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Table 5.1 Growth rates in the number of first-year students (male and female), 1975-2002
University
Number of first years
in 1975
Absolute growth
in %
Growth of the share
in %-points
Number of first years
in 2002
All students 19,502 + 84 35,810
Science 2,421 − 3 − 6 2,360
Engineering 2,610 + 71 − 1 4,470
Economics 1,493 + 329 + 10 6,400
HBO
All students 32,809 + 145 80,280
Engineering 9,926 + 39 − 13 13,810
Economics 1,950 + 1.312 + 28 27,540
Source: CBS, 1992, 1994, Statline
However, given the large increase in the total number of students, absolute growth is not the
whole story. We also look at the shares of the respective fields of study. The share indicates
whether new students have different choice patterns than students from previous years. If we
look at science and engineers there is a decrease in the share for university enrolment and a
larger decrease for HBO students. This suggests a shift of interest of first-year students away
from S&E fields towards, among others, economics.
Although not shown in the table above, the underlying figures for university students also show
an increase in the share of behavioural studies. Relatively, languages studies have lost
popularity. The shares for higher vocational education increased for health related subjects, at
the expense of the social and behavioural studies. The evolution of the shares of first-year
students can be seen in Figure 5.2 and Figure 5.3. If we look at the university students (Figure
5.2), the percentage of students choosing for science fields has decreased over the whole period.
While, in 1975, 13 % of students enrolled in science, this is 7 % today. The enrolment share of
engineering was quite stable, 14 % in 1975 and 13 % in 2002. In total, currently about one fifth
of the first year students, both in university and HBO, enrol in an S&E field (this is the first
arrow in the above figure). In contrast to S&E fields, social sciences have become increasingly
popular in the last 25 years. The share of students enrolling in economics increased from 8 % in
1975 to 18 % in 2002.
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