The Netherlands has various types of higher education institutions but almost all of them are state-funded and fall in one of these two categories: research universities and universities of applied sciences. Research universities are the institutions offering research-oriented programs in an academic setting. Universities of applied sciences are those schools with programs that focus on the practical application of arts and sciences. These programs tend to be more practice oriented than those found at research universities given that their focus is to prepare students for specific professions. Each year, this country located at a central spot in Europe attracts many students from all over the world in their 70 institutions of higher education. These institutions welcome over 122,000 international students from 162 countries each year. Around 16% of all students in the Netherlands come from abroad. This is one of the highest ratios of international students in Europe.
International students who come to The Netherlands are attracted by its warm and diverse environment, vibrant lifestyle, and limitless opportunities.
In 1950, the Netherlands became the first non – English-speaking country to offer study programs conducted entirely in English, especially designed for foreign students. The Netherlands was also one of the first European countries to adopt the Bachelor/Master system. Building on that tradition, Dutch universities have one of the largest selections of courses on the continent. They currently propose more than 2,100 international study programs taught entirely in English, ranging from short training seminars to full-fledged bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes. In addition to the above, some of the world’s biggest companies like Philips, Heineken, KLM, Shell, ING Bank and Unilever are Dutch. Many multinationals also have their European headquarters in the Netherlands.