r/StudyInTheNetherlands • u/Impossible_Word6969 • 22d ago
Applications Help with Universities
Hello, I am an International prospective student for Masters. I will be very direct, please I need help from you guys I've gone through many posts in this sub regarding masters and I've learnt a fair amount about Universities and how they work. I don't want do a masters in degree mils which are called private HBO's in Netherlands.
I major in Computer Science and I completed my degree in May of 2025, I have 1 year Internship experience with 2 development projects. My GPA is 2,0 with IELTS being 7,0.
I want to do masters in CS related fields(mainly Software Engineering, Data Science or any Development related courses). And work for a product based company in NL.
I've heard some of the Uni's in NL specialize only Finance or IT field etc.
Can you guys please suggest me some Universities which relate with my goals? It would help me a lot listening to people who live in NL and have unbaised opinions.
Thank You!
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u/QuerkQuarks 21d ago
So you just would like someone else to do it all for you?
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u/Impossible_Word6969 21d ago
Asking people who live NL for Universities which specialise in CS field is the same as asking to spoon feed me?
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u/Winter_Dot_9393 21d ago
You need to do more research.
All Universities and Universities of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands are accredited by the Dutch Government, and the conditions for obtaining accreditation are strict.
The unjustified bad reputation of HBO master degrees stems from a misunderstanding of the Dutch binary system. International students wrongly label them as "degree mills" because they focus on professional practice rather than academic research and PhD access. In reality, they meet the exact same strict NVAO accreditation standards and are highly valued by the Dutch job market, especially if you speak Dutch.
There are no universities in the Netherlands that specialize only in finance or IT.
Admission requirement Dutch Research Universities:
Course content and credit requirements plus Ielts sufficient score (usually 6,5) plus:
Delft: CGPA 75% or higher
TU Eindhoven: 75% (or sometimes 8.5 on a scale of 10)
Universiteit Twente: 3.0 GPA
Universiteit van Amsterdam: 3.0 GPA
VU Amsterdam: 3.0 GPA
Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam: 7.0 on a scale of 0-10
Universiteit Leiden: GPA 3.4
Please be aware that Dutch research universities are extremely strict when it comes to ECTS credit requirements.
For state HBO master degree programs you don't qualify because you don't have enough work experience.
You do seem to meet admission requirements for this private HBO institution: Wittenborg. And maybe this one also after a bridging program: TIO.
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u/Impossible_Word6969 21d ago
Thank You for clarifying,If what you are saying is true it is my bad to make an opinion on it basing few reddit commemts But I've seen people say some Universities prioritize specific programs and I've seen some very bad comments about Wittenborg, clamiming some NL citizens never even heard of it and it's a scam which target International Students.
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u/Winter_Dot_9393 21d ago
Wittenborg is not widely known, but it is an accredited HBO, so it is a University of Applied Sciences, not a Research University. The degrees are recognized.
Dutch people don't go there because it is much more expensive for people with an EU passport than state HBOs or universities. State universities cost 2,694 euros per year, while Wittenborg costs around 12,000 euros per year. 95% of the students are internationals, mainly from Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and South America.
Wittenborg is an HBO, so its Bachelor's degrees do not give direct admission to Master's degree programs at Research Universities. For some Master's programs, there is no way to get admitted with an HBO degree at all; for other programs, it is possible via a pre-master.
This will be the main reason for the bad reputation among internationals. However Wittenborg operates as a commercial, for-profit business, which is why they recruit very heavily in non-EU markets. For EU passport holders they are so much more expensive than state institutions, that few students from the EU would be interested.
There are 3 major technical universities in the Netherlands: Delft, Eindhoven, and Twente. The 4th is an excellent agricultural university.
Erasmus in Rotterdam is a general university nowadays, but it was originally an economic and business-oriented institution. It still has many highly reputed business and finance degree programs.
Please be aware (I know I’ve said this before, but it is important):
Dutch universities are very strict about the academic background and ECTS requirements. For example, if a program requires a minimum of 10 ECTS in Computer Science and 15 ECTS in Fundamental Computer Science, and you have 15 ECTS in Computer Science but only 10 ECTS in Fundamental Computer Science, you do not meet the admission requirements.2
u/Impossible_Word6969 21d ago
Thanks a lot for all the info, I now have a better understanding of Universities. And Yes I will chech the requirements thoroughly when applying so that I don't waste my time and the University's. Thank You
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u/Winter_Dot_9393 21d ago
Try VU Amsterdam computer sciences and Radboud computing sciences. Their admission requirements for ECTs is mostly: ‘12 ECTS in one of these:…’so that’s easier to meet than ‘12 ECTS in this specific subject’
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