Most higher education institutions receive funding from the Dutch government, but Dutch citizens always have to pay a tuition fee as well. Therefore the separation between public and private institutes is not distinct.
There are some institutions that are completely private though. These institutes generally offer very specific programmes, such as MBA’s and non-degree courses.
Each year a little less than 500 bachelors, masters, PhD, short courses and internship students go to Holland with the purpose of studying at a higher education institute. At the moment an estimated 550 students are registered at publicly funded Dutch higher education programmes.
Tuition fees are fixed by the different institutions themselves. We just provide average costs as a guide. Tuition fees for a bachelor programme range from € 5,500 to € 7,000; most master courses range from € 9,000 to € 15,000.Although living costs may vary a little per city, generally students spend about € 700 euro per month. In comparison with other Anglo-Saxon countries, tuition fees and living costs in The Netherlands are reasonable. Yes, you can apply for a work permit to work up to 10 hours a week all year round or you may work full-time during vacation periods (June, July and August). Please note that it may be difficult to find a job because of the language. Furthermore, studying requires at least 40 hours per week, which sometimes makes it very difficult to combine work and study. For further information on working while studying in the Netherlands go to the Nuffic website.
On the Neso webpage you can find a short overview of scholarships available to Indian students. Please note that many Dutch higher education institutes also offer their own scholarships to excellent students, so it is recommendable to enquire at the university as well whether you are eligible for such a scholarship.
On the Grantfinder webpage and www.nesoindia.org you may find additional scholarship options
Visa to study in Holland
Yes, you need a visa called MVV. The university will apply for your MVV once you have been accepted in a programme and will require some additional documents from you. The visa will be issued by the Royal Netherlands Embassy in New Delhi or the Consulate in Mumbai.
Generally the university will apply for your MVV two or three months before your studies begin, since the procedure at the Dutch Migration Service (IND) usually takes about 2 - 6 weeks (in some cases this may be longer). The requirements are:
Acceptance in a programme in a higher education institute that has signed the Code of Conduct;
Proof of sufficient funds. The IND requires that you have about 700 euros per month (January 2009) available for the duration of your studies. If your programme is more than one year, you only need to prove sufficient funds for the first year. This requirement is very strict. Sufficient funds may be proven in three ways:
1. a bank statement of an account on your name with sufficient funds in local currency.
Take into account that the statement must mention Rupees and that it must be translated into English by an official translater. Also, bear in mind that the exchange rate may differ from the moment you obtain the statement to the moment the IND receives it for revision.
2. a bank transfer to the host universities' account.
Most Dutch higher education institutions offer the possibility to make a transfer to their account of the whole amount for one year of living expenses. They will apply for your MVV with their bank statement where your transfer appears (with the total amount in euros). Upon your arrival in The Netherlands, the university will return the money on your Dutch bank account, so you can use it for your personal expenses.
3. a letter stating that you will receive a scholarship or student loan for the duration of your studies. This letter must be in English and mention your full name, birth date, the name of the institution where you will study, the name of the programme you are going to study, the exact period in which the scholarship or loan will be granted, the total amount of the scholarship or loan and the monthly amount that you will receive.
A valid passport.
All Indian students no matter what the length of the stay require a visa.
Legalization of documents for use in Holland
To use your documents in Holland you need to take a few steps:
1. Legalization of Indian Public Documents (International legalization)
For official documents it is necessary to have the “apostille” stamp in order to be recognized internationally. This stamp is issued by Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs at CPV Division. This is for only personal documents (ie. birth, death, etc.) and educational documents. All documents should be first authenticated by the designated agencies in the State. For personal documents, Home Department/General Administration Department of the State are the authority. For educational documents, State Government have opened Regional Authentication Centers (RACs) in the States. For more information please visit webpage for 'Apostille information'.
PLEASE NOTE: the apostille stamp is not possible on documents other than those specified above.
2. Certified copies
You should never send original diplomas to the Dutch institutions as they will not return them to you after your application. Therefore it is necessary to obtain certified copies of all documents. These can be obtained either at your university or with a public notary. It is recommendable to request five or six sets of copies at once, since you might need them for other universities or scholarship programmes.
PLEASE NOTE: these copies are necessary for all official documents that you send to The Netherlands.
3. Official translation to English
It is necessary to have an official translator make the translation of all documents in English. You can ask your university if they know an official translator near your home
Masters programme with any Bachelors title in Holland
In general it is not possible to study a master’s programme with any bachelor’s degree. In most cases you would need a bachelor’s degree in the same or related field in order to follow a master’s programme.
Some programmes (and institutions) do make an exception. For example, you can study MA in Political Science with a bachelor’s degree in Economics. Depending on the institution you would either need to follow a preparatory year or take extra modules. The number of modules will depend on the programme. Depending on the programme you are interested in.
Documents required for admission in Holland
For Bachelor programmes in Holland:
High school diploma
list of subjects with grades from your high school
diploma of your English knowledge (TOEFL or IELTS)
For Master programmes in Holland:
Bachelor’s degree in the same study field as your Master programme
list of subjects with grades
diploma of your English knowledge (TOEFL or IELTS)
For PhD programmes in Holland:
Master’s degree in the same study field as your research proposal
list of subjects with grades
diploma of your English knowledge (TOEFL or IELTS)
Each institution requires additional documents, such as a motivation statement, a curriculum vitae (c.v.), recommendation letter(s), copy of your passport, copy of your birth certificate. Some institutions require GRE and/or GMAT-results, portfolio, etc. depending on the programme you are interested in.
English preparatory programme before the main course in Holland
Yes, some institutions have the preparatory courses for international students. If you want to study English preparatory programme, please check the institution website to make sure that institution provides this course. The preparatory is usually designed for students who need to upgrade their English level with 0.5 or 1.0 point IELTS to be admitted to bachelor or master courses. It means that you also have at least IELTS 5.0 or TOEFL 500 to apply for the preparatory course. Therefore we highly recommend that you should get a sufficient English level in India before going to the Netherlands to study to save your cost and time.
Students studying in Holland
Each year a little less than 500 bachelors, masters, PhD, short courses and internship students go to Holland with the purpose of studying at a higher education institute. At the moment an estimated 550 students are registered at publicly funded Dutch higher education programmes.
Can I use english in my daily life in Holland
Can I use English in daily life? I want to learn Dutch. Is this possible during my stay in Holland?
Yes, almost all Dutch people can speak English well, so you will not encounter any problems in daily activities.
Many universities offer Dutch courses for their foreign students. This means that besides the regular study programme you can take an additional course to learn the basics of the language and a little more about the Dutch culture. This is not obligatory, but optional.
Several Dutch universities have language centres where you can take Dutch courses as well. Although this is mainly for students that want to start a programme taught in Dutch, some also offer the option of short courses or summer-courses. It is recommendable taking a course at a university because of the guaranteed quality.
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