Master's Degrees in the Netherlands: What International Students Should Know

A master's degree in the Netherlands from a well-known research university runs a non-EU student anywhere from around €12,000 to over €25,000 a year in tuition, requires either Studielink or the university's own portal to apply, and comes with a student residence permit your university itself applies for on your behalf, not something you file yourself.

This guide is a companion to DesiBiz's broader guide on how the Dutch education system works, worth reading first if you want context on how a WO (research university) bachelor's differs from an HBO one, since that distinction affects master's admission directly. Here, the focus is squarely on the master's stage: which universities are genuinely well known for it, what the technical and management tracks actually look like, what things cost, how to apply, the student visa process, and the rules for working part-time while you study.

8 Well-Known Universities for a Master's Degree in the Netherlands

These eight are consistently the highest ranked Dutch universities internationally and the ones most Indian students actually shortlist, listed here by current QS World University Ranking:

A few honest notes on this list. Rankings shift a little every year and shouldn't be the only factor in your decision, a lower-ranked programme that is a strong fit for your specific field is usually a better choice than a higher-ranked generalist one. Delft and Eindhoven are the two clear technical specialists here, Erasmus Rotterdam is the clearest business and management specialist, and the rest (Amsterdam, Utrecht, Leiden, Wageningen, Groningen) offer a genuinely broad spread across sciences, humanities, law and social sciences alongside their own specific strengths.

Technical Master's vs Management Master's

These two tracks differ in more than just subject matter:

• Technical master's (engineering, computer science, data science, most programmes at TU Delft and TU Eindhoven) generally require a bachelor's degree in a closely related technical field, are heavily thesis and research or lab-based in the final year, and typically do not ask for a GMAT or GRE score, English proficiency plus a relevant academic background is usually enough.
• Management master's (business administration, management, finance, and similar programmes, concentrated at Rotterdam School of Management and comparable business schools) are built more around coursework, group projects and case studies, and frequently require a GMAT or GRE score for applicants holding a bachelor's degree from outside the Netherlands. At RSM, for example, a GMAT Focus Edition score of at least 565, or an equivalent GRE score, is mandatory for exactly this group of applicants, though a Dutch-university bachelor's is exempt from that requirement.

Neither track is inherently harder to get into, they simply test different things and suit different working styles, so it is worth being honest with yourself about whether you would rather spend a year deep in a lab and a thesis, or in group projects and case competitions, before picking a track based on ranking or reputation alone.

What a Master's Actually Costs

Dutch, EU, EEA and Swiss students pay the statutory tuition fee for their first master's degree, €2,530 for the 2026 to 2027 academic year. Indian and other non-EU students pay the institutional rate instead, which is set by each university and typically falls somewhere between €12,000 and €30,000 a year, with real variation by both university and specific programme.

A few concrete examples to anchor that range: TU Delft's institutional master's fee for 2026 to 2027 is €25,633 a year. At Erasmus University Rotterdam, most master's programmes charge non-EEA students €21,000 a year, while Rotterdam School of Management's own master's programmes charge €25,800, a useful illustration that a management degree at a strong business school is not automatically cheaper than a technical one, if anything it can run slightly higher. Always confirm the exact figure on your specific university and programme's own page, since these rates are reviewed and can change each academic year.

How to Apply

Most non-EU applicants go through Studielink, the Dutch national application portal, though a meaningful number of universities and programmes route international applicants through their own separate admissions system instead, so check your chosen university's international admissions page before assuming Studielink is the only step. In either case, expect to submit your bachelor's diploma and transcripts, an English proficiency score (IELTS or TOEFL are both widely accepted), a CV, a motivation letter or statement of purpose, and often one or two academic references, plus a GMAT or GRE score if you are applying to a management programme, as covered above.

Deadlines vary by programme, but the general pattern for a September intake is 1 May for standard master's programmes and 15 January for numerus fixus programmes, ones with a capped number of places. Some programmes, particularly popular ones with international applicants, effectively fill up well before the official deadline, so applying early genuinely improves your odds rather than just being generic advice.

What Is a Student Visa?

If you are a non-EU or non-EEA national, you will need both a residence permit for study purposes and, in most cases, an MVV, a provisional entry visa that gets converted into a residence permit sticker once you arrive. Here is the part that surprises a lot of applicants: you do not apply for this yourself. Once you accept your offer, your university, which must itself be a recognised sponsor registered with the IND (the Dutch immigration service), submits the residence permit application on your behalf.

To qualify, you need to be enrolled full-time in an accredited programme, meet an income or financial-means requirement (either through your own funds or a sponsor, such as a parent, who commits to supporting you), and maintain your progress once enrolled, IND rules require you to complete at least 50 percent of your study credits each year to keep the permit valid. The permit itself is typically valid for up to 5 years, or 3 months longer than your actual study duration, whichever is shorter. Once your residence permit is approved, you will usually need to collect your MVV visa sticker at a Dutch embassy or consulate, in India that means an appointment through VFS Global, before you travel.

What Are the Conditions to Do a Part-Time Job During Your Master's?

As a non-EU student, you can work part-time in the Netherlands during your studies, but under a specific rule: either up to 16 hours a week during term time, or full-time (or part-time) during June, July and August, the summer months. You have to pick one or the other for a given year, you cannot combine 16-hour weeks during term with additional full-time summer work on top of that same allowance.

Crucially, you do not apply for the work permit yourself. Any employer who wants to hire you must apply for a tewerkstellingsvergunning (TWV), a work permit, on your behalf, and they are required to submit it at least 5 weeks before your start date, since processing itself can take up to 5 weeks. One exception worth knowing: if you work for yourself rather than for an employer, registering as a freelancer with the Chamber of Commerce and the tax authorities, the TWV requirement does not apply, though this exemption covers genuine self-employment only, not a disguised part-time job or internship.

Once your degree is done, the Netherlands offers a separate "orientation year" (zoekjaar) residence permit that lets you stay on to look for skilled work without needing a job lined up first, which is often the direct bridge into the kind of role covered by DesiBiz's guide on the highly skilled migrant visa. And whichever city you end up studying in, DesiBiz's directory is there to help you find the community, food and everyday services that make it feel like home while you're there.

References

• The top 13 best universities in the Netherlands: 2026 rankings (Study.eu)
• Masters Fees and Funding in the Netherlands: 2026 Guide (FindAMasters)
• Tuition Fee & Finances (TU Delft)
• Tuition fee 2026-2027 (Erasmus University Rotterdam)
• GMAT/GRE requirements (MSc) (Rotterdam School of Management)
• How to apply (Study in NL)
• Student residence permit for university or higher professional education (IND)
• Work and internships during your studies (University of Amsterdam)