International policy

Dutch university education and research is not only qualitatively of a high standard but also very internationally oriented. All Dutch research universities are represented in international networks and cooperate with universities from around the world. Dutch universities offer their students and staff an international environment and actively stimulate them to spend some time abroad. International offices provide students with advice, and increasingly universities offer joint degree programmes with prestigious universities abroad. University curricula are topical and developed with view to international developments, taking into account the diversity of the student population. These aspects of an international education come together in international classrooms, in which Dutch and international students study together, taught by international and Dutch staff according to internationally topical curricula.

The Dutch research universities are committed to sustainable development and poverty reduction. They actively support the millenium development goals. The Dutch research universities believe that cooperation with developing countries is not a one-sided undertaking but, like any international cooperation, a mutual engagement benefiting all partners.