The Dutch government’s hopes of limiting foreign student numbers have been boosted after senators voted to allow universities to set a cap on English-language courses.

The measure was included in the education ministry’s budget, which was passed by the upper house on Tuesday, having already been approved by MPs. The animal rights party PvdD was the only group in the Senate that voted against.

Universities and colleges will be able to specify an upper limit for the number of students registered for undergraduate courses taught in English, separately from the Dutch-language version.

Because the measure was included in the ministry’s budget senators were unable to vote on it separately.

Outgoing education minister Robbert Dijkgraaf submitted a draft law to parliament last year designed to limit numbers of international students by promoting Dutch as the primary language of tuition.

Dijkgraaf’s plans include giving universities the option of setting a ceiling on the number of students from outside Europe and an emergency brake to cap numbers if courses threaten to become oversubscribed.

But he also said it was important to ensure the Netherlands was still able to attract high-quality foreign students and tutors.

“The Netherlands needs the benefits of expertise,” he said. “We cannot do without international talent, whether it is for science, the labour market or the quality of courses themselves.”