The cost of studying in the Netherlands is comparable to other European countries. Aside from the tuition, the students have to take care of their accommodations and food. They can expect to spend between 650 EUR ($800 USD) and 1,500 EUR ($1,800 USD) depending on where they’re staying.
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Not everybody can pay for college. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t get a college degree and be successful in life. It used to be like that, but now there are tuition free universities in Netherlands for international students. The government will pay the tuition and you only need to pay living costs. So if you also can’t pay for college, read this ultimate guide on how to study abroad and study tuition free.
Universities in Netherlands with no Tuition
The Erasmus University Holland Scholarship is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and Erasmus University Rotterdam. The scholarship is meant for international students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) who want to do their Bachelors or Masters degrees in Holland.
Host Institution(s):
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Level/Field(s) of study:
Bachelors and Masters degree in any subject and any faculty, except for studies at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS). For the Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil), only students of the Research Master in Philosophy and Economics are eligible.
Number of Scholarships:
Not specified
Target group:
Non-EEA students
Scholarship value/inclusions:
€ 5,000, € 10,000 or € 15,000 (to be decided by the faculty)
Eligibility:
Applicants must be:
• Non-EEA nationals who have to pay the institutional tuition fee;
• Excellent students according to the respective faculty’s standard;
• Applying for a full-time bachelor or master at Erasmus University Rotterdam;
• Students who did not obtain a diploma at an education institution in the Netherlands; and
• Those who have never been enrolled as a full degree student at an educational institution in the Netherlands.
Application instructions:
The application procedure differs per faculty. Please check the Official Website for the different faculties’ contact and check with your own faculty for more information on the application. Deadline was 1 February 2021 for the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) and Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) and 1 May 2021 for all other faculties.
It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.
EUR Excellence Scholarship
The EUR Excellence Scholarship is a scholarship that reduces the higher institute tuition fee for a second master’s degree to a tuition fee equal to the EEA/EU student’s statutory tuition fee. This scholarship is for outstanding EUR-students who wish to pursue a second master at the Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Please note: this scholarship is only for current or former students of the Erasmus University Rotterdam who meet the nationality criteria for EEA / EU students.
Amount and duration EUR Excellence Scholarship
If you have already obtained a master’s degree and want to do a second fulltime master or research master at Erasmus University Rotterdam, you might be eligible for the EUR Excellence Scholarship, which allows you to pay a tuition fee equal to the EEA/EU students statutory tuition fee instead of the higher institute tuition fee.
The EUR Excellence Scholarship is applicable to the whole duration of the study programme as long as the student’s study pace is sufficient enough in order to complete the study programme within the nominal study period. The Scholarship cannot be extended beyond the nominal study period.
You can find the tuition fees per faculty here.
For who?
To qualify for the EUR Excellence Scholarship you must meet the following conditions:
At least an average grade of 8.0 for an EUR degree programme (bachelor or master) in the last five years;
You meet the nationality criteria for EEA / EU students who pay the statutory tuition fees (see here);
You are enrolled for your second (fulltime or research) master at the EUR (post-initial programmes are not covered) or have a provisional certificate of registration for that master;
You must apply for the scholarship before May 31 (see Application procedure)
Application procedure
- Send your request before May 31, prior to the academic year in which you start your second master to the coordinator EUR Excellence Scholarship (rianne.nieuwdorp@eur.nl).
- Your application includes the following:
Motivation letter (maximum 1 A4);
Curriculum vitae;
Proof of admission to the master programme of your choice or a provisional certificate (via the Education Office of the master programme);
Copies of certificates and transcript of records of higher education that show that you have graduated with an average grade of at least 8,0 for an EUR degree programme. If you have not received your certificate yet then you need to send a letter from the exam committee which shows that it is expected that you will graduate with an average grade of at least 8,0;
- All applications will be checked and evaluated by a committee on motivation and grades.
- In June, you’ll be informed on the outcome of your application. Postpone completing and paying the digital authorization of tuition until the outcome.
Awarded: You’ll receive a message that the Scholarship is awarded. After that, print the authorization (in which the tuition fee is lowered) and pay the reduced tuition to complete your registration. You have to start the master in the calendar year of granting the scholarship.
Rejection: If the scholarship isn’t awarded, you can choose to cancel you registration. If you still want to follow the master, you can complete your registration by paying the high institutional tuition fee.
List of Tuition Free Universities in Netherlands for International Students
Tuition fees*
The fee (“wettelijk collegegeld”) is determined annually by the Dutch government. Find more detailed and up to date information about Tuition fees.*
Costs of Living
On top of the tuition fees, you will need a minimum budget to cover your living expenses. Please consult these practical matters pages for an estimate of the costs of living in the Netherlands.
