Study Abroad In Netherlands

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Admission Requirements for Study in Netherlands
Cost of Studying in Netherlands
Student Visa Requirements for Study in Netherlands
Study Abroad Programs in Netherlands
Study in Netherlands Scholarships
Top Universities in Netherlands
Why study in Netherlands?

Living And Studying In The Netherlands – How Convenient And Rewarding

The Netherlands is a country belonging to the mainland Europe, towards its western side. It has an extensive coastline towards the North Sea and is neighbors to Germany and Belgium. Climatic conditions, friendly atmosphere and excellent living conditions are prevalent in the country, which many students will find suitable, without having an alien feel.

Why study in Netherlands

  • Earliest to stress on English as the medium of teaching in the university level, The Netherlands has attracted many foreign students. Nowadays, almost all the courses offered in the higher education institutes are in Dutch and English. In this way, there are about 1000 course programs offered to the international students.
  • Transparency in the education system is an important aspect and for this, there is a national system of regulation and quality assurance.
  • Problem based learning is the key for all the academic pursuits in the country, thereby training the students to analyze and solve practical problems independently.
  • Large number of students from different countries and communities and the variety of people working in Netherlands gives exposure to the students to a big deal. Studying here gives an opportunity to the international students to work with people from different culture, social backgrounds and makes them learn to deal effectively with cultural differences.
  • Getting the value of the money in Holland is assured because the quality of education is good and the tuition costs are not very high as in the many English speaking countries.
  • Helping people with new ideas and thinking independently has been the hallmark of education in Netherlands. This is because the essence of The Netherlands is to lead with creating thinking.
  • The Dutch country has been the pioneer in many fields and has plenty of discoveries to its credit. There are many scientists and researchers who have received the Nobel Prize and have been famous artists, thinkers, philosopher and scientists of repute. It is a place where rich European historical culture can be experienced by the students.
  • Culture of the country is richly endowed with various events and festivals and traditions which have been followed since ages. Every festival is marked with community participation. Considered as the land of butter, cheese, milk and dairy products, Holland is having modernized cities as well as advanced forms of agriculture production. Beautiful landscapes dot the area with climatic conditions that are on the cooler side.
  • The presence of about 81,700 international students in the country presently is a proof of the popularity of The Netherlands as a great destination for the foreign students.

Infrastructure

Various courses that are offered by the universities in the Netherlands are the bachelor’s program, master’s degree, doctoral degrees, graduate diploma, and undergraduate diploma.

  • The yearly academic calendar is divided into two semesters, the first semester extending from September to December while the second semester has a period from February to August.
  • In The Netherlands, higher education is provided through two different types of institutions such as the research universities and universities of applied sciences. Research universities include general universities, universities specializing in engineering and agriculture, and the Open University. Under the University of Applied Sciences are the general institutions and those institutions which impart education in specific field such as agriculture, fine arts, or teacher training. Research Universities are offering mostly research based programs while Universities of applied sciences offer courses of higher professional education, which prepare students for specific professions, which are more practical oriented.
  • Higher education is oriented around 3 cycle degree programs imparting bachelor’s, master’s and PhD courses. Each of the degree programs require the students to obtain specified credit points in order to be imparted with the degrees, which varies with the types of courses.
  • Most of the curriculum that is imparted in The Netherlands has a grading system that depends on the credit systems, which is required to be obtained by the students. The grades are from a number of 1 to 10 of which 6 is the pass limit and 6-9 is usually scored by the students.  The total academic year is 42 weeks long.
  • Quality assurance is maintained through the Qualifications Framework for the European Higher Education Area and the legislation work is done by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The accreditation of the universities is provided by the Accreditation Organization of Netherlands and Flanders. Programs which are accredited will be eligible to receive grants and these are listed in the Central Register of Higher Education Study Programs.
  • The universities are included under two categories regarding their financial status and those which are labeled as funded will have government funding access while the approved ones will have to arrange their own finances.

Admission requirements

  • International students will need to get in touch directly with the universities which offer the programs that the students want to pursue. English proficiency test of IELTS or TOEFL is a must for the students to show that they can write and read properly in English.
  • In order to take admissions in the bachelor’s program, students will have a total of 12 years of HSC schooling and the English language proficiency test of IELTS with a score of 6 is required. The total duration of Bachelor’s and Bachelor’s with honors degree are 3 and 4 years respectively.
  • Master’s programs require the students to have passed 15 years of education in minimum and the course program in The Netherlands universities would be from 1 to 2 years. English language proficiency test of IELTS is sought by many universities where a minimum score band of 6 is necessary.

Application procedure

  • Before going for applying in a particular university, students need to check if there is a closing final date.
  • Directly contacting the institution’s office is necessary and helps in better communication.
  • The application form for applying to the universities can be downloaded from the internet or can be done directly from the online mode.
  • Different documents required, visa requirements and other translated documents would be informed by the institutions.
  • Since it takes about 6-7 months to close the communication leading to final consent from the universities, the students should apply for the universities much before the time of admissions, usually 1 year.
  • The documents that are required usually along with the completed application form are English translation of all the documents if they are not in English, school leaving certificate or the highest qualification attained, transcripts of the marks obtained, application fee payment document, English language test score, passport photocopy and the motivation letter of about 500 words.

