More students choosing university teacher training programmes
More students are training to become teachers at university, according to Universities of the Netherlands, the sector organisation representing Dutch universities. Leiden University offers a wide range of teacher training programmes for both primary and secondary education.
In the 2025-2026 academic year, enrolments in university teacher training programmes in the Netherlands increased by 13.5% compared with the previous year. Numbers rose for both primary and secondary teacher training programmes. This marks the second consecutive year of significant growth, following several years of declining enrolments.
Teacher training programmes at Leiden University
Leiden University offers various routes to gaining qualified teacher status. We have programmes for secondary school pupils, university students and graduates from research universities and universities of applied sciences. For more information about the different options, visit our teacher training website (in Dutch).
Teacher shortage
‘With the current teacher shortage, it’s excellent news that more students are choosing a university teacher training programme’, said President of the Universities of the Netherlands Caspar van den Berg. ‘Universities have introduced more programmes in recent years and worked hard to raise awareness of their teacher training opportunities. We’re now seeing the results.’
More than 2,000 new students
In secondary education, there were 2,029 new entrants to university teacher training programmes in the past academic year. The strongest growth was seen in one-year master’s programmes (21.5%). Numbers rose across all subject areas: by 6.8% in languages, 14% in the sciences and as much as 18% in the social sciences. In primary education, enrolments increased by 12.9%, resulting in 568 new entrants.
More teacher training opportunities
The growing number of people choosing to train as teachers can be attributed to universities’ efforts to raise awareness of their teacher training programmes and make them more flexible and attractive. For example, there are now more teacher training opportunities for students with a broad academic background and for those looking to change careers. Accelerated programmes and tailored learning pathways are also available, while the Alfa4all and Bèta4all career-change programmes focus on subjects facing teacher shortages. Universities and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science have also launched national campaigns to encourage more people to enrol in teacher training programmes.
Other measures needed to reduce teacher shortage
Despite the sharp rise in enrolments, teacher shortages remain significant: almost 5,800 FTE in primary education and around 2,200 FTE in secondary education (Source: Kamerbrief Lerarenstrategie, December 2025). To help address this shortage, universities will continue to invest in tailored solutions and high-quality programmes.
According to Universities of the Netherlands (in Dutch), the government can also play an important role by removing financial and other barriers for people considering a career in teaching. And, given the intensive nature of teacher training, the organisation argues that these programmes should have a different funding arrangement. It concludes by welcoming the recently announced National Talent Strategy, which places a strong emphasis on training more teachers.