Skilled For Europe: The Netherlands
Famous picture of the Dutch countryside, containing a windmill and a field of grazing sheep.
The Netherlands
Standard application process
You have to sign up at the website: www.studielink.nl (Image 1)
You have to send a certified diploma and your exam grades to DUO/IB-group
Then you receive a piece of evidence from DUO
This piece of evidence you have to send to your university
Non-standard application process
Colloquium Doctum(admission exam)
Students from above the age of 21, who cannot be accepted immediately to
a university with their pre-study, can do a test to see what their general
knowledge and experiences are. In The Netherlands the Colloquium Doctum is an exam, oral or written, additional research that replaces an
exam. You can do this test at the university itself. This is for people who do
not have a VWO (gymnasium) diploma or an HBO (college) diploma or a diploma
equal to these.
When you passed the test you are still allowed to follow the study at
that university. They will receive an admission decision then. The Colloquium
Doctum is only valid for the specific study at the university where the
test has taken place.
When a supplement is required for a next study you can also do a
Colloquium Doctum for that one subject you need. This is often necessary when a
person is in possession of a HBO first-year certificate (and wants to move on to
the university.
Admission to a study with a numerous fixus
When there is a study with a numerous fixus, there is a maximum amount of students who can be accepted. It is
quite normal to have a university study with a numerous fixusin The Netherlands, like medicines and psychology.
You can be accepted to a study like this in 4 possible
ways:
- Your marks of the final exams are on average and 8 or higher (often directly accepted)
- Decentralised selection
- Assign by lot
- Assign by lot based on your marks (the higher your marks, the higher your chance)
Decentralised
selection means that, since universities have a limited number of places
available, they will select students based on their profile. You will be
assessed on the basis of your motivation, Curriculum Vitae and
grades.
Studying in The Netherlands as a foreigner
To be accepted to a
bachelor study as a foreigner, your diplomas need to equalize the Dutch VWO. For
some studies they will have a look to your marks of maths and English to see if
your level is sufficient. These foreign diplomas give an admission to Dutch universities.
Language requirements
Most of the educations on universities in the Netherlands are offered in Dutch. Therefore a
sufficient knowledge of the Dutch language is required. At almost every university, the ability
to use the English language is necessary, especially for the English bachelor and master
educations. At these educations, the admission requirements are stricter when it comes to
the student’s level of use of the English language.
Diploma
Language requirement
- Students with a Dutch diploma (Dutch students)
- Students with an EU diploma (EU-students)
- Students with a non-EU diploma (Non-EU-students
Language requirements conform Behaviour Code International Student *
* Behaviour Code International Student
For students with a non-EU-diploma, who want to follow an English bachelor study,
have to follow the guidelines of the Behaviour Code International Student. This code
requires a language test, unless you followed your previous study in a native-speaking
English country, like Australia, Canada, Ireland, New-Zealand, United Kingdom or the
United States.
For the rest of the students applies: IELTS > 6.0 or comparable. International English
Language Testing System (IELTS) is an international standardised test of English language
proficiency.
Comparable
results IELTS/TOEFL/Cambridge
A special university
in The Netherlands, University College Roosevelt, provides all studies in
English. The university encapsulates the core features of your identity. They are proud to
offer a Liberal Arts
and Sciences program with over 200 high-quality courses that not only provide a
unique educational experience but also prepare students for top master programs
all over the world.
In The Netherlands we offer a lot of English studies for foreigners. Doing an English
tudy becomes
more and more popular, so a lot of Dutch students choose to do an English study
as well. Almost every university in The Netherlands provides English studies. At
this website you will find all your possibilities as a
foreigner.
http://www.studyinholland.co.uk/where_to_study.html
http://www.studyinholland.co.uk/what_to_study.html
Tuition & administration fees
The tuition fee is the annual bill which has to be paid to the
university for the lectures, lessons and assignments. The amount of tuition fee
is the same for every study at every Dutch university and is determined by the
government every year. The tuition fee all the students have to pay for the
school year 2013/2014 is 1,835 euro, which comes down to 153 euro a
month.
