The definitive numbers were published by the university last Friday. In total, there are 31,227 students registered as RUG students, including 6,513 first year students, which is the most ever.
The total is up 2.5 per cent over last year, when the RUG experienced a decline among new Dutch students. The report attributes the dip in the 2015/2016 academic year to the implementation of the loan system. ‘That seems to have been a one-time thing: a year on, it appears to have recovered.’
Explosive
Despite overall growth, the number of Dutch students is actually down by 64. But the international student numbers continue to rise dramatically: there are 756 more foreign students at the RUG this year than last. ‘The number of international students is still experiencing explosive growth.’
That goes for degree students from abroad in particular: 1,993 internationals joined the RUG this year. There are now 4,983 internationals pursuing their degree at the RUG, which is roughly 16 per cent of the total student population. The number of exchange students rose this year by 114 to 1,007.
The most internationals came from Germany (1,896), comprising nearly 40 per cent of the total international student population. British students (310) have actually overtaken the total of Chinese students (288) as the third most common nationality at the university.