Higher education in the Netherlands for foreign students
Alternative destinations
Education information
Today, the country's universities offer a huge list of different specialties and areas of study: more than 1500 variants of courses and programs in English, and also can be taught in the state language - Dutch. Due to the list of TOP-20 schools and universities in Holland, you will definitely find the most appropriate option.
What are the advantages of studying in Holland?
Dutch universities are very popular with students all over the world - approximately 50,000 people apply each year to universities and higher schools. The country is attractive not only from the tourist point of view, but also from the educational point, and there are many reasons for it:
- Education in the country is more accessible than in the USA and other European countries: the year of study here is about 600-1700 Euro (the price varies depending on the specialty), while the quality of education is not inferior to more expensive and prestigious institutions
- Educational institutions receive strong support from 100 state parties, including financial grants and subsidies - this helps to provide students with the most comfortable, modern, technologically advanced learning opportunities: from scientific laboratories to inexpensive student dining rooms and cafes
Admission without exams to most Dutch universities makes this country especially attractive for international students. For enrollment in almost all universities in the Netherlands, a certificate, a motivation letter and the results of the IELTS/TOEFL international exam in English are sufficient. Passing points are 5.0 for IELTS and 65 for TOEFL for admission to the undergraduate programme and at least 6.0 and 80 points respectively for the Master's programme.
There are no entrance examinations in Dutch universities, only for admission to some faculties it may be necessary to pass an introductory test in a profile subject. For example, the faculties of economics and finance require the applicant to have an excellent knowledge of mathematics and, therefore, to pass a test in this discipline. For those wishing to acquire a creative profession, the admission rule without exams also does not apply - artists, designers and musicians are waiting for a creative competition.
Most Dutch people speak excellent international English, which makes daily live in Holland comfortable and attractive in the eyes of foreign students. Thanks to the extensive use of English in the country, shopping, going to a doctor and communicating in other public places will not seem complicated.
Finally, a geographically convenient kingdom of the Netherlands can be the starting point for many students to travel to neighboring countries during their free time. After all, the state borders on Germany and Belgium, and the North Sea connects it with Great Britain, Denmark and Norway. By high-speed train, you can quickly reach different parts of Europe - 2.5 hours to Brussels and 3 hours to the heart of France - Paris. And this means that student life can be even more saturated and full of vivid impressions.
Main features of getting education in TOP-20 schools and universities in the Netherlands
Universities in the Netherlands have inherited a lot from the British education system. Studying in Dutch universities is focused on developing practical skills for students and getting them specialized knowledge in the chosen field. Studying in Dutch schools and universities has interactive nature. Due to this approach, students interact not only with teachers, but also communicate with other students. Pair and group projects, presentations, games that reproduce real communicative situations - all this allows students to acquire communication skills and conduct business dialogues long before the beginning of work, and also helps to form their own opinion and develop their creativity of thinking.
After graduating from Dutch university, the student becomes the holder of a diploma that is recognized throughout the world. Such a document on higher education becomes a pass to highly paid work in the specialty in a prestigious company of any country.
