Studying in the Netherlands: A Guide for International Students

So you want to study in the Netherlands. Here is the honest short version of what it takes: a place on a programme, the legal right to be here, and proof you can afford it. If you are from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, your passport is your permit — you just register once you arrive. If you are from outside the EU, your university applies for a study residence permit on your behalf and you must show about €13,569 a year in living funds. Everyone pays tuition — €2,694 a year for EU students, €13,500–26,000 for non-EU students — plus roughly €1,000–1,500 a month to live. And everyone, regardless of nationality, runs into the same wall: housing is genuinely hard to find, so you start looking before you land. This page walks through the whole picture and links to a detailed guide for each step.

Why the Netherlands

The practical draw is language. The Netherlands has one of the widest ranges of English-taught higher education in continental Europe, particularly at master's level, so you can earn a full degree without speaking Dutch. Degrees split into two types: research universities (WO), which are more academic, and universities of applied sciences (HBO, or hogescholen), which are more vocational and hands-on. Both are internationally recognised.

The official starting point is Study in NL, run by the government agency Nuffic. It has a searchable database of every English-taught programme, plus reliable pages on admissions and costs. One caveat worth knowing up front: Dutch policy is shifting to protect Dutch-taught teaching and slow the growth of English-taught programmes, so always confirm the language of instruction on the specific programme page rather than assuming.

Do you need a visa?

This is the first fork in the road, and it depends entirely on your nationality.

EU / EEA / Swiss students need no visa and no residence permit. Your passport is proof of your right to live and study here. Your only obligation is to register at the town hall if you stay longer than four months (more on that below).

Non-EU students need a study residence permit, and in most cases an MVV (an entry visa sticker) as well. The good news is you do not deal with the immigration service directly: your university is a recognised sponsor and applies to the IND on your behalf. The IND fee is €254 (2026), usually passed on to you, and you must show you can cover your living costs — €13,569.24 for the year, or €1,130.77 a month. For the full step-by-step — documents, timing, what the MVV is, and who is exempt — see our student visa guide.

What it costs — tuition and living

There are two tuition worlds, and which one you land in is decided by your nationality, not your finances.

EU/EEA students pay the government-subsidised statutory fee (wettelijk collegegeld): €2,694 for 2026–27, confirmed by DUO. Note that the old halved first-year discount has been discontinued — new EU students pay the full amount from year one. Non-EU students pay the institutional fee (instellingscollegegeld), which each university sets to reflect the real, unsubsidised cost: roughly €13,500–26,000 a year depending on the programme, and higher again for medicine.

On top of tuition, plan for €1,000–1,500 a month to live, with rent the biggest and most variable slice. Amsterdam sits at the expensive end of that range. Our cost of studying guide breaks down tuition, monthly living costs and the visa funds requirement in full.

Finding housing

This is the part people underestimate, so read it twice. The Netherlands has a severe, officially acknowledged student housing shortage — the national student housing monitor (LMS) put it at roughly 21,500 rooms short in 2025 — and Amsterdam is one of the tightest markets in the country. Universities are upfront that they cannot guarantee you a room.

What that means in practice: start before you arrive. Use your university's housing office first (some reserve a limited number of rooms for international students, often on a first-come basis), then the main student platforms — SSH, DUWO and ROOM.nl. Be realistic about the timeline and, if budget is tight, consider that a room in Groningen, Nijmegen or Enschede can cost half what it does in Amsterdam.

One firm warning: rental scams are common in this market. Never pay a deposit or "reservation fee" for a room you have not seen or verified, and be suspicious of any landlord who wants money before a viewing. Our student housing guide covers where to look, how the systems work and how to spot a scam.

Health insurance

Health insurance for students is a common trap because the rule is counter-intuitive: whether you need Dutch insurance depends on whether you work, not on where you are from.

If you only study, you are not allowed to take out Dutch public insurance (the basisverzekering). Instead you rely on private international student insurance, or — for EU students — your home-country cover via the EHIC. But the moment you take a paid job, even a small part-time one, you are legally required to switch to Dutch public basic insurance within four months. Miss that switch and you risk fines and back-payments. Our student health insurance guide explains both routes and exactly when the switch is triggered.

After you arrive — BSN and a bank account

Once you are here, if you are staying four months or more, your first admin task is to register your address at the gemeente (the town hall) in the BRP population register. In Amsterdam you do this at a Stadsloket, and in return you get your BSN (burgerservicenummer) — the citizen service number that everything else hangs off.

You need the BSN to open a Dutch bank account, take out insurance and be paid for work, so treat it as step one. It is usually issued the same day if you book an appointment and bring the right documents. Our BSN guide walks through what to bring, how to book, and the address-proof rules that trip people up.

Working while you study

A part-time job is doable, but the rules differ sharply by nationality.

EU/EEA/Swiss students can work with no restrictions — treat yourself like any Dutch worker. Non-EU students face a hard limit: you may work either a maximum of 16 hours a week year-round, or full-time only in June, July and August — it is one option or the other, never both — and crucially, your employer must hold a work permit (TWV) for you. Not every employer is willing to arrange that, so factor it into your job search. And remember the knock-on effect: taking any paid job means you must switch to Dutch public health insurance.

Where to go next

Pick the thread that matters most to you right now: the student visa if you are non-EU and planning the move, cost of studying to build a realistic budget, student housing if you are already worrying about a room (you should be), health insurance for students once you know whether you will work, and the BSN guide for your first week on the ground.