Application Deadlines for Universities in the Netherlands

Since it is popular for providing low-cost, high-quality education, it is the dream of many to study in the Netherlands. Many international students wish to pursue MSc or MBA in the Netherlands, so after referring to this article to find the deadline for your preferred university, it is always advisable to double check with the university’s official page. It is also recommended that students apply much before the deadline in order to secure adequate funding in Netherlands universities through scholarships.

Application Process for Universities in Netherlands

The Netherlands follows a centralized admission process, but the deadlines may be slightly different for the different levels of programs available.

In the Netherlands, Associate & Bachelor courses are known as first-cycle programs, Masters courses as second-cycle programs, and PDEng and PhD courses as third-cycle programs.

For first-cycle programs, it is very important to keep in mind the following application deadlines:

• Numerus Fixus programs: 15 January 2021
• Research University programs: 1 April 2021
• University of Applied Sciences programs: May or August 2021

Different universities may have deadlines earlier or later than the above mentioned dates, but not with much deviation. Typically, the academic year starts in September, so the admission cycle ends before that.

There are mainly four types of higher education institutions in the Netherlands:

• Research University
• University of Applied Sciences
• Institutes for International Education
• University Colleges

The application deadlines for each are given in alphabetical order in separate tables below.

Application Deadlines for Research Universities in the Netherlands

Application Deadlines for Universities of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands

In the case of both research Universities and Universities of Applied Sciences, please note that all Numerus Fixus programs have 15 January as the deadline.

Application Deadlines for Institutes for International Education in the Netherlands

Application for University Colleges in the Netherlands

University Colleges accept students into Bachelors courses, mostly in Liberal Arts and Sciences.

While some universities in the Netherlands may have their own admission portals, most applications are done through a centralized process, i.e through Studielink.nl. For this reason, the admission deadlines of Netherlands universities do not show too much variation between institutions.