A large majority of the Senate thinks it is a good idea to allow decentralized lottery again as a selection method for studies such as medicine. The Senate on Tuesday approved the bill that makes this possible.
Thirteen political groups gave their approval in the vote, together accounting for 65 of the 75 Senate seats. Only the Forum for Democracy, the Nanninga fraction and the Fentrop fraction spoke out against drawing lots as a possible option alongside other methods. This is not much different from the House of Representatives, which was also favored by almost all political groups (with the exception of the Forum of Democracy and Group Van Haga, and Bij1, which did not vote).
Originally, the aim was to have the new legislation come into force last year, so that educational institutions that wanted to could adjust their selection procedure for the 2023/2024 academic year. Due to the corona pandemic, the parliamentary debate is delayed, so that adjustments are not feasible before the 2024/2025 academic year at the earliest. Medicine faculties indicate that this is already tight and expect little change in the selection procedure next year.
