Radboud University’s growth can largely be attributed to the popularity of (new) English-language programmes. The share of students registered for an English-language Bachelor’s programme has almost doubled since last year.

Definitive registration figures for Radboud University show that 3,381 students are registered this year for an English-language Bachelor’s programme. This is 27 percent of all Bachelor students. Last year’s percentage was much smaller: 15 percent.

It was expected that more students would choose an English-language programme. As of this year, Biology students and Computing Science students can only follow courses in English. But older English-language programmes are also winning in popularity – often at the expense of a coexisting Dutch track.
Psychology, for example, offers both a Dutch and an English track. This year more students registered for the English variant: 681 as opposed to 539 last year. Because the programme as a whole is subject to a numerus fixus, the growth of the English track compensates for the decline of its Dutch counterpart: those registrations decreased from 866 students last year to 734 this year.

The Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies decided to begin a completely new English-language Bachelor’s: Philosophy, Politics and Society. 34 students registered for this first English-language philosophy programme.

New building
The most spectacular growth spurt can be found at the School of Management, where both the Business Administration programme and the Economics and Business Economics programme have grown enormously: the former by 48 percent and the latter by as much as 122 percent (from 79 to 175 students). It should be noted that it’s not only the international students who take courses in English; these course are also increasingly popular with Dutch students.

Could this enormous growth have been predicted? Professor of Economics Eelke de Jong has to laugh at that question. ‘It would be great if we were in control. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.’

‘We are toying with the idea of also teaching first-year economics classes in English’

Nevertheless, this growth isn’t a complete surprise. De Jong points to the the end of decentralised selection two years ago, a method in which students had to write a letter of motivation and submit their grades. He also thinks the new Elinor Ostrom Building could help to explain the faculty’s growing popularity.

Most of the classes in Economics and Business Administration are given in English in the second and third year of the Bachelor programme. Only the first year is offered in Dutch. De Jong can’t predict how long that will continue. ‘But we are toying with the idea of also teaching first-year Economics classes in English.’

Fear
This resembles the situation at Biology, a programme that switched to English this year. But at this department they are puzzled: fewer students registered this year than in the past when the programme was offered in Dutch.

According to Director of Education Gert Jan Veenstra, the switch in language is not the cause of the decrease in students. What is? The numerus fixus. Many secondary school students were unfamiliar with the new selection method last year and registered too late as a result. The faculty expects to solve this problem with an extensive information campaign.

The biologists chose to implement a numerus fixus for the start of the English-language programme because of limited lab facilities. Moreover, the faculty was afraid that Biology, traditionally the biggest programme at the Faculty of Science, would be flooded by international students.

Computing Science, the other science programme that is offered this year in English for the first time, has grown considerably (from 304 to 386 Bachelor students). ‘In the past twenty years we haven’t had as many students as we now do,’ says Director of Education Tom Heskes. It’s worth noting that the increase can’t be attributed to more international students: 126 of the 160 first-year IT students are Dutch.

Of the other programmes offered by the Faculty of Science, only Physics, Mathematics and Science have not yet switched to complete English-language programmes.