | HBO (x 1,000) | MBO (x 1,000) |
|---|---|---|---|
| General information technology | 11.06 | 22.97 | 0 |
| Marketing, commercial economics | 1.24 | 19.41 | 0 |
| Application building and programming | 0.14 | 0.71 | 10.42 |
| Artificial intelligence and knowledge technology (AI-narrow)> | 6.57 | 0.56 | 0 |
| Industrial process automatisation | 0.84 | 1.82 | 3.72 |
| Mathematics | 5.04 | 0.91 | 0 |
| Econometrics | 4.89 | 0 | 0 |
| Technical industrial design | 4.57 | 0 | 0 |
| Computer technology and computer engineering | 3.7 | 0.31 | 0 |
| Business information technology | 1.43 | 1.71 | 0 |
| Biochemistry, biological laboratory technology | 0.46 | 1.47 | 0 |
| * provisional figures | |||
Student numbers for most sections remained stable over the period starting in 2018/'19. The four largest sections were the main determinants in the development of AI-broad. ‘Information technology general' steadily increased from 2018/'19 to 2022/'23, after which the number of students in this section stagnated. The number of students in 'marketing & commercial economics' decreased slightly, starting in 2020/'21. The aforementioned new MBO programme ‘software developer’ started in 2019/’20 within the section ‘application building & programming.’ As a result, the number of students within this section increased substantially, although its contribution within the AI-broad total remained small. AI-narrow was ranked fourth and steadily increased in student numbers over these five years.
| jaar | General information technology (x 1,000) | Marketing, commercial economics (x 1,000) | Artificial intelligence and knowledge technology (AI-narrow) (x 1,000) | Application building and programming (x 1,000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018/'19 | 29.34 | 23.02 | 3.43 | 0.92 |
| 2019/'20 | 31.42 | 23.44 | 4.1 | 0.6 |
| 2020/'21 | 34.01 | 24.27 | 5.03 | 4.82 |
| 2021/'22 | 34.88 | 23.65 | 5.74 | 7.99 |
| 2022/'23 | 35.16 | 22.24 | 6.41 | 10.53 |
| 2023/'24 | 34.04 | 20.65 | 7.13 | 11.27 |
| * provisional figures | ||||
4.5.Profile of AI students
Generally speaking, AI students were men29) studying full-time for a Bachelor’s or Master's degree.
Within AI-broad, the proportion of women was around 22 percent during the period investigated. The majority of students were enrolled in Bachelor’s or Master's degree programmes, although the new MBO programme of ‘software developer’ did cause a marked increase in the number of MBO students. In higher education, AI-broad programmes were taken almost exclusively full-time (95 percent) in 2023/’24; part-time and dual education were very rare.
Students in AI-narrow were similar in this regard, except that the proportion of women was slightly higher, hovering between 31 and 34 percent. Students in AI-narrow studied exclusively full-time and were enrolled in an Bachelor’s or Master’s programme. The number showed no meaningful change over the period.
4.6. International AI students
4.6.1. Number of international AI students increases
As international students are distinguished only within higher education, comparisons with non-international students are made only for this type of education.
| index (2018/'19 = 100) | Total, higher education (index (2018/'19 = 100)) | AI-broad (index (2018/'19 = 100)) | AI-narrow (index (2018/'19 = 100)) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018/'19 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 2019/'20 | 110 | 119 | 143 |
| 2020/'21 | 121 | 139 | 186 |
| 2021/'22 | 134 | 163 | 234 |
| 2022/'23 | 142 | 186 | 267 |
| 2023/'24 | 149 | 203 | 322 |
| * provisional figures | |||
There were 128 thousand international students enrolled in higher education in the 2023/'24 academic year (see here); 18 thousand within AI-broad and 2500 within AI-narrow. That year, the proportion of international students in higher education was 16 percent (see: here). It was 20 percent within AI-broad and 35 percent within AI-narrow. Thus, AI students in higher education were relatively often international students.
The number of international students increased sharply over these years (see figure 4.6.1.1). Between 2018/'19 and 2023/'24, international enrolment increased by 49 percent. Within both AI-broad (including AI-narrow) and AI-narrow, international enrolment increased more rapidly than overall enrolment (see figure 4.6.1.1). Enrolment increased by 103 percent (i.e., more than doubled) for AI-broad and by 222 percent (i.e., more than tripled) for AI-narrow.
The proportion of women within the group of international AI students remained unchanged at 33 percent; slightly higher than the proportion of women within non-international AI students (22 percent).
4.6.2. International AI students choose different programmes
The proportion of international students in AI-related educational programmes (AI-broad) in higher education was 20 percent in 2023/'24 (see 4.6.1). That proportion varied widely by section.
The sections (AI-broad) with the highest numbers of enrolled AI students (both international and non-international) were ‘information technology general’, and ‘marketing & commercial economics’ (see figure 4.4.1). International students were more likely to choose different educational programmes and often ended up in ‘computer technology & computer engineering’ and ‘artificial intelligence & knowledge technology’ (i.e. AI-narrow). Consequently, the student population in these sections was more international in nature.
| Rubriek, 2023/'24 | non-international (% enrolled students) | international (% enrolled students) |
|---|---|---|
| AI-breed (hoger onderwijs) | 80 | 20 |
| Computer technology and computer engineering | 47 | 53 |
| Artificial intelligence and knowledge technology (AI-narrow)> | 65 | 35 |
| Mathematics | 73 | 27 |
| Econometrics | 76 | 24 |
| Business information technology | 80 | 20 |
| General information technology | 80 | 20 |
| Technical industrial design | 81 | 19 |
| Industrial process automatisation | 84 | 16 |
| Biochemistry, biological laboratory technology | 89 | 11 |
| Marketing, commercial economics | 91 | 9 |
| Application building and programming | 92 | 8 |
| * provisional figures | ||
27) When determining the field of study for students who obtained multiple diplomas within one academic year, the AI-narrow diploma was given priority first, followed by AI-broad, then other diplomas (i.e. no AI diploma).
28) The AI-broad group consists of a number of sections. The selection has a major effect on the figures and developments. Finalisation of the selection will be required for any follow-up research.
29) Gender ‘unknown’ was not included in the comparisons. This group was included in the total number of students, however. It is a small group (less than 100 enrolled) that occurs only among international students in the 2022/'23 and 2023/'24 academic years.