Register at your University

If you plan to study in the Netherlands, you must enrol in a university for international students. To enrol in a study program in the Netherlands, you have to submit your request for enrollment to studielink.nl. If you already live in the Netherlands, use your DigidID to log in. If you do not (yet) live in the Netherlands, register with a username and password at Studielink. Check the deadlines for the university you’d like to enrol in.

More information about enrolment at the different Universities in the Netherlands for international Students:

• University of Utrecht
• University of Amsterdam
• VU University Amsterdam
• University of Groningen
• Leiden University
• Maastricht University
• Radboud University Nijmegen
• Erasmus University Rotterdam
• Tilburg University
• Delft University of Technology
• Eindhoven University of Technology
• University of Twente
• Wageningen University and Research Centre

PLEASE MAKE SURE you communicate well with your University. Sometimes, you won’t get a confirmation for your enrollment, but you are enrolled as soon as you get a student number. In other cases, you will get a student number and invitation for the introduction week without being officially enrolled.

Tutition fees

If you want to study in the Netherlands as an EU citizen, tuition fees are a little more than €2000 a year as long as this is your primary education (tuition fees are much higher if you already possess another degree). Private universities and university colleges have higher tuition fees. Most universities offer two ways of paying tuition fees. You can either pay the full amount at the beginning of the academic year or pay monthly installments of about €200 each (10 times). You’ll have to pay twice a year for each semester at some universities.

If you cannot pay the tuition fees yourself, you can take out a tuition fee loan (collegegeldkrediet). The tuition fee loan is a component of the Dutch student finance program. Unlike the supplementary grant (aanvullende beurs), you must pay back the college debt after you finish your studies in the Netherlands. Read more about the tuition fee loan.

Student finance program

You can apply for student finance if you study in the Netherlands and are enrolled at a Dutch university (this does not apply to exchange students). The student finance program consists of four components: a regular loan, the student travel product, a supplementary grant and a tuition fee loan. You don’t have to take out all four of them.

The supplementary grant and the student travel product are especially attractive because the loan turns into a gift (with some exceptions) if you successfully finish your studies within ten years. However, whether you get the supplementary grant depends on your parent’s income and whether they can contribute to your finances. Furthermore, to get the loan when studying in the Netherlands, you must meet the nationality criteria (EU citizen or coming from one of the EER countries) and work 56 hours a month. Be aware that you have to be able to prove that you meet the requirements, e.g., show your payrolls regularly. Apart from the money, you will get a free public transport card for free (either on weekends or weekdays). This is a great way to explore the Netherlands for free if you are studying. Please note that you can only apply for the student finance program after you’ve already worked for three months in the Netherlands. It is possible to apply for this loan retrospectively, but there is no guarantee.

If you are entitled to student finance, you can also take out a regular loan, which you must repay after you finish your studies. You don’t have to take out the entire loan; it is up to you to decide how much you want to take out.

You can find more information about the student finance program in the Netherlands on the website of the Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (DUO, literally translated as “Education Implementation Office”). Please be aware that the application is all in Dutch, so it might be worthwhile to grab a cup of coffee with your new Dutch friends and fill it out together.

Study and Work

If you study in the Netherlands, you might want to get a side job to earn some extra money. In the Netherlands, it is common for students to work a couple of hours next to their studies. The hourly wage in the Netherlands is around €10 gross. Wages in the Netherlands are usually paid monthly. How many hours you can work in addition to your studies depends on your student’s program. Between 8 and 16 hours a week is common. If you work an average of 56 hours, you might be entitled to student finance program.