Campus France welcomes 57 Dutch and French institutions to strengthen strategic partnerships

An event within a 5-year dynamic and a context of alignment of French and Dutch national strategies
 

This Franco-Dutch cooperation day is part of the strategic action plan (2025-29) between Campus France and its counterpart agency Nuffic. Signed in November 2023 in Delft, it reflects the Dutch government's wish to intensify the promotion of studies in France, with a view to rebalancing mobility flows between our two countries. This is in line with France's strategy to boost European student mobility and reach the target of 500,000 international students by 2027.

At the same time, discussions in Paris aim to bring together key players from both countries, to deepen understanding of the respective higher education systems, and to encourage exchanges of perspectives on issues such as internationalization, international cooperation, funding for research and innovation, and the promotion of European values in science and education.

This event in Paris will be the 4th in a series of actions that have been designed and carried out collectively with the two embassies, Campus France and Nuffic :

• A conference held in February 2024 by the French Ambassador to the Netherlands, Mr. François Alabrune, where he presented opportunities for cooperation to French institutions ;

• A matchmaking session on the sidelines of the EAIE in Toulouse in September 2024 ;
• The publication of a “Focus Netherlands” in December 2024 to provide French institutions with keys to understand the Dutch system.

Download the "Focus Pays-Bas"

These actions will continue in 2026 with a visit by a delegation of Dutch university presidents to France and a recruitment tour of French institutions in the Netherlands.

The Franco-Dutch cooperation day is also organized within the framework of the Circle of French and Dutch university presidents, initiated during the mission to the Netherlands of a delegation of French university presidents. This circle provides a strategic platform for exchanging views on common global challenges, objectives and collaborations.

The significant participation of Dutch and French players in Paris confirms the growing and reciprocal interest between the two countries in the academic and scientific fields.
 

A program focused on balanced mobility and European strategic autonomy in key innovation sectors
 

The participants will be received on 2nd of April by the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in France, M. Jan Versteeg. They will continue their discussions on 3rd of April at Campus France with a program featuring :

• Two presentations: comparison of the 2 higher education systems and trends in student mobility between France and the Netherlands ;
• Two round-tables: “Shaping balanced mobility in the European higher education area” and “Strengthening European technological autonomy”.

An afternoon of bilateral meetings between representatives of French and Dutch institutions.

On April 4th, part of the Dutch delegation will visit the Université Paris-Saclay campus, a true symbol of research excellence in France. During their visit, they will have the opportunity to meet with the Institut polytechnique de Paris and the Université de Paris-Saclay.
 

Key figures
 

Outgoing mobility of Dutch students
 

• According to the latest Unesco figures (2022), 18,000 Dutch students were on an international degree-seeking mobility in 2022. 61% of them chose an EU country as a destination. France is their 8th most popular destination.
• In 2023/24, France welcomed almost 1,600 Dutch students[1], a figure that has risen by 10% in 5 years. Half of them are enrolled at university. Of these, 56% are studying for bachelor's degrees, 37% for master's degrees and 8% for doctorates.
   

Netherlands as a host country

• The Netherlands welcomed 128,000 international students in 2023-24[2] (+53% in 5 years). Of these, 70% will study at research universities and 30% at universities of applied sciences.
• With 4,860 enrolled in 2023-24[3], French students represent the 9th largest contingent of international students in the Netherlands.

[1] Data from the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR/SIES)

[2] Nuffic data for international students who have obtained their secondary school certificate in another country and are enrolled in a full degree or master's programme in the Netherlands, and therefore do not include doctoral students or university exchanges.

[3] Nuffic data