Budget for foreign students

When you are planning to come to the Netherlands to study at a higher education institution, such as a university, you will have to get your finances in order. The Netherlands is a relatively expensive country for living, but the price for higher education is very reasonable if you are a student from another EU country.
If you are not a European citizen you will have to prove that you have the financial means to support yourself before you can come to the Netherlands. If you can’t prove this, the institution will not take you in and you will not be granted access to the Netherlands by the Dutch Ministry of Justice.
Either way, to get a clear overview of your monthly budget it is wise to look into your financial status and fixed expenses. On this page, you will find some fixed costs that you’ll most probably encounter when you study in the Netherlands.

Inevitable costs

Of course, part of the money that you’ll spent will depend on your own expenditure habits, but a large amount will be inevitably spent on:

The estimated amount of monthly fixed costs are € 1011.00, depending of course on the city you will live and study in.
* These are the costs of basic healthcare insurance in the Netherlands. If you will stay insured in your home country, and you travel with a European Healthcare Insurance Card (EHIC), check the price with your own insurance company.
** This includes costs such as personal care, travel expenses and unforeseen costs.

How to support yourself

To be able to financially support themselves, a lot of foreign students are supported by their parents, receive a scholarship through the educational institution in their home country or receive a grant. To extend your budget you could consider a part-time job in the Netherlands next to your studies. Take note, as a student from a country outside of the EU or Economic European Area (EEA) you are only allowed to work a maximum of 10 hours per week. Besides, you are obligated to have Dutch healthcare insurance if you have a job in the Netherlands.

Non-EER students

If you are a student from a country outside the EU area, Suriname of Switzerland, you will have to pay a substantially larger amount of tuition fee, starting from €6.000,- a year. The tuition fee depends on the university of choice and the courses you are going to follow.