Study in Netherlands: Admission, Cost, Visa and Scholarships (2027)

The Netherlands has two main kinds of higher education institution: research universities (universiteiten), which are publicly funded and focus on academic and theoretical study, and universities of applied sciences (hogescholen), which focus on professional and practice-based training. Research university bachelor's degrees normally run three years (180 ECTS credits); master's degrees run one year (60 ECTS) for most fields, two years for technical and natural sciences, and up to three years for medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmacy and dentistry. A PhD takes about four years, and most PhD candidates are employed by the university on a fixed-term contract rather than paying tuition.

Almost every Dutch bachelor's and master's application starts in Studielink, the national online registration and application portal for higher education. Two deadlines apply nationally: 15 January for numerus fixus programmes, which cap the number of places and select applicants by ranking rather than first-come-first-served, and 1 May for every other programme. Non-EU/EEA applicants are commonly advised, and at several universities required, to complete their application earlier than this, often by 1 April, so that a study residence permit, housing and document checks can be arranged before the academic year starts; each university sets this earlier date itself, since there is no single shared non-EU deadline. Master's programmes typically set their own application deadline per programme rather than one university-wide date, and these run anywhere from around December to June depending on the field and university, so applicants need to check the specific programme page.

Most programmes aimed at international students are taught fully in English, running alongside Dutch-taught programmes at the same institution; the language of instruction is stated on every programme page. Universities ask for an English test, almost always IELTS Academic or TOEFL iBT, at a level that commonly sits between IELTS 6.0 and 6.5, or TOEFL iBT 80 and 90, for the level most students apply for, though this varies by university, faculty and programme, with some technical, science and law programmes set higher.

Non-EU/EEA students pay an institutional tuition fee set individually by each university, commonly from about EUR 9,000 to EUR 20,000 a year for a bachelor's degree and EUR 12,000 to EUR 30,000 a year for a master's degree, with medicine, dentistry and some joint-degree programmes charging more; eligible EEA, Swiss and Surinamese students pay a much lower statutory fee, EUR 2,694 for the 2026-2027 academic year. A typical student living budget runs EUR 1,000 to EUR 1,500 a month, of which rent is usually the largest part and varies a great deal between a large city such as Amsterdam and a smaller university town.

Students from outside the EU/EEA on a study residence permit may work up to 16 hours a week during term time, or full time in June, July and August, without their employer needing a separate work permit if the work fits these limits. After graduating, non-EEA students who completed a qualifying Dutch bachelor's, master's or doctoral qualification within the last three years can apply for a one-year residence permit for the orientation year, which gives free access to the labour market to look for skilled work or start a business.