The Netherlands has long been one of Europe’s most affordable countries for international students. The country’s tuition fees are well below those charged by many other European universities, and Dutch students themselves pay no tuition fees at all.
There are also no restrictions on the number of nationalities that can study in the Netherlands at any one time, so there is no need to worry about quotas or restrictive application processes. As a result, there are several affordable universities in the Netherlands that offer courses in English.
The following list of cheap universities in the Netherlands includes both private and public institutions.
Best Cheap Universities in Netherlands for international Students
1. Breda University of Applied Science
Breda University of Applied Science is one of the best cheap universities in Netherlands for international students. The tuition fee is €1,100 per year and there are no other additional expenses to pay.
The university offers a wide range of courses from business administration to fashion design and from IT & Media Technology to health care management.
Breda University is a private institution that was founded in 2008. Its main campus is located in Breda, which is about 30 minutes away from Amsterdam by train.
The university has four additional campuses in Bergen op Zoom (Netherlands), Eindhoven (Netherlands), Helmond (Netherlands) and Tilburg (Netherlands).
2.Delft University of Technology
The Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) is one of Europe’s leading engineering schools and one of the most prestigious universities in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1842 as a School for Civil Engineering, but now offers courses in many different fields including architecture, business, law and social sciences.
TU Delft has about 20,000 students from more than 130 countries worldwide. It also has strong ties with industry through its research institutes and large scale projects.
Tuition fees at TU Delft are €2,083 per year for EU/EEA students, €5,300 per year for non-EU/EEA students.
3.Maastricht University
Maastricht University is a public research university in Maastricht, Netherlands. Founded in 1976, the university is the second youngest of the 13 Dutch universities and has an enrollment of about 25,000 students.
The university is known for its international atmosphere and its many exchange programs, which include Erasmus Programme (named after Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus), Socrates-Erasmus Programme, Nordplus, Leonardo da Vinci and bilateral agreements with e.g. China, Korea and Indonesia. It has also been ranked among top universities according to Times Higher Education Ranking 2017.
The university has six faculties: Arts & Philosophy; Economics & Business; Law; Medicine & Health Sciences; Science & Technology; Veterinary Medicine & Life Sciences. The Faculty of Law is located in Maastricht city centre while all other faculties are located on campus grounds at A2 building or at B3 building in the south of the city centre.
Tuition fees: €1,150-$1,200 a year for EU students; €4,000-$7,000 a year for non-EU students.
4. Radboud University
Radboud University is a public university located in Nijmegen, Netherlands. It was established on 17 October 1923 and is currently the oldest university of technology in the Netherlands. Radboud University has seven faculties and enrols over 19,900 students.
Radboud University Nijmegen is ranked among the top 100 universities worldwide according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and among the top 200 according to Shanghai Ranking’s Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) by Subject.
In 2019, Times Higher Education ranked Radboud University Nijmegen as one of the top 250 universities worldwide.
Tuition fees: €1,300 per year for EU students and €11,500 for non-EU students.
5. Hague University of Applied Sciences (HUAS)
The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS) is one of the best cheap universities in Netherlands for international students. It is located in The Hague, which is the capital city of Netherlands. The Hague University was founded in 1965 and offers Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral Degrees in English language.
The Hague University has about 5,000 students from all over the world. There are many international students who come to study at this university every year.
The tuition fee at THUAS is €2,500 per year for Bachelor’s degree and €5,000 per year for Master’s degree.
6. University of Amsterdam
The University of Amsterdam (UvA) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The university was founded in 1632 and is one of the largest research universities in Europe with 31,186 students, 4,794 staff members and 24 campuses. It has been internationally ranked as one of the top 100 universities in the world and is considered one of the best universities for economics and law.
The UvA’s eight faculties offer more than 150 bachelor’s degrees, over 100 master’s degrees and more than 90 doctoral programmes. The university’s academic portfolio includes north-south as well as east-west oriented academic research that is both interdisciplinary and cross-faculty. It is organised into eight faculties: Humanities; Social and Behavioural Sciences; Law; Economics and Business; Science; Medicine; Dentistry; Pharmacy; Nursing and Health Care Professions.
The tuition fees for international students at University of Amsterdam are €1,935 (MD) for Bachelor’s degrees and €4,868 (MD) for Master’s degrees per academic year.
7. University of Groningen
The University of Groningen is a research university located in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1614 and is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands as well as one of its largest. Since its founding more than 400 years ago, it has developed into an institution with 23 faculties and more than 50 departments. It has more than 25,000 students and employs around 5,400 staff members. The university has two campuses: one in the city centre and one in the science park Tieltjespark.
The University of Groningen offers a wide range of undergraduate programmes, graduate programmes and PhD programmes to international students. They can choose from different fields including law, history, psychology and computer science among others. There are also many master’s degree programmes that students can choose from should they decide not to pursue their studies further after a bachelor’s degree.
Groningen is well known for its excellent quality research facilities, good funding opportunities and excellent student support services such as counselling services, study advice centres and student housing facilities where international students can live together with other international students from all over the world.
The tuition fees for international students at University of Groningen are €2,087 (MD) for Bachelor’s degrees and €3,375 (MD) for Master’s degrees per academic year.
8. Windesheim University of Applied Sciences
Windesheim University of Applied Sciences is one of the best cheap universities in Netherlands. It is located in Zwolle and has been established since 1969. The university offers a wide range of degree programs, including business administration, information technology, and design & engineering. Moreover, it has established partnerships with many international organizations, including Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Oracle.
The tuition fee at Windesheim University of Applied Sciences is 3050 Euros per year for non-EU/EEA students.
Windesheim University of Applied Sciences also offers scholarships for international students.
9. Erasmus University Rotterdam
The Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is a public university in the Netherlands. Erasmus University Rotterdam is one of the largest research universities in Europe. The university has 23,656 students, of whom some 4,500 are international students from over 100 countries.
The university offers 150 bachelor’s degrees, 117 master’s degrees and 70 doctorates (PhD). There are nine faculties with 611 professors and researchers working on five different campuses in the city of Rotterdam: The main campus is located in the centre of Rotterdam at Museumpark, where most courses take place. The other campuses are located throughout the city at various locations such as on Prins Alexanderstraat and at Science Park Parnassus.
These buildings also house administrative offices and institutes such as Research Institute for Society & Health (RISQ), Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (RUG), Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen (RUN).
The student population consists of 23% international students; they come from 100 different countries including China, India, Japan and Russia.
10. HAN University of Applied Sciences
HAN University of Applied Sciences is a vocational university located in The Hague, the Netherlands. It was founded in 1842 as the Royal Academy for Domestic Sciences and is one of the oldest educational institutions in The Hague. HAN offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in Business & Management, Technology, Health & Life Sciences and Social Sciences & Humanities. The university has more than 13,000 students from over 150 nationalities.
The Hague is one of the most important cities in the world for international politics. It’s home to many government buildings such as the Peace Palace and the International Court of Justice. It also has many museums such as Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Mauritshuis Museum and Nationaal Militair Museum (NMHM). Moreover, you can enjoy delicious food at restaurants such as De Kas or De Gevleugelde Steden if you have time after your classes are over.