Study funding for foreign
students
To receive a study funding in The Netherlands, two things are very
important. The time you are in The Netherlands and your motherland. Besides that
you have to measure up to the next
points:
· You are living for more than 5 years serried in The Netherlands
· You are from an European Union-country
· You are from a country that is a member of the EER
· You are from Switzerland
Shorter than 5 years in The
Netherlands
Normally you will not get a study funding when you are not living
here for 5 years yet. In some cases they make an exception. This depends on your
nationality.
Residence
permit
When you are not having the Dutch nationality you can still get a study funding. You do have to
live in The Netherlands and need to have one of the following documents”
· Type II regular unknown time
· Type III residence permit known time
· Type IV residence permit unknown time
Not having a residence permit
yet
You can ask for a
study funding when you are still not having your residence permit. DUO will
reject this application at that moment, but when you get your document to stay
later, you can still ask for the funding. Sometimes you even get the study
funding for the past months as well.
Students from the EU, EER,
Switzerland
When you are a student from the EU, EER or Switzerland, you will receive the complete
Dutch study funding when:
· You work on average 32 hours a month
· Your partner or parent works on average 32 hours a month
Living expenses
Transport
Dutch students who receive a scholarship, also get an OV-student card.
There are two kinds which can be chosen from:
- a week-OV which offers free travelling by
train from Monday to Friday. In the weekend and on national holidays students
receive a discount.
- a weekend-OV which offers free travelling
from Friday 12 o’clock to Sunday and on national holidays. During the week
students receive a discount.
A student can switch from card once a year, but most of the time he or she
will not be able to travel for free entirely. Therefore we should count on 50
euro a month on travelling costs.
Insurances
The three insurances a student must have are the health insurance, which is
obliged by law, the liability insurance, which is really necessary, and a contents
insurance for when a student has an own apartment.
Health Insurance
From your 18th
onwards you must own a health insurance. As long as you study, you can possibly
be insured through your parents but many health insurances, offer discounts for
students so it may be cheaper to own insurance. The insurance covers the basic
standard of care like the GP, hospital or pharmacy. This insurance costs at
least 95 euro.
Liability insurance
A liability insurance covers the liability for damagecaused
to others. This damage could
be physical injury and
property damage. This insurance only
costs a few euro a month.
Contents insurance
When you have your
own apartment, it is wise to have a contents insurance. This can costs as little
as a few euro per month. Depending on your insurance, the damage by fire,
burglary and vandalism are covered. If you rent a room, ask if the rent you pay
already contains a contents insurance since some houses have a collective
insurance.
Rent
The average amount
students spend on their rent is 341 euro, but unfortunately this amount
increases every year. The most expensive study cities are Amsterdam and
Rotterdam, where the costs for a room are between 350 and 450 euro. The other
cities are a little cheaper, 300 to 350 euro. Of course the costs depend on how
big the room is and where it is situated.
DUWO is a specialised
organisation for the housing of students in big cities. This organisation helps
foreign students as well to find a room. Via their school students get in touch
with the organisation and they will help them to make the room ready. Yearly
they help to house thousands of foreign students.
Grocery
When you live on your
own, you have to cook yourself and therefore also have to do the grocery.
Students appear to spend 152 euro per month on an average on their grocery
(Nibud 2012).
Going out/recreation
Besides studying, students also do a lot of fun things like going out, playing
sports and doing other recreational activities. About 130 euro is spend on
these after school activities (Nibud 2012).
Clothes/shoes
The amount students spends on clothes differs a lot per person, but on average \
they spend approximately 60 euro on clothes and shoes a month.
Phone/internet/television
The subscription costs for a mobile Phone are on average 32 euro per month.
When students live on their own, they also have to spend about 25 euro on
internet and television connection. The costs of your living expenses will be
same at every university you go. The only difference in costs will be the money
spent on your room. In the bigger cities, like Amsterdam, the rooms are more
expensive than in the smaller cities, like Nijmegen.
