Abstract
Dutch universities have been on a rollercoaster ride for at least half a century now, making it difficult to get a clear picture of the situation. The main cause of the current commotion has been the expansion of the universities, with the vast increase in student numbers caused by the democratization of admissions policies in the late 1960s. Secondly, there is the trend towards social engagement, at first determined by the opening of the universities ivory towers to society in the broadest sense, and later by channeling this into the more limited direction of the corporate world and other markets based on supply and demand. A third development involves the lowering of scientific education and research standards. Retrenchments usually mean a reduction in the length of courses and in the introduction of mass education.