Almost a quarter of students spend time abroad
Most students studying abroad stay for three months or longer
17 percent of students studying abroad stay for three months or longer. A smaller proportion – around 5 percent – go abroad for less than three months. For 2 percent of this group, the length of their stay abroad is unknown. Compared with four years ago (during the COVID-19 pandemic), students are more likely to go abroad for three months or longer. Among graduates in 2020/’21, this figure was 14 percent, and among graduates in 2021/’22, it was 11 percent.
| Examenjaar | At least three months (% of graduates) | Less than three months (% of graduates) | Unknown (% of graduates) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/'21 | 13.6 | 6.5 | 1.7 |
| 2021/'22 | 10.8 | 4.1 | 1.1 |
| 2022/'23 | 13.6 | 4.9 | 1.3 |
| 2023/'24 | 16.4 | 5.1 | 1.4 |
| 2024/'25 | 17.3 | 5.4 | 1.6 |
University students more likely than HBO students to spend three months or longer abroad
The number of students who went abroad for a longer period (three months or longer) was slightly higher among university students (nearly 18 percent) than among those in higher professional education (HBO) at 17 percent. Among HBO students who graduated in 2024/’25, this share was higher than the previous year, while among university students it remained the same. For both groups, the share has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels: due to travel restrictions, it was more difficult for students to gain experience abroad during the pandemic.
| Examenjaar | HBO (% of graduates) | University (% of graduates) |
|---|---|---|
| 2015/'16 | 21 | 24 |
| 2016/'17 | 24 | 24 |
| 2017/'18 | 24 | 24 |
| 2018/'19 | 24 | 25 |
| 2019/'20 | 23 | 22 |
| 2020/'21 | 16 | 11 |
| 2021/'22 | 11 | 11 |
| 2022/'23 | 12 | 15 |
| 2023/'24 | 15 | 18 |
| 2024/'25 | 17 | 18 |
One in seven students gains experience abroad through online activities
Graduates from the 2024/’25 academic year also gained experience abroad by participating in projects or courses provided online by educational institutions in other countries (14 percent). They may have participated in several online activities: 11 percent worked with students from a college or university, while 7 percent took online courses at an educational institution abroad. HBO students are more likely to gain experience abroad than those in university education: 18 percent compared to 10 percent. This difference is also seen among graduates in 2020/’21, when the shares were 17 percent and 14 percent respectively.
| HBO (% of graduates) | University (% of graduates) | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/'21 | 17 | 14 |
| 2021/'22 | 19 | 14 |
| 2022/'23 | 19 | 13 |
| 2023/'24 | 19 | 12 |
| 2024/'25 | 18 | 10 |
Over one-third of students combine their time abroad with online activities
Over one-third (36 percent) of those who graduated in 2024/’25 and spent some time abroad as part of their study programme, combined this with online activities provided by educational institutions abroad while they were in the Netherlands. That was slightly less than among those who graduated in 2020/’21, when the share was 41 percent. Combining time abroad with online activities is more common among HBO students (41 percent) than among university students (30 percent).Experience abroad helps students to expand knowledge and skills
According to graduates, spending time abroad or taking part in online activities provided by educational institutions abroad enhanced their knowledge of their own culture and other cultures (42 percent of respondents said this). They also reported that their self-reliance (41 percent), knowledge of their field of study (41 percent), language skills and the ability to adopt different perspectives (both 31 percent) improved as a result of their experience abroad. HBO students are more likely to mention improved knowledge of their field of study than university students (44 percent versus 37 percent) as a result of studying abroad.
| Vaardigheden | HBO (% of graduates) | University (% of graduates) |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge of their field of study, understanding of methods used or working practices abroad | 44 | 37 |
| Knowledge of own culture and other cultures | 44 | 41 |
| Self-reliance | 39 | 44 |
| Language skills | 33 | 28 |
| Being able to adopt different perspectives | 32 | 29 |
| Self-confidence | 23 | 25 |
| Critical view of one’s own social position and that of others | 18 | 22 |
| Open-mindedness | 16 | 18 |
| Flexibility | 13 | 14 |
| Perseverance | 11 | 13 |
| Knowledge of world politics and global issues | 8 | 13 |
| Other | 2 | 2 |
| Unknown | 1 | 1 |
| ¹⁾Time abroad and digital experience | ||
The skills that graduates acquired during their experience abroad differ between those who went abroad and those who gained experience online. Self-reliance, knowledge of their own culture and other cultures, knowledge of their field of study and insight into methods used or working practices abroad were mentioned more frequently by those who went abroad. The ability to adopt different perspectives was mentioned primarily by those who gained experience online abroad.
Sources
- StatLine - Studying abroad (in Dutch)