International students in the Netherlands are struggling to connect with their Dutch peers, find accommodation and may experience extreme stress and psychological problems, a survey has revealed.
The survey of 1,002 international students conducted by the National Student Union (ISO), Dutch Student Union (LSVb), and the Erasmus Student Network the Netherlands found that three-quarters (75.2%) would like more interaction with Dutch students.
A lack of opportunities to learn the Dutch language (according to 36.8%) was a contributing factor in their failure to do so.
“Internationalisation is more than just teaching in English”
Almost three-quarters of respondents also said that improvements need to be made in the area of housing.
Over a third (36%) indicated that they were rejected one or more times for accommodation because they were not from the Netherlands, while 35% had experienced having to pay more for accommodation than Dutch students on more than one occasion.
And while 68.9% said they were satisfied with the overall quality of teachers, some (27.2%) students survey said the felt that cultural differences are ignored in the classroom, with a fifth (22.1%) indicating that they felt their voice is heard ‘only slightly’ or ‘not at all’ at university.
“This is worrisome because the development of intercultural competence is crucial to internationalise in a responsible manner,” noted the survey’s authors.
“Internationalisation is more than just teaching in English and in this way it appears that the “International Classroom” is not yet being achieved everywhere.”
Alarmingly, almost half of respondents indicated that they experienced stress at very high levels, while 40% also said they had experienced moderate to extreme psychological problems.
A lack of information on how to deal with homesickness and getting professional help in regards to mental health was cited as two potential causes.
The number of international students in Dutch higher education has been increasing steadily for years. This academic year, 85,955 students from 170 countries enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s degree at a Dutch university – compared to 52,000 in 2010.
Speaking with The PIE News, president of ESN the Netherlands Lupe Flores Zuñiga said the results of the survey show that there is still a lot of work that can be done concerning the integration of international students in The Netherlands.
“74% of the master’s degrees are in English, which shows the universities are valuing internationalisation of higher education. however, when the internationals arrive, it’s difficult for them to find their way,” she said.
“We believe that the government and the higher education institutions carry a great responsibility here. For example, the paperwork that the students receive is partially in Dutch.”
“When the internationals arrive, it’s difficult for them to find their way”
Another topic that all international students should know about is the housing situation, Flores Zuñiga added.
“Many people may know that there is a big housing shortage, but what people might not know is how to find a room in The Netherlands. We have a very specific system, with a kind of audition for a room –’hospiteren’ – between 10-20 students.
“For international students who don’t know this system, it might come as a big and unpleasant surprise that they are invited with so many others at the same time,” she said.
“On all these issues, ESN is trying to inform the international students, [and] by getting help from the local students, we hope to integrate them in Dutch society and make them feel welcome.”
