Update Executive Board: Impact of government cuts, drastic measures required
The Schoof cabinet has presented its budget. As expected, higher education is facing severe cuts. In the coming period, the Executive Board will regularly look at the consequences of what it deems an irresponsible policy.
As you are probably aware, the Dutch administration has announced significant cuts to university funding, and the Senate approved the plans on 8 April. This means that, alongside measures to reduce international student numbers, we will have to make an additional EUR 30 million in savings over the next five years.
The university is preparing to take legal action against the Dutch government for its unilateral termination of the administrative agreements. The government’s cost-cutting takes immediate effect, which means immediate measures are needed to keep our finances in good shape.
Read on to find out more about the new cuts at our university and the process for the coming period. We realise this is a tough message with a big impact on our students and staff, but given the developments we have no other option.
We want to do all we can to maintain the quality of our research and teaching and are working to cushion the blow for our students and staff. We will carefully consult the university’s representative bodies on our proposed decisions in both courses of action (see below).
Two components
The new savings needed roughly consist of two components: the process of ‘self governance’, together with the Universities of the Netherlands (UNL), which for us in Leiden entails cancelling the English track in the Psychology programme. We understand this proposed decision is a drastic one and raises many questions.
The Executive Board has also proposed a decision based on the advice of the university’s ‘Andere Tijden’ working group, which will have significant financial consequences for three university departments in particular. We will explain the two courses of action below.
International psychology track
To limit the effects of the Balanced Internationalisation Bill (Wet Internationalisering in Balans; WIB) and the TAO (Toets Anderstalig Onderwijs; an evaluation of whether permission will be granted to teach a programme in a language other than Dutch), the universities have chosen a process of ‘self-governance’.
This means universities can take their own measures to balance the internationalisation and anglicisation of their bachelor’s programmes and thus meet the wishes of politicians and society. This is on the condition that the government scraps the compulsory TAO for existing programmes from the bill. The results of this language evaluation would be uncertain and could mean even greater cuts for many more degree programmes.
Within the scope of this self-governance, the universities have jointly decided that all psychology degree programmes in the Randstad area of the Netherlands will be completely Dutch-taught. This means that – if the representative bodies approve this plan and from 1 September 2027 at the soonest – the English psychology track in Leiden will be phased out. Students who started the programme before that date will be able to complete their degree. At the same time, we think it is important to provide a strong boost to support and strengthen the Psychology institute and programme.
Huge impact
We are very aware that discontinuing the English psychology track will have a huge impact on the institute, the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences and the university as a whole. The Executive Board takes full responsibility for this proposed decision, which is part of the national WiB agreements that aim to ensure the existing bachelor’s programmes do not have to undergo the TAO.
We realise there will be questions about this difficult decision. The Executive Board greatly appreciates the Institute of Psychology and, in a time of urgent and complex challenges, would like to emphasise the essential role of social sciences research and teaching. The institute and programme have an excellent national and international reputation and attract a lot of talent.
Phase out gradually
The degree programme will gradually be phased out from the 2027 academic year at the soonest, so nothing will change at present for students and staff. The implementation period for the national measures gives us room to build a future for psychology. The Executive Board is committed to this and will work closely with the faculty and the institute to make it happen.
Proposed Executive Board decision following ‘Andere Tijden’ advice
The ‘Andere Tijden 2026’ working group has drawn up a list of proposed savings to the 2026 budget, increasing in the subsequent financial years (2026-2030).
The working group applied the following principles:
- Guarantee the quality and continuity of our research and teaching: this remains our highest priority;
- Minimise disruption to core tasks: the primary tasks of faculties should be affected as little as possible;
- Limit the effects for students and staff.
At the request of the Executive Board, the Andere Tijden working group reviewed several allocations in the Framework Memorandum, in addition to the regular allocation of funds for research and teaching across organisational units. These are previously allocated internal budgets for which there is no separate government funding, such as extra-curricular teaching.
Based on the working group’s advice, the Executive Board has reached the following decision:
- The specific allocation for the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) will be reduced by 50 per cent over four years;
- The specific allocations to the Academy of Creative and Performing Arts (ACPA) will be phased out. The current agreement between Leiden University and the University of the Arts The Hague will not be extended. We will discuss new agreements with the University of the Arts on the form and funding of PhDs. Current students will be able to finish their degree.
- The total size of the Honors Academy will be reduced by 50 percent over four years, starting from the 2026-2027 academic year. This means, among other things, that the organisation of Honours education will be reviewed and the offering will be adjusted.
- The specific allocations for the Dual PhD centre will be reduced by 5 per cent. This also applies to: the Netherlands Institute for the Near East (NINO); the Netherlands Institute in Turkey (NIT); the programme for schools (VWO-WO); the cost for para-university institutes (including ISSC for the Dutch Language Institute (Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal; INT); ‘Wetenschapsknooppunt’; and the ‘non-Western law’ allocation for the Van Vollenhoven Institute. This is in line with other cuts that will be made in the 2026-2030 Framework Memorandum.
Timeline and process
The institutes directly affected by the above measures have been informed by the Executive Board. We will remain in discussion with the affected boards and staff and will continue to develop the plans. This will be in consultation with the programme and departments affected.
We will offer help and support with the steps that need to be taken to phase out the activities and make the necessary savings. And we will also help chart a path for the future for the units that remain.
As the UNL we will also remain in close contact with the Minister of Education, Culture and Science about the results of the universities’ self-governance.
Previous cuts
The Executive Board has already made savings, so the first steps have already been taken toward keeping the university in the best possible financial shape in the years ahead, until the publication of the 2026-2030 Framework Policy.
The Executive Board previously decided to impose a target of 5 per cent on the central services and university expertise centres. This will mean cuts of 1.5 million in 2026, increasing to 6 million in 2029.
The Executive Board has also made savings by going for the so-called ‘low-hanging fruit’. These amount to the sum of 2m euros. Examples include savings in business trips abroad and hiring external staff and external venues. Aligning the opening hours of buildings in Leiden and The Hague and consolidating evening and weekend opening hours have also delivered significant savings.
Also see the updates of the Executive Board from 14 January and 28 January.