For general information about studying and living in the Netherlands, visit the website of the Netherlands organisation for international cooperation in higher education, the NUFFICOpens external.
Grants and Scholarships
Students are strongly encouraged to begin researching and applying for sources of funding as early as possible. For prospective Master students, there are various sources for grants and scholarships including:
The Holland Scholarship Programme (for non-EEA students)
Erasmus Trustfonds Scholarship (for EEA students)
EUR Excellence Scholarship (if you are starting your second Master’s programme)
Fulbright (for American students)
LPDP Scholarship (for Indonesian students)
Orange Knowledge Programmes (see OKP country listOpens external)
Russia Global Education ProgrammeOpens external (for Russian students)
StuNed (for Indonesian students)
You can also inquire about funding at:
The Dutch government
Your home university/institution
Business sponsorship
Your local government
International organizations (e.g. Rotary Club, UN, World Bank etc)
The Netherlands organization for Scientific Research
2nd Master’s programme: EUR Excellence Scholarship
If you have already obtained a Master’s degree and want to do a full-time Master or Research Master at Erasmus University Rotterdam, you might be eligible for the EUR Excellence Scholarship. Recipients of the EUR Excellence Scholarship pay a tuition fee equal to the EEA/EU students statutory tuition fee instead of the higher institute tuition fee. In order to apply for the EUR Excellence Scholarship you have to meet the nationality criteria for the statutory fee EEA/EU students and obtained a cum laude bachelor’s or master’s degree at EUR. Read more about the EUR Excellence Scholarship.
Erasmus University Scholarships for Non-EEA Students, 2020
Requirements | Your nationality is non-EEA and you pay the institutional tuition fee;You are an excellent student according to your faculty’s standard;You are applying for a full-time bachelor or master at Erasmus University Rotterdam;You didn’t obtain a diploma at an education institution in the Netherlands;You have never been enrolled as a full degree student at an educational institution in the Netherlands;You can only receive the Holland Scholarship Erasmus University once;You meet the specific requirements set by the faculty that offers the programme that you have applied for. Check your faculty’s website for more information. |
Nationality | non-EEA |
Participating faculty | All faculties (ISS excluded)Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil): only for students of the Research Master in Philosophy and Economics. |
Level of study | BachelorMaster |
Scholarship / Grant in € | € 5.000, € 10.000 or € 15.000 (to be decided by the faculty) |
Deadline | Differs per faculty |
More details & contact | Website: Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) Website: Erasmus School of Law (ESL) Website: Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB) – Bachelor Website: Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB) – Master Website: Erasmus MC (EMC)Opens external Website: Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil) (look under ‘Funding’) Website: Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC) Website: Rotterdam School of Management (RSM)Opens external Website: Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM) Website: Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)Opens external Website: Erasmus University College (EUC) Website: Study in HollandOpens external |
Application – Holland Scholarship
The application procedure differs per faculty. Please check your own faculty for more information on the application.
Erasmus School of Economics (ESE)
Erasmus School of Law (ESL)
Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB) – Bachelor Students
Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB) – Master Students
Erasmus MC (EMC)Opens external
Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil) (look under ‘Funding’)
Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC)
Rotterdam School of Management (RSM)Opens external
Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM)
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)Opens external
Erasmus University College (EUC)
Deadline:
ESE & RSM: 1 February 2020
Other faculties: 1 May 2020
Background information
The Erasmus University Holland Scholarship is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and Erasmus University Rotterdam. The scholarship is meant for international students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) who want to do their bachelor’s or master’s in Holland.
Undergraduate Scholarships At Erasmus University, Netherlands
Scholarship Description:
Undergraduate Scholarships at Erasmus University, Netherlands is open for . The scholarship allows Undergraduate level programm(s) in the field of taught at Erasmus University Rotterdam . The deadline of the scholarship is .
Undergraduate Scholarships at Erasmus University, Netherlands
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University offers scholarships for students from non-EEA countries who are not entitled to pay the EEA tuition fee. The scholarship will be awarded for the first year of the IBA programme, provided excellence in previous education is proven. The mission of the RSM is to be a leading international business school that creates disseminates and applies managerial knowledge in a sustainable and respectful way.
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University is the international business school of the Erasmus University Rotterdam located in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
All international applicants for whom English is not the native tongue must provide proof of competence in the English language.
Scholarships are available for pursuing bachelor (BSc) programme.
Scholarships are awarded for International Business Administration (IBA).
The amount of the scholarship for the academic year 2017/2018 is approximately 6,900 euro. The scholarship takes the form of a waiver being the amount of money that will be subtracted from the full non-EEA tuition fee. The waiver fully covers the difference between the non-EEA tuition fee and the EEA tuition fee. Students will always have to pay at least the statutory tuition fee. For the scholarship, no actual transmission of money takes place. The scholarship part of the non-EEA tuition fee will be subtracted from the full non-EEA tuition fee before the start of the academic year, enabling them to immediately pay the reduced tuition fee; either at once or in instalments.
