Students going Dutch for university preferences
MORE students in Guernsey are opting to study at universities abroad rather than staying in the UK.
This academic year, 13 pupils opted to study abroad – almost double the number for 2015/6 and 2016/7, in which seven did the same.
Although the States of Guernsey only funds pupils applying for grants up to the UK university equivalent amount, countries such as the Netherlands offer far less expensive further and higher educational courses.
Earlier this summer 14 Year 12 students visited five universities throughout the Netherlands, sponsored by ABN AMRO, and were able to review the facilities and wide range of course options available as an alternative to the usual route of pursuing tertiary education in the UK.
The 14 students on the trip are interested in a variety of subjects, including law, liberal arts and science, international relations, history and psychology
Nicola Papworth, assistant director of sixth form at the Grammar School and Sixth Form Centre, accompanied the students on the trip to Maastricht, Tilburg, Utrecht, Leiden and Groningen.
‘The visits proved to be an excellent fact-finding opportunity for our Year 12s as the universities we saw all have excellent reputations and the courses our students are interested in taking are conducted in English.
‘They are also very good value – less than half the tuition fees of an equivalent degree in the UK,’ she said.
Graham Thoume, managing director of ABN AMRO Channel Islands and Dutch Consul in the islands, confirmed this was the second of three years in which the bank is funding the students’ trips.
‘After 25 years working for ABN AMRO, I have become very familiar with the high educational standards offered in Holland.
‘Studying at a Dutch university is a fantastic opportunity to learn about a new culture and experience life in a continental European country, alongside studying towards a degree or diploma,’ he said.
