Institution Types
State/Public Uni
Most Common
Private Uni
A small number
Undergraduate Only
Some - the university colleges
Junior College
Not Available
Arts Schools
Several, and some specialist programmes or partnerships at research universities
Business Schools
A small number of private institutions, including a hotel school
American Schools
1 in Leiden
Research Focused
There are 18 research universities offering an academic education
Teaching Focused
Good to Know
With more than 2000 courses available, universities in the Netherlands offer the greatest choice of courses taught in English in mainland Europe. This is in addition to the courses offered in Dutch. When this is combined with a high quality of higher education, comparatively low fees for both EU and international students, and some world-leading universities, it is an attractive destination for our students. There are two types of institution in the Netherlands: research universities and universities of applied sciences. At the former, the education tends to be more theoretical, while at a UAS you could expect a more practical education, perhaps with more project work, integrated internships and more direct relevance to the world of work.
There are very few private institutions in the Netherlands, and the education culture is one of relatively open access. This means that passing the first year is very important; the binding study advice (BSA) is in place after the first year at many universities. If students don’t meet this, they may have to transfer elsewhere and not reapply to that course. To help students make the right choice, many institutions have ‘matching’ classes or questionnaires.
The Netherlands is a welcoming country for non-Dutch students. English is very widely spoken, and currently there is a possibility to stay for an ‘orientation’ year to establish a career and apply for residency.
Degree Length
Bachelors degrees last for 3 years at research universities and 4 years at a UAS, although it is sometime possible to follow an accelerated programme and graduate in 3 years.
Education Model
All models of education can be found in the Netherlands. Most research universities and UAS offer single honours degrees and interdisciplinary and problem-based learning are very well developed. Of note are the Liberal Arts and Sciences programmes offered at the 9 university colleges: small, residential colleges within research universities offering a US-style liberal arts education. There are also performing arts conservatoires and specialist school of fine and applied arts.
Gap Years
Placements
Application Process
Grade Conversion
The IB is widely accepted in the Netherlands and regarded as equivalent to the national curriculum (VWO). Most universities will publish IB entry requirements. Note that Standard Level Mathematics Applications and Interpretations is not accepted by a lot of the business, STEM and psychology courses at Dutch research universities.
Research Resources
GoToUniversity
Explore Options
This site is run by a company that supports university applications and whilst its university database is not exhaustive, within the application requirements tab on each university profile they have the average IB scores accepted and where available the application success rate.
They also have average living costs for the area, rankings overviews and some scholarship information.
Be aware that they list programs in all languages, not just English and the IB scores and success rate percentages are averages across the whole institution. However, they are a good indicator if the university does not publish more detailed information.
Costs
Funding
Universities
Explore the university profiles for this country on the CareersExplore Platform.
Amsterdam University College (AUC)
AUC is a small-scale Liberal Arts and Sciences college that combines a close community of motivated learners with the energy and resources of the global city of Amsterdam.
Liberal Arts and Science (Major/minor Model)
City Campus, City Island Campus
Small Institution <5000
Areas of Study
English & Media
Language & Culture
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Mathematics
Medicine & Healthcare
Sciences
Society & Social Sciences
School of Economics and Business at the University of Amsterdam
Studying in the vibrant, yet small city of Amsterdam (800.000 inhabitants), with its 180 different nationalities, is an unforgettable experience.
UvA is a research focused institution that offers more than 200 programmes in different disciplines
City Island Campus
Very Large Institution >30,000
Areas of Study
Business
Amsterdam School of International Business (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences)
One of the largest business schools in the Netherlands that is accredited by EFMD in a personal and small environment.
Applied learning with a single subject focus
City Campus, City Island Campus
Small Institution <5000
Areas of Study
Business
English & Media
Leiden University
Leiden University has been elevating minds, pioneering research and having a real-world impact since 1575. Broaden your horizons through one of our 14 English-taught bachelor’s programmes.
Leiden University offers a mix of focused, inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary programmes.
City Campus
Very Large Institution >30,000
Areas of Study
Art & Design, Computing & ICT, English & Media, Language & Culture, Liberal Arts & Sciences, Sciences, Society & Social Sciences, Performing Arts
University College Utrecht
Explore your academic interests, combine different subjects and study and live together with people from all over the world on our residential campus in the lively city of Utrecht!
Liberal Arts and Science: Compose a multi-disciplinary curriculum, 230+ classes in humanities, science and social science
City Island Campus
Small Institution <5000
Areas of Study
English & Media
Language & Culture
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Mathematics
Medicine & Healthcare
Performing Arts
Sciences
Society & Social Sciences