STEM and Healthcare Drive Flemish College Enrollment Growth

STEM fields and healthcare programs are emerging as the biggest growth areas at Flemish colleges (hogescholen) for the 2026-2027 academic year, according to early enrollment figures reported by the VRT NWS. The trends, based on self-reported data from individual colleges, point to a clear student shift toward technical and care-related studies that map directly onto Flanders’ most persistent labor shortages.

“STEM programs are booming,” said Karel de Grote Hogeschool (KdG) in Antwerp, where enrollment has roughly doubled across nearly all STEM disciplines. The largest increases came in chemistry and in medical imaging and radiotherapy.

Technical Growth Across Flanders

The pattern extends well beyond Antwerp. PXL in Hasselt reported strong growth in technical programs such as industrial electromechanics, construction calculation, and site management. Isabelle Claeys of HOGENT noted that “chemistry, biotechnology and pharmaceutical programs stand out, but construction programs are popular too — so that is good news for the labor market.” AP Hogeschool, meanwhile, recorded rising new-student numbers in nearly all technology programs, which Geert Gooskens, head of the Industry & Environment department, called “a boost for the port and the broad technical sector.”

Those fields align with the 10 most persistent shortage occupations (knelpuntberoepen) in Flanders. The full alphabetical list is: accountant, construction calculator, industrial electromechanic, machine operator, horticulture worker, technician for construction, agricultural and lifting machinery, industrial maintenance manager, nurse, truck driver, and site manager. Government policy provides extra financial support for studies pointed toward these roles.

Laboratory Assistant Program Sees Sharp Rise

One of the most striking risers is the graduate (graduaat) program to become a laboratory assistant. UCLL, AP, and HOGENT have offered the track since last year and report student numbers up by roughly half on average. UCLL described it as “good news for a labor market that urgently needs laboratory assistants,” noting the role is a shortage occupation in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, food, and chemistry. HOGENT has invited companies and organizations to offer internship placements.

The bachelor’s program in biomedical laboratory technology is also growing at HOGENT, UCLL, Thomas More, KdG, and Howest. Tom Fleerackers, KdG’s director of Science and Technology, said these graduates “find a job very quickly. Within the Life Sciences they are actively looking for this profile of doers. That is different for people with a research profile — there we see some companies moving their research to other countries.”

Nursing Shows Encouraging Signs

Nursing — also on the shortage list — delivered hopeful signals. Arteveldehogeschool, UCLL, Erasmushogeschool, and Howest all reported increases, while KdG saw enrollment rise by a quarter. VIVES recorded growth in both its Dutch- and English-language variants, calling the trend “relevant in a sector where the need for qualified care professionals remains high and demand for care continues to rise.” Care programs in orthopedagogy, audiology, and speech therapy also grew at VIVES and Arteveldehogeschool.

IT and Teacher Training Present a Mixed Picture

IT programs showed a split picture, with some performing well and others seeing slower enrollment — possibly reflecting fears that AI could take over certain jobs. Bram Rotthier, who directs tech programs at Odisee, argued that “routine tasks disappear when AI can take them over. But precisely for that reason a program like Electronics-ICT remains relevant.” He said demand is growing for professionals “who look beyond execution, who understand technology, deploy it critically, and help shape it themselves.”

Teacher training, by contrast, saw declines in some areas. Odisee reported its lowest enrollment in five years, which Gert Naesseens, director of teacher training there, linked to a pipeline change: students with a labor-market-finality diploma in secondary education can no longer start directly and must first complete a general seventh year. AP Hogeschool attributed declines in primary and nursery education to stricter rules on bursary students and reduced VDAB support for career-changers.

Lifelong Learning Gains Ground

Flanders lags internationally on lifelong learning, but PXL offered a hopeful signal: almost one in four of its students is 25 or older. “In economically uncertain times, people keep investing in themselves,” said general director Ben Lambrechts. “The classic image of the student who starts at 18 and leaves the school benches for good after one diploma is over.” VIVES reported that just over a quarter of its students are over 25, with similar shares at Odisee campuses in Aalst and Sint-Niklaas.

A Sector Under Growing Pressure

The growth is part of a broader pattern. According to the Vlaamse Hogescholenraad, Flemish colleges counted 169,380 students on 1 October 2025 — an increase of nearly 12,000, or 7.61 percent, over the previous year. Graduate programs alone reached 32,859 students, nearly doubling since 2020 and now accounting for almost one-fifth of all college students. Eric Vermeylen, secretary-general of the sector body, said graduate programs “train students quickly and purposefully for profiles in high demand,” adding that the priority is to maintain quality and embed workplace learning well.

That rapid growth is outpacing Flanders’ higher-education funding model. In a Flemish Parliament committee session on 28 May 2026, lawmakers from across parties raised concerns about overcrowded lecture halls, limited internship capacity, and a narrowing of assessment methods, with more multiple-choice exams and fewer oral and interactive formats. Education Minister Zuhal Demir acknowledged the tension, noting that larger student groups “demand a different way of working” and that institutions must also adapt around AI. But she was blunt about the fiscal reality: “There is no extra budget, as you know. That is a fact.”

A reform of the higher-education funding model is promised, with a joint proposal from the Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIR) and the Vlaamse Hogescholenraad expected, paired with a rationalization plan for the course offering. For now, the enrollment figures remain preliminary — most students begin classes the following week — and the sector watches closely to see whether the surge in STEM and healthcare studies can be sustained without straining quality.