Students are not always opting for the course that is best for them, leading to high dropout figures and a lack of professionals in other sectors that are currently struggling, a government report into the efficiency of higher education has said.

In the 2021-2022 academic year some 30% of first year hbo and university students either dropped out or switched course, a figure that has remained more or less the same over the years. Around 34% of first year hbo students quit compared to 25% of first year university students.

Stricter selection for courses with a high drop-out rate could be part of the solution, as well as a compulsory “taster period” and higher fees for master’s degrees, the report said.

The report said the move away from “academic drift” where students choose university over more practical education, even if they would be better suited to the type of studies offered there, is a very difficult one to engineer.

But the current situation will lead to fewer professionals in sectors where they are needed most, such as teaching, healthcare and the technical professions, the report said.

Policies must also be aimed at encouraging international students to stay in the country, the researchers said, for instance by enabling them to learn Dutch.

At the moment some 24% of international students are still living and working in the Netherlands five years after concluding their studies. Students from outside the EU are more likely to stay than EU students, at 38% and 18% respectively.

The new government, however, wants to cut the number of foreign students drastically.