Campus

More international students come to Delft

This year saw a sharp increase in the number of international Master’s students: up by 17% to 1,543. There are 14% more students from the EU and 20% more from non-EU countries.

There are around 800 international Bachelor’s students and 3,300 Master’s students at TU Delft. (Photo: OWee)

According to the Head of the International Office, Chantal Brokerhof, the reason for the increase is unclear. “It could be that people have more money to spend studying in the EU. The degree programmes and their quality are also a factor. People hear about TU Delft from their professors or from students who are already studying here.”


In total, there are around 800 international Bachelor’s students and 3,300 Master’s students at TU Delft.


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The increase in the number of Indian first-year Master’s students is particularly marked: up from 219 in 2016 to 365 this year. This means that the Chinese, who saw a slight increase to 237, are no longer in first place. “Chinese students are now focusing more on China itself,” says Brokerhof. She is interested in exploring which faculties and degree programmes the Indian students are choosing.


The number of British Master’s students has risen from 9 to 39 in the space of five years. “This could be in advance of Brexit, when studying will become more expensive for them. But I actually think that it is mainly the degree programme and its quality that influences the choice.”


High numbers of first-year Bachelor’s students


This academic year saw a total of 5,327 students start studying at TU Delft for the first time. That is a 12% increase compared to the last academic year and exceeds the national average of 10%. There was a 9% increase in Bachelor’s students, a 20% increase in Master’s students and a 22% increase in bridging students (e.g. transferring from higher professional education).


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The figures do not include students changing programmes, continuing onto a Master’s programme and students who formally pay their tuition fees at other universities, such as students of Molecular Science & Technology. If these are included, the total intake was 8,135 students.


The increase has come as a surprise to TU Delft. There were more new Bachelor’s students than would have been expected based on preliminary registrations. September was a particularly popular month for late enrolments. The University has no official explanation for this. According to policy officer Eric Logtenberg, it was thought that the student loan system may be a factor, forcing students to stay living at home for longer and opting to study in their local (in this case densely-populated) region. However, this was not borne out by the figures.

News editor Connie van Uffelen

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c.j.c.vanuffelen@tudelft.nl

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