Visa requirements

To enter the Netherlands, students from various nationalities will require a student’s visa to be issued in their name. After entering, they will need the residence permit. An entry visa or student’s visa is a sticker that is put on the passport of the person by the Dutch embassy or the consulate.

  • For a short stay period for 3 months, a short stay visa would be required while those who are going to stay for more than 3 months will have to apply for provisional residence permit, provided the students are belonging to non-EU nations.
  • If the visa is to be applied for more than 90 days stay, then the students will require the MVV or provision residence permit. This is a sticker on the passport that is put by the embassy at the student’s residence country. First the institution which accepts the students will have to apply for the MVV in The Netherlands IND or the immigration office. When this application is accepted, then the IND informs the embassy about the application and the student will have 6 months period to go and present themselves in the respective embassy.
  • After the MVV is received by the students, it remains valid for another 6 months, during which they need to enter into The Netherlands. After entering into the country, the respective university or institution will have to apply for the residence permit, within 5 days of arrival. Also, the students need to register themselves with the Aliens Police.
  • The provisional residence permit is issued to the students if they have the documents of valid passport, financial sufficiency documents, not having criminal records or history of danger to society or public, payment of application fees and letter of consent for admission by the Dutch institution.
  • People need to enter the country in the right visa which is the long stay visa or the MVV because residence permit is not issued for those having short stay visa. The residence permit for students who are already accepted and enrolled by the universities will be valid for a period of the academic duration.

Cost of study and living in The Netherlands

  • Daily expenses are required to be covered properly because this might be an important consideration for students coming into The Netherlands. It may include public transport, cinema, entertainment, clothes, housing, and insurance. Average data from different sources have shown that the cost incurred in a month is between 800 to 1000 Euros.
  • Cost of tuition fees can be varied depending on the type of course and the universities. Bachelor’s courses can be usually charged at 5,000 to 16,000 Euros per year. Master’s degree and doctoral courses are also in the same range but can vary depending on the subjects.
  • Health insurance is to be taken up by the international students in order to cover their medical expenses and it is usually charged 75 Euros for 3 months.
  • Although living expenditure can depend greatly on the area in The Netherlands where one stays, it has been seen that the students will have to spend 1/3rd of their money on accommodations, which can be between 300 to 600 Euros for a month.
  • Although, eating out occasionally can be fun, the cost factor is also to be analyzed and therefore having one’s meal cooked in the residence is a better option.

Other expenses will be taking up the last third of the money which will involve transportation primarily. But student discounts are also offered by many places such as bars, cafes, cinemas, etc. Such a card is usually issued by the institution itself. Sometimes the International Student Identity Card can be a good way to avail various discounts.

Working in The Netherlands

  • Students, who need to support themselves financially during their period of stay in the Netherlands, can do some extra work. For the non EU students, full time work is allowed in the months of June, July and August and not more than 10 hours in a week apart from the summer months. There is no need to obtain work permit by the employer in such a condition.
  • But in case of working for more than the stipulated period, the employer has to obtain a work permit, which takes about 5 weeks to be considered.
  • Working by the international students can start after they have started their course in applied subject and university, by obtaining a proof of the starting of the course.

Although the works are not highly paid, yet people can get a little bit of support by doing so and get paid by the hourly rates.

Scholarships

Various international organizations offer scholarships for the students and these may include the grants by World Bank, Rotary International, United Nations Rockfeller Foundation, Asian Development Bank, World Health Organization, etc.

In order to make higher education accessible for the international students, the tuition fees have been subsidized. Also, students can pick up scholarships to fund their studies or can also go for exchange programs as many institutions in The Netherlands have been able to collaborate with universities in other countries, although these are limited to specific fields.

Hundreds of scholarships are being provided for the students who want to pursue higher education in the country and these are forthcoming from a variety of institutions and organizations, both private and public. Some of them are:

  • Institute of Current World Affairs (ICWA) John O. Crane Memorial Fellowship sponsored by Institute of Current World Affairs (ICWA), The Crane-Rogers Foundation
  • IEP Heritage Scholarship sponsored by International Education Programs (IEP)
  • AYUSA Study Abroad sponsored by AYUSA Global Youth Exchange
  • Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grants sponsored by Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation
  • Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships sponsored by Ford Foundation
  • IFUW International Awards sponsored by International Federation of University Women (IFUW)
  • Developing Country Literacy Project Support Fund sponsored by: International Reading Association

There are many more of such scholarships that can be availed by the students by enquiring with their respective universities, once they get their approvals and start applying for the visa.

Expected Outcomes

Interested students can take up jobs after passing out from the universities in The Netherlands provided they have the suitable work permit. Since the education system in The Netherlands are approved by and is in accordance with the European Qualifications Framework, the courses are recognized by all European countries.

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