Standard application process
You have to sign up at the website: www.studielink.nl (Image 1)
You have to send a certified diploma and your exam grades to DUO/IB-group
Then you receive a piece of evidence from DUO
This piece of evidence you have to send to your university
Non-standard application process
Colloquium Doctum(admission exam)
Students from above the age of 21, who cannot be accepted immediately to
a university with their pre-study, can do a test to see what their general
knowledge and experiences are. In The Netherlands the Colloquium Doctum is an exam, oral or written, additional research that replaces an
exam. You can do this test at the university itself. This is for people who do
not have a VWO (gymnasium) diploma or an HBO (college) diploma or a diploma
equal to these.
When you passed the test you are still allowed to follow the study at
that university. They will receive an admission decision then. The Colloquium
Doctum is only valid for the specific study at the university where the
test has taken place.
When a supplement is required for a next study you can also do a
Colloquium Doctum for that one subject you need. This is often necessary when a
person is in possession of a HBO first-year certificate (and wants to move on to
the university.
Admission to a study with a numerous fixus
When there is a study with a numerous fixus, there is a maximum amount of students who can be accepted. It is
quite normal to have a university study with a numerous fixusin The Netherlands, like medicines and psychology.
You can be accepted to a study like this in 4 possible
ways:
- Your marks of the final exams are on average and 8 or higher (often directly accepted)
- Decentralised selection
- Assign by lot
- Assign by lot based on your marks (the higher your marks, the higher your chance)
Decentralised
selection means that, since universities have a limited number of places
available, they will select students based on their profile. You will be
assessed on the basis of your motivation, Curriculum Vitae and
grades.
Studying in The Netherlands as a foreigner
To be accepted to a
bachelor study as a foreigner, your diplomas need to equalize the Dutch VWO. For
some studies they will have a look to your marks of maths and English to see if
your level is sufficient. These foreign diplomas give an admission to Dutch universities.
Language requirements
Most of the educations on universities in the Netherlands are offered in Dutch. Therefore a
sufficient knowledge of the Dutch language is required. At almost every university, the ability
to use the English language is necessary, especially for the English bachelor and master
educations. At these educations, the admission requirements are stricter when it comes to
the student’s level of use of the English language.
Diploma
Language requirement
- Students with a Dutch diploma (Dutch students)
- Students with an EU diploma (EU-students)
- Students with a non-EU diploma (Non-EU-students
Language requirements conform Behaviour Code International Student *
* Behaviour Code International Student
For students with a non-EU-diploma, who want to follow an English bachelor study,
have to follow the guidelines of the Behaviour Code International Student. This code
requires a language test, unless you followed your previous study in a native-speaking
English country, like Australia, Canada, Ireland, New-Zealand, United Kingdom or the
United States.
For the rest of the students applies: IELTS > 6.0 or comparable. International English
Language Testing System (IELTS) is an international standardised test of English language
proficiency.
Comparable
results IELTS/TOEFL/Cambridge
A special university
in The Netherlands, University College Roosevelt, provides all studies in
English. The university encapsulates the core features of your identity. They are proud to
offer a Liberal Arts
and Sciences program with over 200 high-quality courses that not only provide a
unique educational experience but also prepare students for top master programs
all over the world.
In The Netherlands we offer a lot of English studies for foreigners. Doing an English
tudy becomes
more and more popular, so a lot of Dutch students choose to do an English study
as well. Almost every university in The Netherlands provides English studies. At
this website you will find all your possibilities as a
foreigner.
http://www.studyinholland.co.uk/where_to_study.html
http://www.studyinholland.co.uk/what_to_study.html
Tuition & administration fees
The tuition fee is the annual bill which has to be paid to the
university for the lectures, lessons and assignments. The amount of tuition fee
is the same for every study at every Dutch university and is determined by the
government every year. The tuition fee all the students have to pay for the
school year 2013/2014 is 1,835 euro, which comes down to 153 euro a
month.
