WILLEMSTAD – A total of 143 Curaçao students will travel to the Netherlands this year under the guidance of the Curaçao Student Finance Foundation (SSC), a decline of approximately 20 students compared to last year.
According to SSC, 10 students will depart earlier because of personal circumstances or vacation plans. The remaining 133 students are scheduled to leave on July 26 aboard a group flight and will receive support from SSC upon arrival in the Netherlands.
The decrease varies slightly depending on which 2025 figures are used. SSC now reports that 162 students traveled to the Netherlands through or with the assistance of the foundation last year. However, reports published in July 2025 indicated that 160 students had received SSC financing, while 143 actually traveled on the chartered group flight.
Using the figure of 160 students as a comparison, this year's total represents a decrease of 17 students, or nearly 11 percent. Compared with SSC's current figure of 162 students, the decline amounts to 19 students.
SSC cautions that the figures are not directly comparable. The 2025 statistics refer to students who received financial support from the foundation, while the 2026 figures represent students traveling under SSC's guidance. Some students travel independently or apply directly for Dutch student financial aid through the Netherlands' Education Executive Agency (DUO).
The foundation also expects around 20 students to pursue higher education elsewhere in the Caribbean this year, down from 28 students in 2025.
SSC noted that it does not have a complete picture of the total number of Curaçao students leaving for the Netherlands each year because it only tracks those who request financing or guidance through the foundation. Likewise, DUO does not publish public data identifying how many applicants originate from Curaçao.
Dutch authorities estimate that more than 1,600 young people from across the Caribbean part of the Kingdom begin studies in the European Netherlands each year. That figure includes students from Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba and does not provide separate statistics for Curaçao.