General statistics on education in the Netherlands-ratings, specializations, universities
Learning programs-summary information
| Name | Meaning | Equivalent | Min. age | Duration, years |
Next stage | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GCSE | General certificate of secondary education | secondary education (non-accomplished) | 14 | 1–2 | A-Levels | 15,000 USD+ |
| A-Levels | Advanced level | secondary education (accomplished) | 16 | 2 | University | 15,000 USD+ |
| BTEC | Business and Technology Education Board | secondary special education | 14 | 2–3 | University/ work | 15,000 USD+ |
| Oxbridge Preparation | Preparing for Oxford and Cambridge | secondary education (accomplished) | 17 | 1 | University | 15,000 USD+ |
| International Baccalaureate | International baccalaureate | secondary education (accomplished) | 16 | 2 | University | 18,000 USD+ |
| Foundation/ Pathway Year | Preparatory year | admission to the 1st year of university | 17 | 1 | University | 14,000 USD+ |
| NCUK | The Northern consortium | 2 year university | 17,5 | 1 | 2 year University of NCUK | 13,000 USD+ |
| Special Preparation (Medics/Math/Business) | Specialized training | - | 14 | optional | optional | 4,000 USD+ |
| Academic English | Academic English | Language school | 8 + | 6–12 months | School or University | 8,000 USD+ |
Top 15 best universities in Switzerland 2022
| 1 | Glion Institute of Higher Education Switzerland |
| 2 | Les Roches International School Montana |
| 3 | César Ritz Colleges Switzerland |
| 4 | IHTTI School of Hotel Management |
| 5 | Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne |
| 6 | Geneva Business School |
| 7 | EU Business School Montreux |
| 8 | HIM Hotel Institute Montreux |
| 9 | Swiss Hotel Management School |
| 10 | Webster University Geneva |
| 11 | Business and Hotel Management School |
| 12 | Luzern IMI |
| 13 | Swiss Hotel Management School (SHMS) Caux |
| 14 | International University in Geneva |
| 15 | Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland |
Top 10 best universities in Netherlands 2022
Top 35 best universities and colleges in Canada 2022
| 1 | University of Toronto |
| 2 | McGill University |
| 3 | University of British Columbia |
| 4 | University of Alberta |
| 5 | Simon Fraser University |
| 6 | Montreal University |
| 7 | University of Windsor |
| 8 | York University |
| 9 | University of Guelph |
| 10 | McMaster University |
| 11 | University of Manitoba |
| 12 | University of Waterloo |
| 13 | Royal Roads University |
| 14 | Vancouver Film School |
| 15 | Kwantlen Polytechnic University |
| 16 | University of Calgary |
| 17 | Dalhousie University |
| 18 | Fanshawe College |
| 19 | University of Ottawa |
| 20 | Laval University |
| 21 | Sheridan College |
| 22 | University of Regina |
| 23 | Brock University |
| 24 | Thompson Rivers University |
| 25 | Humber College |
| 26 | Vancouver Island University |
| 27 | Mohawk College |
| 28 | Centennial College Toronto |
| 29 | Niagara College |
| 30 | Capilano University |
| 31 | Seneca College |
| 32 | Algoma University |
| 33 | Saint Clair College |
| 34 | Douglas College |
| 35 | LaSalle College |
Times Higher Education’s top 50 best universities in USA 2022
| World University Rank | US Rank | University | City | State |
| 2 | 1 | Stanford University | Stanford | California |
| 3 | 2 | Harvard University | Cambridge | Massachusetts |
| 4 | 3 | California Institute of Technology | Pasadena | California |
| 5 | 4 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge | Massachusetts |
| 7 | 5 | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley | California |
| 8 | 6 | Yale University | New Haven | Connecticut |
| 9 | 7 | Princeton University | Princeton | New Jersey |
| 10 | 8 | University of Chicago | Chicago | Illinois |
| 12 | 9 | Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore | Maryland |
| 13 | 10 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania |
| 15 | 11 | University of California, Los Angeles | Los Angeles | California |
| 17 | 12 | Columbia University | New York City | New York |
| 19 | 13 | Cornell University | Ithaca | New York |
| =20 | 14 | Duke University | Durham | North Carolina |
| 22 | 15 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor | Michigan |
