Roughly three-quarters of Dutch Master's are taught in English — nowhere else on the continent offers this much choice without a second language.
The deepest English-taught catalogue in continental Europe, in a country where English alone genuinely works.
The stages in the order they actually happen — and where we step in on each one.
With over a thousand English-taught Master's, the Dutch problem is not finding options — it is filtering them. Research universities (WO) and universities of applied sciences (HBO) are different products, and picking the wrong track is the most common early mistake.
Most English Master's ask IELTS 6.5, some 7.0. Dutch is genuinely optional: lectures, admin, and daily life all run in English.
Every enrolment goes through Studielink, but the academic assessment happens in each university's own portal — so most applications are effectively two submissions. Deadlines for competitive programmes fall as early as 1 February.
Some programmes cap seats (numerus fixus) and run their own selection rounds with a hard 1 February deadline and no late entry. Others assess on a rolling basis. Knowing which is which decides your calendar.
Accept your offer and pay the first instalment. Start housing the same week — Dutch student housing in Amsterdam, Delft and Utrecht is genuinely scarce, and this catches people out far more than the visa does.
Your university applies to the IND on your behalf as a recognised sponsor — you do not file alone. You show €1,130.77/month (2026 rate) in freely withdrawable funds; the IND rejects fixed deposits, loans from private lenders and crypto.
Collect your residence card, register with your municipality (BSN number) and open a Dutch bank account. Work up to 16 hours a week in term. After graduating, the orientation year gives you 12 months to find work with no employer restrictions.
A starting shortlist of the Netherlands's best-known universities for English-taught Master's. Browse our directory for programme-level detail.
Europe's deadlines are staggered, so you can realistically apply across several countries in one cycle instead of betting everything on one. Here's every destination we cover.
