Our previous newsletter noted the appointment of several new International Student Advisory Board (SAB) members. In this edition, we’d like to tell you a bit more about who they are and their activities.

This summer, the National Commission and SAB appointed nine new SAB members in consultation. The Board now consists of eleven enthusiastic and knowledgeable international students. New members were selected with an eye to ensuring a good balance between students at universities of applied sciences and other universities, from Europe and elsewhere. The definitive criterion was each candidate’s anticipated ability to function well within the group and to contribute to the achievement of SAB frameworks and goals. These goals include the provision of solicited and unsolicited advice to the Commission on all matters relating to the Code of Conduct and promoting awareness of the Code of Conduct among international students. See our website for biographies of individual SAB members.

The SAB has already held several meetings since the new members’ appointment, both in person and online. These meetings addressed a range of current topics including institutional tuition fees for non-EU students, differences in institutional approaches to exceptional circumstances such as war in a student’s home country, and information provision for prospective students regarding e.g. the Dutch housing market and internal complaints handling procedures at institutions. The SAB’s discussions offer valuable insights into international students’ worlds and the issues relevant to their studies in the Netherlands.