Study in the Netherlands

This article will help you understand the steps you need to take in order to apply at a university in the Netherlands.

In addition, you will discover details about benefits, costs, methods and sources of funding, steps of application, but also about how you can spend your free time in this country.

The educational system in The Netherlands

In addition to being very affordable, studying in The Netherlands has become very popular choice for Greek and European students due to the high-quality higher education system. Many Dutch universities are now at the top of European academic rankings and more than three quarters have entirely new campuses, due to massive financial investments over the past few years.

In The Netherlands there are 2 types of universities – universities of research and universities of applied sciences. Both of them offer more than 2,000 English-taught higher education programmes.

Research Universities

There are 18 Research Universities in The Netherlands. In order to be accepted as a student, your Apolytirion diploma is required. The study programs here are focused, as the name also says, on research.

Universities of Applied Sciences

In the Netherlands, there is a total of 43 Universities of Applied Sciences ,, where the main focus is based on practical application of study.

University studies start with the Bachelor Degree program, followed by the Master’s Degree program. As we can see above, depending on the type of university, in the Netherlands there are two major types of Bachelor Degrees:

Programs offered by Research universities:

BA – Bachelor of Arts: 3 years
BSc – Bachelor of Science: 3 years

Programs offered by Universities of Applied Sciences:

Bachelors: 4 years

Tuition costs

The tuition costs for undergraduate programs represent the equivalent of € 2,143 / year, at all universities.

In order to pursue a Master’s Degree at a Research/Applied Sciences University, a student must complete a bachelor’s degree program with a satisfactory grade, submit an application file and fill out an online admissions portal. The tuition costs for a Master’s program are:

Research Universities: ~ € 2,143 / year
Universities of Applied Sciences: between ~ € 2,143 / year and ~ € 10,000 / year

Financing opportunities

Tuition fee loan

A first financing option for your studies is a government loan that covers the tuition fees 100%. This student loan fully covers the tuition fee for all European students accepted at a Dutch university.

The advantage of this loan is that it must be repaid only starting two years after graduation, in insallments established only according to you income. If you earn below the minimum income for the economy in the Netherlands [working full time], you will not have to pay anything back.

The minimum income in the Netherlands is €1,507 / month. If you earn above the minimum wage in the economy, you will have to pay up to a maximum of 4% rate per month from gross earned income.

Supplementary Loan & Grant

Students at Dutch universities who work part-time a minimum of 56 hours/month can also benefit from an additional loan of up to €882/ month + a Student Travel Product (€95,51/month) offered by the Dutch Government. If the student graduates within 10 years (and we’re sure you will😊, €396 of the above sum becomes a gift, which is called the Supplementary Grant and does not need to be paid back after graduation.

Costs of living in the Netherlands

Transportation costs

Did you know that in The Netherlands, bicycles are a national symbol? Their number exceeds 18 million and is twice the number of cars in this country. Therefore, you could save money easily if use a bicycle.

A bus ticket in The Netherlands varies between € 1.6 and € 3 / trip. However, if you do not prefer cycling or bus crowding, you can take a taxi – the price per kilometer ranges from € 2 to € 5.5.

Phone and internet

Access to communication is one of the most important things when you are away from home. Contacting your dear ones at home will cost you aproximately 10 € / month. The Internet subscription costs you 25 € / month in The Netherlands.

Food and more

You can buy food from supermarkets like Lidl or Aldi, German shops that have good products at low prices. If you want to have a night out, the prices of a coffee or a tea are around € 2, a sandwich costs approximately € 3, and if you want to enjoy a pizza, its price is about 10 €.

The good news is that there are discounts for students in The Netherlands, so at the end of the week you can enjoy a trip to the cinema for only 6 € – with your student discount.

Ways of spending your free time

A good way to spend your free time is visiting this beautiful country. Below we’ll tell you more about some destinations worth visiting in The Netherlands:

Amsterdam

It is truly fascinating to embark on a walk in the official capital of The Netherlands, Amsterdam. You can visit attractions such as the Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank’s House, Dam Square, Rembrandt’s Memorial House, etc.

Gouda

A typical Dutch city, Gouda greets you with a superb architecture, old buildings, impressive canals and rooms with magnificent stained glass windows.

Rotterdam

In the past, being a small fishing village, Rotterdam has now grown to become one of the most modern cities in The Netherlands. The historic districts are worth visiting and the bicycle is the most suitable mean of transport.

Harleem

Harleem, also known as the “City of Flowers”, located in the past on the banks of the Spaarne River, is a tourist attraction that gathers an impressive number of tourists every year.

In conclusion, The Netherlands is a magnificient country to study in. Beautiful history and a great amount of apportunities.

The EDMUNDO team can help you fulfill your dream and become a student in the Netherlands! Also, we can provide useful information for you about the EDMUNDO universities in this country.

Applications for universities in the Netherlands end May 1st but there are also exceptions that have stricter deadlines so make sure you ask your EDMUNDO counsellor what application deadline your desired university has We can help you apply for free at Bachelor or Master study programs here. CONTACT us for more details!

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An EDMUNDO Counsellor can help you for free with the entire admissions process for Bachelor and Master programmes at the following Research and Applied Sciences Universities in The Netherlands: