Two types of Tuition Fees in Netherlands. Which One Is for You?

5 min read

Understanding the education system of the Netherlands is important to make an informed decision. It is also equally important to know about the tuition fees of your desired program. There are two types of tuition fees in Netherlands.

But, here, let's talk briefly about "Statutory Tuition fees'' and "Institutional Tuition Fees.” You will know more about the Netherland's education system in the next section. 

Tuition Fees in Netherland: Statutory Tuition Fees

This tuition fee structure applies to the European Union/ European Economic Area and Surinamese students. You can compare statutory tuition fees in Netherlands with domestic tuition fees in other countries.

Note:

Dutch Government has recently announced to decrease statutory tuition fees by half for the first year of study. Students who are doing teacher training courses will be eligible for this reduced tuition fee in their second year of study. It will help students to reduce the cost of study in Netherlands and manage more affordable universities.

You may not be eligible for this benefit if:

• were enrolled in a Dutch higher education institution before the 2018/2019 academic year; or

• are doing a master’s course; or

• are paying the non-statutory fee set by your higher education institution; or

• are enrolled in a privately funded higher education institution; or

• are participating in the demand-driven funding experiment.

Tuition Fees in Netherland: Institutional Tuition Fees

This tuition fee is applicable for students who are not citizens of the European Union/ European Economic Area or Surinam. However, there is an exception:

You are not required to pay Institutional Tuition fees if :

• You have completed a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from a university in the Netherlands and want to pursue another master’s (second-degree program) in education or health care. In that case, you can pay Statutory tuition fees instead of Institutional Tuition fees.

• You will be entitled to pay the lower statutory tuition fee for the second program on bachelor's or master's level if:

  • your second Dutch bachelor’s program is in education or healthcare, and you have not yet obtained a bachelor’s degree in one of these areas

  • your second Dutch master’s program is in education or healthcare, and you have not previously received a master’s degree in one of these areas.

You can find an overview of all study programs in the Netherlands in the Central Register for Higher Education Programmes (CROHO Netherlands) on the DUO Netherlands website. This list also indicates whether each program falls into the category of healthcare, education, or other.

International Students may still be eligible for statutory tuition fees in Netherlands if they fulfill the following conditions.

In many cases, you can always qualify for the statutory tuition fee or an institutional rate that is the same size as the statutory tuition fee. Contact the Student Services Centre (of your university) to satisfy one of the following conditions or satisfy this during the academic year. The conditions are:

• You receive study funding from DUO Netherlands in the academic year 2016-2017.

• You have a Dutch residence permit type ‘familielid EU/EER’, which means you are a family member of an EU/EEA citizen who resides in the Netherlands.

• You hold a regular unlimited period residence permit (type II) or an asylum permit (type III or IV).

• You hold a regular limited period residence permit (type I) with one of the residency purposes referred to in "Article 3 Student Finance Decree".

• The Foundation for Refugee Students (UAF) will pay your tuition fees for the academic year 2016-2017.

• You are a national of a non-EU/EEA country. Still, you have a specific residence permit for “long-term resident-EC” from an EU country and a temporary residence permit for The Netherlands (e.g., for study).

For example, you have already completed your Bachelor’s (in any subject other than education or healthcare sector). Now you are planning to enroll in another Bachelor’s degree in Education or Healthcare. Then you will be eligible to pay the statutory tuition fee.

A similar case is applicable if you have completed your graduate degree (in any subject other than Education or Health Care).

You are planning to enroll in another graduate degree in Education or Health care-related subject. You are eligible to pay Institutional Tuition Fees.

In other instances, for example, you have already paid a statutory tuition fee for your Bachelor’s, and now you want to pursue another Bachelor’s program. The good news is you have to pay for ONLY one program.

A similar case applies in the case of a graduate degree. You have already paid the statutory tuition fee for your Master’s Program and want to pursue another Master’s program. You have to pay for ONLY one program.

Note for Ph.D. Students

The Netherlands offers an excellent opportunity for Ph.D. seeking students. Most Ph.D. students in the Netherlands are either in scholarships or paid university employees, with associated rights and responsibilities such as formal teaching.

There are ample student employment positions (as a researcher or teaching assistant, etc.) in any Netherlands universities for Ph.D. students, and monthly allowances vary from €1,200 to €2,900 depending on position and experience.

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