The number of non-Belgian students enrolled at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) continues to rise. However, efforts to reign in internationalisation could affect it dramatically.
Enrolment figures at the VUB continue to grow, including among international students. The university has experienced an 11% rise in non-Belgian students in the last year, many from neighbouring European countries. Overall, the university's population spans 145 countries.
"We are a university in Brussels – the capital of Europe. So there is significant potential here for English-language undergraduate programmes," VUB Chancellor Jan Danckaert told The Brussels Times.
The English-language Bachelor's in Business Economics has grown most significantly in popularity, with enrolments in this programme increasing by 30%. Social Sciences and Linguistics & Literature degrees also attract many students.
The region's large international community is a key driver. "Many young people are obviously looking for higher education courses, and mostly in English," he said. "However, we also see that some Belgian students capable of following classes in Dutch are opting for these English-language courses because of their international character."
Curbing internationalisation
While students are consciously choosing English-language programmes, Danckaert stressed that this has not happened at the expense of the Dutch-language ones. "The Dutch-language equivalents are not suffering. Enrolments in these have either remained stable or have even grown slightly."
Universities in the region are increasingly on the defence when it comes to English-language courses, as the Flemish Government has been pushing back on the trend to stop higher education from being "de-Dutchified".
Recently, the parties negotiating the formation of the next Flemish Government (N-VA, Vooruit and CD&V) stated they are considering further reining in internationalisation by curbing the intake of non-European students with a funding cap. The heavily internationalised VUB as well as KU Leuven stand to lose funds.
VUB Campus in Etterbeek. Credit: Lauren Walker / The Brussels Times
Danckaert laments the idea of a funding cap. "Dutch is and remains important for the VUB," he said. "But naturally, for any university, its international character is also important. We consider it important to continue offering courses with an international focus."
He also points to a contradiction in the proposal: "The Flemish Government facilitates the recruitment of highly skilled non-EU workers because Belgian companies need them. But in the same coalition programme, they make it harder for universities to train those people here."
Growing student body
If the current growth rate continues in the second enrolment period (from 1 December until February 2025 for the second semester), the number of people taking classes at the university will exceed 25,000 for the first time in its history. And this figure is only expected to grow, according to Sofie Daniëls, policy officer of the VUB Data Office.
"The number of 18- to 24-year-olds will continue to rise until 2033, an expected growth of 13% over ten years," she said. "Add to that the increasing participation rate in higher education, with more and more students making the move to higher education, and you know it will only keep growing."
While the university welcomes the increased intake, it does bring new challenges: the current infrastructure and support are gradually reaching their limits. Meanwhile, higher student figures do not always translate into successful study performances.
"Improving study yield, mainly through counselling and reorientation, is the main priority in the university's education policy," the VUB noted.
