Study at UU

In the Netherlands, there are two types of tuition fees: the statutory tuition fee and the institutional tuition fee. Depending on your situation, one of the two fees applies to you. If you are still in your asylum procedure, you are allowed to study already. However, you would have to pay the institutional fee, which is significantly higher than the statutory fee. 
 

1. Statutory fee: The Dutch government sets the statutory tuition fee annually, and it is the same for all higher educational institutions. You are eligible for this rate if you hold a nationality from one of the EU/EEA countries, Suriname, or Switzerland, or if you have a Dutch asylum residence permit.
2. Institutional fee: The institutional fee is determined by the educational institutions themselves. It applies if you do not qualify for the statutory tuition fee, for example, because you hold a different nationality and do not have a Dutch asylum residence permit.

For more information on tuition fees and institutional fees see: Bachelor / Master.

It is wise to start exploring whether studying is an option for you, you can for example:

• Attend one of our open days (Bachelor/Master) to start exploring a study programme
• Carefully read the entire information page of the study programme you are interested in. This way, you will be well-informed about the programme content, admission requirements, and application deadlines.
• Keep in mind that foreign diplomas are often valued lower, so if you have completed a Bachelor's degree, you often cannot immediately proceed to a Master's programme. The same applies for a Bachelor's: if you have completed secondary school, there is a high chance you will need to take additional courses or follow a bridging program.

Some programmes will require you to submit contact details of two referees during the application process. If this is a requirement, it will be listed under the admission and application information on the specific programme page and it will appear in as an option in the online application system (OSIRIS).

These referees will then receive an email asking them to accept being your referee and they will be asked to fill out a form in OSIRIS with questions about your suitability for the Master's programme. This form is your letter of recommendation.
At least one of the referees should be an academic who is able to comment on your performance as a student.

We know that in some cases it will not be possible for you to contact academic referees from your previous university. If this is your situation, please know that you can also submit contact details of teachers from Utrecht University, for example if you follow Incluusion courses. 

If you are unable to submit any academic referees, please contact the programme directly to discuss your options.

Are you considering pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree at UU and do you already have a specific programme in mind? Or have you already applied for a programme and need additional guidance during the application process?

Through the Incluusion Pathways project, we offer you extra support. We will review your background with you. Then we will work together with International Student Admissions, the faculty, or the admissions committee to get a clear understanding of the possible courses and documents you need for your application. In this way, we hope to make your application process as smooth as possible.

Do you recognize yourself in this situation? Then please contact us via incluusion@uu.nl.

For more information on financial assistance please view this page.

Bureaucracy
The Netherlands is quite famous for its bureaucracy, probably more than you would think. There are rules and laws for everything. Processes within organizations are quite organized and strict. This also applied to Dutch universities. For example, the application process follows a strict process of steps that have to be completed in order to gain admission. Dutch universities expect students to be independent. They assume you will have read all the information that is available online. Application deadlines, as well as any other deadlines involved in the process are extremely strict. Exceptions are very rarely possible, if you have missed a deadline. 

Different application deadlines
Programmes can have different application deadlines. Some programme's, like limited enrollment or selective programmes, have early deadlines (mid-January). Other programmes have later deadlines, often depending on your nationality. Please make sure you always check the deadline for the programme of your interest online. As mentioned before, once the deadline is missed, exceptions are rarely made.

Programme start dates
Most programmes start once a year, in September. Some Master's programmes also start in February. You will be able to find this on the information page for each programme.

Motivation letter
Some programmes require a motivation letter as part of your application. Programmes will usually want to know why you have chosen UU to study this programme at. Use this opportunity to elaborate on the content of the chosen programme and how this differs to similar programmes at other Dutch universities. In your motivation statement you can also reflect on your academic achievements so far, demonstrate your interest in the specific subject, or talk about your career or research ambitions.

Skills Lab and Career Services
If you follow free Bachelor courses at UU via Incluusion, you are allowed to use the services that our Skills Lab and Career Services have to offer. This means that prior to you potentially applying for a Bachelor's or Master's degree, you can already work on your academic or reading and writing skills, do a CV check, or have a chat with a career coach. This is a great way to improve existing skills and acquire new ones.