Universities in the Netherlands, and their programs, are in the top educational rankings.
In Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2020, the 13 universities in the Netherlands all appear in the top 250.

Higher education in Holland is known for its high quality and low cost. This quality is guaranteed through a national system of regulation and quality assurance.

Accredited programs

Degree programs in Holland are evaluated against a specific set of criteria, to assess content and level. Programs that meet the criteria are accredited (i.e. officially recognized) by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO).

Institutions may also offer programs that have been accredited in another country. In these cases, the degree may be recognized in that country, but not necessarily in Holland.

In our Studyfinder database a special icon indicates if the course is accredited. With more than 2,100 courses, Holland has the largest offer of English-taught programs in continental Europe.

High rankings, low cost

Thirteen Dutch research universities are among the top 200 universities in the world.

See how the Dutch institutions score in the main rankings:

• QS World University Rankings 2019
• Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities 2018
• Times Higher Education World university rankings 2018

Dutch higher education also has reasonable tuition fees.

Read more about costs and value for money

Students from all over the world

In 2017-2018 Holland hosted 122,000 international students. These are students from all over the world, with the largest percentages coming from Germany and China.

The most popular fields of study for international students are:

1. Economics & Business
2. Human & Social Sciences
3. Engineering

Two types of higher eduation

In Holland you can choose between two types of higher education:

• research-oriented education, offered by research universities
• higher professional education, offered by universities of applied sciences.

There is a 3rd, smaller type of education designed especially for international students. This is offered by institutes for international education.

Degrees

Both research universities and universities of applied sciences can award a bachelor’s or a master’s degree.

You first obtain a bachelor’s degree and you can then continue to study for a master’s degree. After completing a master’s program you can start a PhD degree or PDeng degree program.

Tuition fees in Holland are comparatively low.

Fees for EU/EEA students

Annual tuition fees for students from an EEA country, Switzerland or Surinam start at € 2,060 for the academic year 2018-2019 and at € 2,087 for the academic year 2019-2020. The Dutch government has halved tuition fees for first-year students in higher education. Read more about the reduced fees on www.government.nl

Fees for non-EU/EEA students

For students with other nationalities the average tuition fee for bachelor’s programs is between € 6,000 and € 15,000, and for a master’s program between € 8,000 and € 20,000.

Visit our Studyfinder database to check the exact amounts per course.

Holland Alumni are highly employable.

The Dutch education system looks beyond offering good quality study programs. It is a common belief in the Netherlands that offering a good study climate alone is not enough, but that students need to be given the tools to start a great career after receiving their diplomas.

It is therefore no surprise that large international recruitment agencies see graduates from Dutch institutions as highly interesting and highly employable.

Staying in Holland to find a job

The Dutch government and Nuffic want to make sure you are well informed about your options to stay in Holland for work. You can read all about career opportunities, business culture, salary and practical information on the Holland Alumni website.

Find out more about the special residence permit scheme, the Orientation Year, aimed at retaining foreign talent for the Dutch labour market.

We truly believe you will like the Netherlands, for good reasons:

1. International and multicultural – most Dutch speak English (as well as German, French, and a multitude of other languages) and are well traveled. It is home to many international businesses and families.

2. Open, safe and welcoming – the Netherlands’ culture is very open and tolerant, welcoming everyone to share their opinions and express themselves, which is definitely encouraged amongst students.

3. Affordable education – studying in the Netherlands is relatively inexpensive compared to other English speaking nations (such as the US or the UK). Higher education in the Netherlands is also government subsidized, keeping tuition fees relatively low.

4. Affordable living – cost of living in the Netherlands is ranked lower than nations such as the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, France and Belgium. This is especially true of the ‘big cost items’ in life such as rent, health insurance, public transport (which is easily accessible and vast), and food. Students are also entitled to many discounts.

5. Travel opportunities – the Netherlands is centrally located in Europe and has great connections and accessibility to all major European cities. It also has a vast and well connected public transport system meaning it is easy to explore the country.

6. Language learning opportunities – whilst you study in English, you also have many opportunities to learn a new language such as Dutch, French and German.

7. Internationally recognized degrees – scientific research at Dutch universities is very highly valued at both the national and international level. Education in the Netherlands meets all international standards and is well-reputed worldwide.