Studying in the Netherlands

Two kinds of university

Dutch higher education has two parallel tracks. Research universities (WO) are theory- and research-led; the bachelor’s takes three years (180 ECTS). Universities of applied sciences (HBO, hogescholen) are practice-led; the bachelor’s takes four years (240 ECTS) and includes a work placement of about nine months. Both are in this directory: 18 WO universities and 36 HBO institutions among the 54 publicly funded ones, with the programmes taken from DUO’s register of recognised programmes (CROHO).

Programmes in English

Of the 1,694 programmes in our data whose language of instruction DUO records, 753 are taught in English or in English and Dutch. That is a real share of the register, but check the individual programme: some English-taught programmes still expect Dutch for placements or later years.

How the system works, in short

• One application portal. You apply through Studielink. For bachelor’s programmes without a numerus fixus the national deadline is 1 May; for numerus fixus programmes it is 15 January. See the international students guide.
• The academic year normally starts in September, with a smaller February intake at some institutions.
• Quality is checked by accreditation (NVAO); degrees are placed on the Dutch Qualifications Framework (bachelor’s at level 6, master’s at level 7). There is no official star rating; see how we handle that.
• PhDs are normally paid jobs at a university, not registered programmes, which is why they are not in the programme register.

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