How Much Does It Cost to Study in the Netherlands?

Studying in the Netherlands in 2026–27 costs an EU/EEA student €2,694 in tuition plus roughly €1,000–1,500 a month to live — call it €15,000–21,000 for the year. A non-EU student pays far more in tuition, usually €13,500–26,000 a year depending on the programme, on top of similar living costs. For a student visa you must separately prove you can cover your living costs: €1,130.77 a month, or €13,569.24 for the year (2026), which does not include tuition. Amsterdam is the priciest place to study, and the reason is almost always rent.

Tuition — EU vs non-EU

There are two tuition worlds in the Netherlands, and which one you fall into depends on your nationality, not your bank balance.

EU/EEA students pay the statutory fee (wettelijk collegegeld), which the government sets and subsidises. For 2026–27 it is €2,694 per year for a full-time bachelor or master, confirmed on DUO. The same rate applies to students from the EEA, Switzerland and Surinam who meet the nationality and prior-degree conditions. One thing to clear up: the old halved first-year discount has been discontinued — if you start in 2026–27 you pay the full €2,694 from your first year.

Non-EU students pay the institutional fee (instellingscollegegeld), which each university sets itself to reflect the real, unsubsidised cost of the programme. There is no single national figure — rates vary widely by university and by subject. As rough ranges:

Treat those non-EU numbers as ballparks. Because every programme sets its own rate, the only figure you can trust is the one on the specific programme page you are applying to — always check it there before you budget.

Living costs per month

Beyond tuition, plan for about €1,000–1,500 a month to live, depending mostly on your rent and your city. A breakdown from Study in NL (Nuffic) gives a sense of where the money goes (2024 data — treat it as an estimate):

Rent is the swing factor. A room on its own runs €450–1,000 a month, and where you land in that range is mostly about which city you study in — which brings us to Amsterdam.

How much you must prove for the visa

If you are a non-EU student, your university applies for your residence permit through the IND, and you have to show you can support yourself. The IND study norm for 2026 is €1,130.77 per month, which is €13,569.24 for a full year. A few points that trip people up:

• This amount covers living costs only — your tuition is on top of it, and you prove that separately.
• Some universities round the monthly figure up slightly, to around €1,140, when they hold the funds on your behalf. That small buffer is normal.
• You usually show the money either as a lump sum in a blocked or university-held account, or through a scholarship or sponsor letter. Your university will tell you exactly which route it uses.

For the full step-by-step on permits, timing and documents, see our student visa guide.

Amsterdam vs the rest of the country

Tuition is the same everywhere — a bachelor at the University of Amsterdam and one in Groningen both cost €2,694 for an EU student. What changes between cities is rent, and Amsterdam is consistently the most expensive.

A student room in Amsterdam commonly runs €700–1,000+ a month, while comparable rooms in Groningen, Nijmegen, Enschede or Maastricht sit closer to €450–650. Over a year, choosing a cheaper city can save you €3,000–4,000 — often more than a non-EU student saves on anything else. Amsterdam also has the tightest room market in the country, so start looking early and, if the budget is tight, seriously weigh a smaller student city. Our student housing guide covers how and where to look.

If you are still weighing up the decision as a whole — programmes, admissions and what living here is actually like — start with our overview of studying in the Netherlands.