This has been revealed by a survey conducted by Statistics Netherlands. According to Statistics Netherlands, the increase is due to the rising number of university enrolments, and this in turn is mainly thanks to the high graduation rate of secondary school students.
Almost 100% of pre-university students were awarded passed their final exams last year. Moreover, because of the coronavirus crisis, some students who were planning on taking a gap year to travel decided to stay in the Netherlands and go to university instead.
However, the high number of university enrolments does not explain everything: 'The number of students leaving home to move to a university town increased not only in absolute, but also in relative terms', the researchers conclude.
Amsterdam and Utrecht
Students studying in Amsterdam were mostly likely to leave home: their number increased by 38 percent in that city. Utrecht followed closely behind with a 31 percent increase.
Leiden, Delft and Rotterdam also saw an increase, while Tilburg, Eindhoven and Wageningen remained at the same level. Enschede is the only city where the number of students living on their own decreased slightly. The survey did not take the living arrangements of students of universities of applied sciences into account.
This development means a reversal of the recent downward trend in the number of students leaving their parents’ homes. According to Statistics Netherlands, the fact that fewer students moved out in previous years had to do with the student loan system that was introduced in 2015. The system has made it more expensive for students to live independently.