Scholarship can be taken in the Netherlands
Eligibility Criteria: Application for the scholarship is open for prospective IBA students (thus, not currently enrolled students) starting their studies in 2017/2018 from all non-EEA countries, provided they would be charged the non-EEA tuition fee. Only students who are not recipients of any other scholarships exceeding the amount of 5,000 euros in total in that same academic year can apply for the scholarship.
Eligible Nationalities: All non-EEA students can apply for these scholarships. The school may give preference to students with one of the following nationalities: Brazilian, Russian, Indian, Chinese, Taiwanese / Korean / Filipino, Indonesian / Vietnamese / Thai, Iranian / Iraqi, Azerbaijani / Georgian, Turkish, African (all countries) and Mexican.
Entrance Requirement: Important characteristics of the IBA programme are its international dimension and high performing students. Admission to the IBA programme is therefore based on:
Academic performance as indicated by grade point average – 50%
Motivation to study IBA at RSM – 25%
Extracurricular activities, illustrated by curriculum vitae – 25%
Test Requirement: No
English Language Requirement: All international applicants for whom English is not the native tongue must provide proof of competence in the English language.
Application Procedure: When applying for the IBA programme in the online application form (OLAF) student will be asked to upload documents which will be used for evaluating their application. During this process, you can also upload your scholarship application letter (maximum 1 A4 size page). The application letter should include the following information:
An explanation why student would need a scholarship, comprising a description of financial situation;
An explanation why a student would deserve a scholarship, comprising a description of academic excellence and if applicable other merits.
If applicable: certified copies of other scholarships granted;
A signed statement indicating that other scholarship awarded do not exceed the amount of 5,000 euros in total;
The following documents are not required if student has already uploaded these for admission to the IBA programme: certified copies of the secondary education academic transcript (certified list of grades), and if applicable certified copies of transcripts from a higher education institution: to date, as available at the moment of application (normally already part of application package).
Deadline: Students can apply for the scholarship at any time between 1 October 2016 and 15 February 2017.
Scholarship Link
Degree Level:
Undergraduate Scholarships at Erasmus University, Netherlands is available to undertake Undergraduate level programs at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Cheapest Universities in Netherlands for International Students
Even in the beautiful country of the Netherlands, there are some Dutch universities that offer low tuition rates for international students. You might not consider them cheap, but, compared to some private universities in the Netherlands, public universities offer lower tuition rates to international students. Some of the public universities are one of the cheapest universities in the Netherlands since they don’t charge high tuition for international students. Let’s first look at some useful information regarding the affordable universities in the Netherlands.
1. Utrecht University
- Undergraduate Tuition Link
- Master’s Tuition Link
- Ph.D. Tuition Link
- Undergraduate Tuition Fee:
- 2,200 Euros per year (Swiss and EU students)
- 10,000 Euros to 13,000 Euros per year (non-EU students)
- Master’s Program Tuition Fee:
- 2,100 Euros per year (Swiss and EU students)
- 10,000 Euros to 17,000 Euros per year (non-EU students)
- PhD Tuition Fee: 0 Euros if Directly Employed by University. Students also get paid stipends.
Ranked in one of the top universities for research and technology, Utrecht University comprises of seven different departments and three distinct institutes. Because of their quality education, many of their graduates have earned Nobel Prizes for their contributions to society.https://7fe683c2bf2f79ce50dc5ded892028b5.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
In addition, their high-quality education has been combined with innovative lecturers and mentors; thus making the education at Utrecht University far more attractive to international students than ever before. Not only does it have a diverse community of students, but Utrecht University furthers cultural growth by having a diverse community of teachers as well.
Since there are so many different programs for master’s, the link above will lead you to the tuition fee of only one of the subjects. In order to choose yours, click on this link, and then click on the tuition link to check the tuition fee for your subject.
The link for the PhD program does not state the amount of the tuition fee, but you will get that detailed information after you get admission for the doctoral program. Offering low tuition for their prospective students, Utrecht University is one of the cheapest universities in the Netherlands.
2. Delft University of Technology
- Undergraduate Tuition Link
- Master’s Tuition Link
- Ph.D. Tuition Link
- Undergraduate Tuition Fee:
- 2,100 Euros per year (Swiss/EU)
- 14,500 Euros per year (Non-EU)
- Master’s Tuition Fee:
- 2,100 Euros per year (Swiss/EU)
- 18,750 Euros per Year (Non-EU)
- PhD Tuition Fee: Maximum of 11,000 Euros per Year, but students are often employed and pay no tuition fee and gets stipends.
