Education in Holland
The Dutch education system has a long tradition and a trustworthy reputation. The laws issued in 1815 have guaranteed its quality. The Dutch education is structured in a way that the final degree can be reached by several different study routes. This means that pupils and students always have the possibility to switch from one level to another. This is a very important advantage for foreign students in the case of a difficult start.
Dutch diplomas are internationally recognized and indicate an excellent start for an international career. Coming to study in the Netherlands students can follow education given in Dutch within the national curriculum framework and international programmes taught in English.
Coming to study in the Netherlands students can follow education given in Dutch within the national curriculum framework and international programmes taught in English
Children begin their school careers in primary education at the age of four and end when they are twelve.
On the advice of the primary school, based on results of the final exam, they move on to secondary education, which branches into:
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pre-vocational (VMBO) - 4 years;
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senior general (HAVO) - 5 years;
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pre-university (VWO) - 6 years
After secondary education, graduates move on to senior secondary vocational education or higher education that includes:
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higher professional education (HBO) lasts 3- 4 years culminating with a Bachelor diploma;
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university education (WO) lasts 4- 5 years and results in Master degree
There are two main types of universities: universities of applied sciences known in Dutch as hogescholen and universities training students for the independent practice of science.
At universities of applied sciences Bachelor programmes are given for four years and classic universities offer a three year Bachelor programmes which consequently can be preceded with a Master programme taking another 1- 2 years depending of the study field.
The Dutch government is attempting to make Dutch higher education as accessible as possible to students from other countries. The Dutch government is even cooperative in a financial sense. Higher education is heavily subsidized in the Netherlands, which means that tuition fees can be kept relatively low, especially compared with countries like the United Kingdom and the United States.
For more information about the Dutch education system, see the information file on Eurydice, the European education information network.
