Study in the Netherlands as an international student

How many international students there are

Nuffic counts 129,764 international students in Dutch bachelor’s and master’s programmes in 2025/26, 17% of all students. About 27% of students at research universities are international, against 9% at universities of applied sciences. Seventy-two percent of them come from the EEA, 28% from outside it. The numbers fell by roughly 1% from the year before.

Applying: Studielink

Applications go through Studielink, the national portal. For bachelor’s programmes the Studielink deadlines are 1 May (23:59) for programmes without a numerus fixus and 15 January for programmes with one, meaning a limited number of places. Studielink states that meeting the entry requirements and applying by 1 May gives a right to be admitted to a programme without a numerus fixus.

Those are the national Studielink dates. Institutions also set their own admission procedures and can ask international applicants for documents and decisions on an earlier schedule, especially for master’s programmes and for students who need a residence permit and a place to live. Look up the programme on the university’s own site for the date that actually applies to you; we do not list institutional deadlines because DUO’s data does not contain them.

Your diploma and the university’s decision

Nuffic is the Dutch recognition centre; its credential evaluation compares your foreign diploma with a Dutch one under the Lisbon Recognition Convention. The evaluation is advice, not binding: Dutch universities and universities of applied sciences decide whom they admit, and may add their own requirements.

English-taught programmes and language tests

Each university sets its own English requirement for each programme; accepted tests include IELTS, TOEFL and Cambridge certificates, with minimum scores that differ by programme. Look at the programme page. Our programme directory shows the language of instruction DUO records for each programme.

Residence permit, money, insurance, housing

• Residence permit and MVV: your university applies for it.
• Sufficient means: €1,130.77 a month in 2026.
• Health insurance: depends on whether you work.
• Housing: a shortage of more than 20,000 rooms.
• Tuition fees: €2,694 statutory in 2026/27; institutional fees for those who do not qualify.

Working during your studies

Non-EU students may work no more than 16 hours a week, or full-time in June, July and August. The employer applies to UWV for a work permit (TWV) for you. UWV only checks that there is an employment contract, that you are paid at least the minimum wage and that you do not exceed the maximum hours. The Labour Inspectorate fines employers who break the rules, and reports breaches to the IND. Internships have their own rules.

After graduating

You can apply for an orientation year permit within three years of graduating from an accredited Dutch bachelor’s or master’s programme. It lasts up to one year and lets you take any job or internship while you look for work as a highly skilled migrant.