Also known as TU Delft, the Delft University of Technology is another cheap university in the Netherlands for international students. It is also the largest technical university in the Netherlands, and it is specifically designed to train students in the art of engineering. Similar to Utrecht University, TU Delft combines research, innovation, and technology to produce state-of-the-art inventions, and it continues to challenge their students to aim for something higher.https://7fe683c2bf2f79ce50dc5ded892028b5.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Because of its sole focus on engineering, many types of undergraduate programs are mostly engineering programs, and it has an entire 16 programs that are solely dedicated to teaching engineering. Not only are these courses offered in the Netherlands, but you can also receive this education by signing up for online classes.
3. University of Amsterdam
- Undergraduate and Master’s Tuition Link
- Undergraduate Tuition Fee:
- 2,100 Euros per year (Swiss/EU)
- 8,100 – 20,000 Euros per year (Non-EU)
- Master’s Tuition Fee:
- 2,100 Euros per year (Swiss/EU)
- 12,000 – 14,100 Euros per Year (Non-EU)
Ranked in the top 100 universities, the University of Amsterdam offers low tuition for international students since it is funded by the government. In addition to their low prices, the city of Amsterdam is a great place to live, and it is one of the safest places to live in Europe.
Amsterdam also has a rich history of battles with the Spaniards, and some of the ancient buildings since that time still remains in the beautiful city of Amsterdam. Even though it might contain some old buildings, many research centers in Amsterdam contains state-of-the-art technology that can do some serious research.
4. University of Groningen
- Undergraduate and Master’s Tuition Link
- Undergraduate Tuition Fee:
- 2,100 – 4,300 Euros per year (Swiss/EU)
- 9,000 – 12,000 Euros per year (Non-EU)
- Master’s Tuition Fee:
- 2,100 – 4,300 Euros per year (Swiss/EU)
- 13,500 – 17,000 Euros per Year (Non-EU)
Having a funny name, the University of Groningen displays for us to see that it is proud to be in the world’s top 100 universities. This type of ranking is due to their strong collaboration in international partnerships and organizations that allows a huge amount of benefits to their international universities and the University of Groningen itself.
Allowing for innovative ideas and taking advantage of them, the University of Groningen continues to open their doors to students that can take their innovative ideas into beneficial researches. The city of Groningen itself is bursting with young students, and the whole city is vibrant because of the large number of college students.
Attracting students with low tuition, the University of Groningen is another cheapest university in the Netherlands.
5. University of Twente
- Undergraduate Tuition Link
- Master’s Tuition Link
- Undergraduate Tuition Fee:
- 2,100 Euros per year (Swiss/EU)
- 9,000 – 13,000 Euros per year (Non-EU)
- Master’s Tuition Fee:
- 2,100 Euros per year (Swiss/EU)
- 12,500 – 16,000 Euros per Year (Non-EU)
Having a great reputation for their major in engineering, the University of Twente has a vibrant community that thrives in even more vibrant campus. The campus of the University of Twente is filled with everything that you need or might need, and the sports selection is stunning. Offering many kinds of sports in addition to archery and beach volleyball, the campus of Twente is something to die for.
Filled with large libraries and state-of-the-art laboratories, many buildings in the University of Twente are places to go to when you are bored or want to spend a great time with a friend. The region of Twente is filled with companies that practice nanotechnology and drone technology, and students from the University of Twente are in for a lifetime of experiences by going to this university.
6. Wageningen University and Research
- Undergraduate Tuition Link
- Master’s Tuition Link
- Undergraduate Tuition Fee:
- 2,100 Euros per year (Swiss/EU)
- 16,000 Euros per year (Non-EU)
- Master’s Tuition Fee:
- 2,100 Euros per year (Swiss/EU)
- 19,000 Euros per Year (Non-EU)
Also known as the WUR, Wageningen University, one of the cheap universities in the Netherlands for international students, is known for its sole focus on food production, and that focus led to improvements in our health and living conditions which continues to affect the world today. With the aid of their specialized research centers and laboratories, WUR continues to make many achievements in the scientific world with their graduates.
7. Eindhoven University of Technology
- Undergraduate and Master’sTuition Link
- Undergraduate Tuition Fee:
- 2,100 Euros per year (Swiss/EU)
- 11,000 Euros per year (Non-EU)
- Master’s Tuition Fee:
- 2,100 Euros per year (Swiss/EU)
- 16,000 Euros per Year (Non-EU)
Known as the TUE, the Eindhoven University of Technology has developed a project called Brainport Eindhoven that continues to make innovations and new technology that makes the world a better place. The TUE continues to produce leaders and thinkers that answers questions by making a solution, and Eindhoven is a place that is a central hub for technology, which attracts more and more students to this great university.