Admission

The admission requirements may vary, depending on the study programme of your choice.

• Bachelor degree programmes
  If you want to follow a Bachelor degree programme you must have a diploma of higher secondary education that is equivalent to the Dutch levels, for example: 
  • Germany: Algemeine Hochschulreife, Fachhochschulreife
  • International Baccalaureate diploma; career-related certificate of the International Baccalaureate

  • European Baccalaureate (EB)

  • High School: GPA average at least 3.0; AP programme  or college prepatory programme (grades do not matter)

  • UK: General Certificate of Secondary Education in 4 subjects with grades A to C or 9 to 4; General Certificate of Education on Advanced Subsidiary level with 2 relevant subjects with grades A to C or General Certificate of Education with 2 relevant subjects on Advanced Level (grades D-E) (in 6 different subjects including English and maths)

Quite a number of our study programmes have additional requirements. Check the webpage of the study programme of your choice for course-specific details.
 

• Master degree programmes
  If you want to be enrolled in one of our Master degree programmes, you must have a bachelor's degree that is equivalent to the Dutch degree, usually in the same discipline or in the same professional domain.

Copies of diplomas
If you wish to be enrolled in one of our study programmes, you will be asked to submit authenticated copies of your diplomas. 

Diploma recognition
Information on recognition of diplomas for admission to Dutch universities of applied sciences can be found on the NUFFIC website. Don't you know the level of your diploma yet? Nuffic has made an overview of common diplomas from many different countries and how they compare to Dutch diplomas. You can use this to help you estimate your level.

Language requirements are different for admission to either English or Dutch programmes.

Admission to English study programmes 
For admission to our study programmes taught in English, a minimum overall band IELTS score of at least 6.0 is required. Besides IELTS, the equivalent TOEFL, TOEIC and Cambridge ESOL level certificates are also accepted. See the Code of Conduct for details. Please note that your test results must be valid at the start of the programme. TOEFL, TOEIC and IELTS scores expire after 2 years. Cambridge certificates are valid indefinitely.

Exemptions
You are exempted from this requirement if you have:

• a diploma in the EU/EEA and passed English as an examination subject

• a diploma in the UK, US, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand or Australia

• an accredited international American high school diploma or British international (I)GCSE/ A-levels

• an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma

Admission to Dutch study programmes 
If you want to apply for a study programme taught in Dutch, you'll need to have a thorough command of the Dutch language. Sufficient proficiency in Dutch may be attained after following Dutch as a Second Language, through an NT2-course. To make sure that you can attend study programmes taught in Dutch, you have to attain the NT2-level II. This also applies to students of Dutch nationality who do not have a Dutch educational background. The NT2-level II exam is a State Examination. If you have no prior knowledge of Dutch at all, it will take you about a year to prepare for the NT2-level II exam.

More about NT2 exam >

Non-EU students are subject to the Dutch immigration procedures. These procedures can vary depending on your nationality. If you are from the USA, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the Vatican City and Monaco, you do not need a visa. However, you will need a residence permit if you are going to stay in the Netherlands for more than three months.

More information >