Study funding for foreign
students
To receive a study funding in The Netherlands, two things are very
important. The time you are in The Netherlands and your motherland. Besides that
you have to measure up to the next
points:
· You are living for more than 5 years serried in The Netherlands
· You are from an European Union-country
· You are from a country that is a member of the EER
· You are from Switzerland
Shorter than 5 years in The
Netherlands
Normally you will not get a study funding when you are not living
here for 5 years yet. In some cases they make an exception. This depends on your
nationality.
Residence
permit
When you are not having the Dutch nationality you can still get a study funding. You do have to
live in The Netherlands and need to have one of the following documents”
· Type II regular unknown time
· Type III residence permit known time
· Type IV residence permit unknown time
Not having a residence permit
yet
You can ask for a
study funding when you are still not having your residence permit. DUO will
reject this application at that moment, but when you get your document to stay
later, you can still ask for the funding. Sometimes you even get the study
funding for the past months as well.
Students from the EU, EER,
Switzerland
When you are a student from the EU, EER or Switzerland, you will receive the complete
Dutch study funding when:
· You work on average 32 hours a month
· Your partner or parent works on average 32 hours a month
Living expenses
Transport
Dutch students who receive a scholarship, also get an OV-student card.
There are two kinds which can be chosen from:
- a week-OV which offers free travelling by
train from Monday to Friday. In the weekend and on national holidays students
receive a discount.
- a weekend-OV which offers free travelling
from Friday 12 o’clock to Sunday and on national holidays. During the week
students receive a discount.
A student can switch from card once a year, but most of the time he or she
will not be able to travel for free entirely. Therefore we should count on 50
euro a month on travelling costs.
Insurances
The three insurances a student must have are the health insurance, which is
obliged by law, the liability insurance, which is really necessary, and a contents
insurance for when a student has an own apartment.
Health Insurance
From your 18th
onwards you must own a health insurance. As long as you study, you can possibly
be insured through your parents but many health insurances, offer discounts for
students so it may be cheaper to own insurance. The insurance covers the basic
standard of care like the GP, hospital or pharmacy. This insurance costs at
least 95 euro.
Liability insurance
A liability insurance covers the liability for damagecaused
to others. This damage could
be physical injury and
property damage. This insurance only
costs a few euro a month.
Contents insurance
When you have your
own apartment, it is wise to have a contents insurance. This can costs as little
as a few euro per month. Depending on your insurance, the damage by fire,
burglary and vandalism are covered. If you rent a room, ask if the rent you pay
already contains a contents insurance since some houses have a collective
insurance.
Rent
The average amount
students spend on their rent is 341 euro, but unfortunately this amount
increases every year. The most expensive study cities are Amsterdam and
Rotterdam, where the costs for a room are between 350 and 450 euro. The other
cities are a little cheaper, 300 to 350 euro. Of course the costs depend on how
big the room is and where it is situated.
DUWO is a specialised
organisation for the housing of students in big cities. This organisation helps
foreign students as well to find a room. Via their school students get in touch
with the organisation and they will help them to make the room ready. Yearly
they help to house thousands of foreign students.
Grocery
When you live on your
own, you have to cook yourself and therefore also have to do the grocery.
Students appear to spend 152 euro per month on an average on their grocery
(Nibud 2012).
Going out/recreation
Besides studying, students also do a lot of fun things like going out, playing
sports and doing other recreational activities. About 130 euro is spend on
these after school activities (Nibud 2012).
Clothes/shoes
The amount students spends on clothes differs a lot per person, but on average \
they spend approximately 60 euro on clothes and shoes a month.
Phone/internet/television
The subscription costs for a mobile Phone are on average 32 euro per month.
When students live on their own, they also have to spend about 25 euro on
internet and television connection. The costs of your living expenses will be
same at every university you go. The only difference in costs will be the money
spent on your room. In the bigger cities, like Amsterdam, the rooms are more
expensive than in the smaller cities, like Nijmegen.