Country guide

Study in the Netherlands: universities, tuition fees and admission

Our catalogue has 158 universities and colleges in the Netherlands offering 1,303 undergraduate programmes in 51 cities. 1,165 of the programmes are at public institutions and 138 at private ones.

Universities

158

Programmes

1,303

Cities

51

EU fee / year, public

€2,694

Non-EU fee / year, public

€10,684

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.

How admission works

You apply through Studielink, the national application portal (some institutions use their own procedure for applicants from abroad). A VWO diploma gives access to research universities and a HAVO (or MBO-4) diploma to universities of applied sciences; foreign diplomas are assessed by the institution, and the language requirement for English-taught programmes is set by each institution. Most bachelor's programmes have no selection and the national Studielink deadline is 1 May, while numerus fixus programmes close on 15 January and run their own selection (for the September 2027 intake: 15 January 2027 and 1 May 2027). Non-EU applicants who need a visa often have an earlier institutional deadline, for example 1 April at Leiden University.

• Selection: minimum requirements set by each university
• Main exam or platform: Studielink

Tuition fees in the Netherlands

At public universities an EU student typically pays €2,694 a year, and a student from outside the EU €10,684 a year. All amounts are per year in euros; fees charged per credit or per semester are converted to a full year (60 ECTS credits or two semesters).

Where the fee depends on family income, the typical figure is the full fee and the range starts at the lowest one.

Good to know about fees

• Nederland: Students from the EU/EEA, Switzerland and Suriname (and holders of certain Dutch residence permits) pay the statutory fee of €2,694 for full-time study in 2026/27. The halved fee for first-year students no longer exists: it was abolished from 1 September 2024. Other non-EU students pay an institutional fee set by each institution, shown per programme where the institution has published it. Private (non-funded) institutions set their own fees for everyone.

Language of instruction

Dutch: 1,035 programmes; English: 382 programmes. See all English-taught programmes in the Netherlands.

Map of universities in the Netherlands

Each dot is a university or college: select it to open its page. The street map is optional and loads images from OpenStreetMap.

Where to study: cities

All 158 universities in the Netherlands by city

What you can study

• Business Administration 123
• Computer Science 65
• Finance and Accounting 49
• Law 43
• Languages and Literature 43
• Primary Education Teaching 40
• International Business 37
• Advertising and Public Relations 37
• Nursing 37
• Industrial Engineering 30
• Social Work 29
• Marketing 27
• Psychology 27
• Design 25
• Tourism 25
• Mechanical Engineering 23
• Pedagogy 22
• Chemistry 22
• Public Administration 22
• Economics 21
• Labour Relations and Human Resources 20
• Hospitality and Gastronomy 19
• Building Engineering 18
• Physiotherapy 18
• Multimedia and Video Games 17
• Performing Arts 16
• Electrical Engineering 16
• Biomedical Engineering 16
• Physics 16
• Music and Musicology 15
• Geography 15
• Logistics 15
• Data Science 15
• Mathematics 15
• Biomedical Laboratory Science 14
• Biotechnology 13
• Art History 13
• Audiovisual Communication 13
• Civil Engineering 12
• Environmental Sciences 11
• Biology 11
• Fine Arts 10
• Sport Sciences 10
• Chemical Engineering 10
• History 10
• Philosophy 10
• Biomedical Sciences 10
• International Relations 10
• Sociology 10
• Translation and Languages 9
• Dentistry 9
• Speech Therapy 8
• Food Science and Technology 8
• Medicine 8
• Naval and Maritime Engineering 7
• Archaeology 7
• Solicitor Studies 7
• Industrial Electronics and Automation 6
• Animal Science 6
• Pharmacy 6
• Geology 5
• Agronomy 5
• Environmental Engineering 5
• Anthropology 5
• Political Science 5
• English Studies 5
• Human Nutrition and Dietetics 5
• Occupational Therapy 5
• Journalism 4
• Criminology 3
• Biochemistry 3
• Aerospace Engineering 3
• Fashion Design 3
• Medical Imaging and Radiotherapy 3
• Architecture 2
• Marine Sciences 2
• Forestry 2
• Landscape Architecture 2
• Podiatry 2
• Optics and Optometry 2
• Early Childhood Education 1
• Veterinary Medicine 1
• Mining and Geological Engineering 1
• Statistics 1
• Energy Engineering 1
• Geomatics and Surveying 1