| 24 | 16 | Northwestern University | Evanston | Illinois |
| 26 | 17 | New York University | New York City | New York |
| 28 | 18 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania |
| 29 | 19 | University of Washington | Seattle | Washington |
| 33 | 20 | University of California, San Diego | San Diego | California |
| 38 | 21 | Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta | Georgia |
| 44 | 22 | University of Texas at Austin | Austin | Texas |
| 48 | 23 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign | Illinois |
| 49 | 24 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | Madison | Wisconsin |
| 50 | 25 | Washington University in St Louis | St. Louis | Missouri |
| 53 | 26 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles | California |
| =54 | 27 | Boston University | Boston | Massachusetts |
| =56 | 28 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | North Carolina |
| 61 | 29 | Brown University | Providence | Rhode Island |
| =64 | 30 | University of California, Davis | Davis | California |
| 68 | 31 | University of California, Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | California |
| =80 | 32 | Ohio State University (Main campus) | Columbus | Ohio |
| =85 | =33 | Emory University | Atlanta | Georgia |
| =85 | =33 | University of Minnesota | Minneapolis | Minnesota |
| 90 | 35 | University of Maryland, College Park | College Park | Maryland |
| =94 | 36 | Purdue University West Lafayette | West Lafayette | Indiana |
| =98 | 37 | University of California, Irvine | Irvine | California |
| =101 | 38 | Dartmouth College | Hanover | New Hampshire |
| 105 | 39 | Michigan State University | East Lansing | Michigan |
| =111 | 40 | Vanderbilt University | Nashville | Tennessee |
| =114 | 41 | Penn State (Main campus) | State College | Pennsylvania |
| 117 | 42 | University of Virginia (Main campus) | Charlottesville | Virginia |
| 120 | 43 | Georgetown University | Washington D.C | |
| =121 | 44 | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland | Ohio |
| =124 | 45 | University of Arizona | Tucson | Arizona |
| =124 | =45 | Rice University | Houston | Texas |
| =131 | 47 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder | Colorado |
| =133 | 48 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campus | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania |
| =140 | 49 | Indiana University | Bloomington | Indiana |
| =147 | 50 | University of Rochester | Rochester (NY) | New York |
Top 50 best universities in the UK 2022
| 1 | Cambridge |
| 2 | Oxford |
| 3 | St Andrews |
| 4 | London School of Economics |
| 5 | Imperial College London |
| 6 | Loughborough |
| 7 | Durham |
| 8 | Lancaster |
| 9 | University of Bath |
| 10 | East Anglia (UEA) |
| 11 | University College London |
| 12 | Warwick |
| 13 | Exeter |
| 14 | Birmingham |
| 15 | Bristol |
| 16 | Edinburgh |
| 17 | Leeds |
| 18 | Manchester |
| 19 | Southampton |
| 20 | Glasgow |
| 21 | King's College London |
| 22 | Nottingham |
| 23 | York |
| 24 | Newcastle |
| 25 | Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 26 | East Anglia (UEA) |
| 27 | Aberdeen |
| 28 | Queen's University Belfast |
| 29 | Sheffield |
| 30 | Heriot-Watt |
| 31 | Cardiff |
| 32 | Dundee |
| 33 | Swansea |
| 34 | Liverpool |
| 35 | Surrey |
| 36 | Queen Mary, University of London |
| 37 | SOAS University of London |
| 38 | Leicester |
| 39 | Reading |
| 40 | Sussex |
| 41 | Essex |
| 42 | Harper Adams University |
| 43 | Aston |
| 44 | University for the Creative Arts |
| 45 | University of Stirling |
| 46 | Nottingham Trent |
| 47 | Kent |
| 48 | Arts University Bournemouth |
| 49 | Oxford Brookes |
| 50 | Lincoln |
Accommodation in Netherlands per month
| Shared room outside of centre | 331$ |
|---|---|
| Shared room in city centre | 451$ |
| 1 bedroom apartment outside of centre | 604$ |
| 1 bedroom apartment in city centre | 822$ |
Estimated Costs
| Estimated Costs | Min. | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Consular fee of the embassy | €35 | €311 |
| Flight (Moscow - Amsterdam - Moscow) | €145 | €580 |
| Medical insurance | €23 | €30 |
| Study material | €30 | €50 |
| Delivery of invitations by express mail | €67 | €80 |
| Transfer/Escort | €90 | €115 |