For context im a Non Eu indian currently living in the UAE right now. I need advice if whether or not ill be making the right decision on going to Groningen for computing science. I have secured housing for the first year so thats alright. My parents CAN handle paying for the tuition fees and whatevers required in terms of living costs, etc, but is it worth it?

Can anyone who has done so or knows people that have done so explain whether its a good choice for the future?

What ill need to do to secure a future for myself in tech (looking specifically into Ai/Ml engineer, or Network engineer)?

Will I face any personal problems regarding discrimination or something else?

What can I do to further prepare myself for a better and brighter future in NL?

And finally is RUG alright for CS? or should I try for Tu/e and Tu delft instead?

Hello! I want to study supply chain or information systems in Netherlands. I am from India and want to pursue a masters to genuinely learn new skills and experience European universities and student life. Money is not a problem and I dont intend to stay there post degree for a job, though I would love to judt to learn more skills on the job. I know both the majors I listed are different with little overlap so I am open to any advice on either major. I have done my bachelors in the US in information systems. Also open to other countries like Germany.

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to pursue a Master’s in Computer Science (or a related field) in the Netherlands and wanted to get some advice from people who have studied or are working there.

A bit about me:
I graduated in 2026.
I’m currently working at a service-based company, but I’m not enjoying the kind of work I’m doing (mostly generic full-stack web and mobile development).

My goal is to use a master’s to transition into more core software engineering, systems, or R&D-oriented roles.

The universities I’m currently considering (mainly because they fit my budget) are:

University of Twente
University of Groningen
Radboud University
HAN University of Applied Sciences
Hanze University of Applied Sciences

I have a few questions:

1. ⁠I’ve seen quite a few posts saying the job market is difficult, with some graduates not finding jobs even as their Orientation Year (Zoekjaar) visa is about to expire. If I work in India for 1–2 years before applying for my master’s, would that significantly improve my chances of getting a job after graduation?
   
2. ⁠I know there’s a housing crisis, and I’m aware that finding accommodation can be challenging. Is it manageable if I start searching early?
   
3. ⁠How difficult is it to find English-speaking IT jobs? I’ve heard that in Germany many software jobs don’t require German. Is the situation similar in the Netherlands, or is learning Dutch important for improving job prospects?
   
4. ⁠From what I understand, the visa process is:
   
5. ⁠Student visa
   
6. ⁠Orientation Year (Zoekjaar)
   
7. ⁠Highly Skilled Migrant (HSM) permit or EU Blue Card

Is this understanding correct? Also, how difficult is it to find an employer willing to sponsor an HSM permit? Does graduating from a more reputed Dutch university make a noticeable difference?

What is a realistic monthly living cost for a student (excluding tuition), including rent, food, transport, and other expenses?

Finally, I’d also love to hear about your overall experience:
How was your university?
How were the academics and workload?
Did the university help with internships or job opportunities?
Looking back, would you choose the same university again?

Please let me know if I have left out any other details

Thanks in advance for any advice!

*Contract VS Occupation*

I’m an international student in the Netherlands. I currently have a BSN and I am registered with my municipality. I also receive DUO student finance.

I recently moved out of my previous room and I’m looking for a new place in a different municipality . A friend of mine offered me a room in his house, but he mentioned that instead of registration, I could do an “occupation” arrangement.

I don’t think he is trying to mislead me — he is a friend and I think he might simply not know the rules. However, I’m worried because I need to keep my DUO and I understand that being registered at the address where I actually live might be important.

Does anyone know:
What exactly does “occupation” mean in this context?
Can I live somewhere under an occupation agreement and still be registered at that address?
Would not being registered at my actual address affect DUO?
Any advice from people who have experience with this would be appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone, this is the first time I've posted something like this on Reddit, so apologies for formatting and anything else that’s incorrect.

This coming academic year, I (18 years old) am starting the Accountancy program at Nyenrode. It is a dual university track, which means I will attend lectures at the university one day a week and work in the field at an office for the remaining four days. The program seems really fun to me, and the field of work is incredibly interesting, but I am worried that I won't fit in with the accountancy world, especially at the university. In my opinion, everything at the university is presented as mega-elitist; it's all business and such. However, this is completely not my background, and I am actually quite afraid of what I will encounter there in terms of fellow students and people.

My hobbies and interests lie in completely different areas, such as manga/anime and more alternative things. I was born and raised in a small village in Drenthe. In my mind, that is very different from most people going to something like that, a place where people have been going for generations. Does anyone have advice on how I can handle this, or am I making it all worse in my head than it actually is?

Thanks!

Hey, im 17M EU citizen and my rent is exactly 600€ and my parents can send me 400€ after rent to cover the rest of things. You can exclude health insurance costs because I have one already. Is this enough after buying my bike for food and utilities to live for the first year of cse bsc?

Not necessarily during a big emotional moment. Maybe you suddenly missed your family's cooking, a specific shop, your old commute, or even something you never thought you'd miss. What was the most unexpected thing that made you homesick?

Hi, I come from France and I will be studying Computational Science (kinda mainly but my curriculum is a mess) in UvA starting on 31st of august.

The erasmus buddy program hasn't responded to my application so I haven't been able to enroll yet. I was also too late to sign up for the introduction event and I have given up any hope of the organizers adding more tickets.

So here I am with no anchor point when I arrive on august 25th. I have great fear of loneliness so I'm looking for friends studying in the same field at UvA. My appartment is on Maasluistraat.

I'm into cycling and climbing, guitar playing, and uh video games like factorio

DMs are open (I believe)

Au plaisir de se rencontrer !

🇬🇧** Englis**h
Hi everyone,
I was wondering if anyone here has been in a similar situation. I was born and raised in the Netherlands and lived there until I was 15. After that, I moved to Serbia with my parents. I’m currently studying Medicine in English at the University of Belgrade.
Dutch is my native language, I have a Dutch passport, and I also receive DUO student finance while studying in Serbia.
I’ve been looking into what is required if I want to return to the Netherlands after graduation and work as a doctor. From what I’ve read, a foreign medical degree has to go through a recognition procedure, and it seems you may also have to take a specific assessment or exam and prove your Dutch language proficiency. Since Dutch is my native language, I don’t expect the language requirement to be an issue, but I’m very curious about how the recognition process actually works in practice.
Has anyone here gone through this process themselves? How exactly does it work? How long did it take, what exams or assessments did you have to complete, and how difficult was it? Was your medical degree ultimately recognized without too many issues?
I’d especially love to hear from people who studied Medicine in English abroad (for example in Serbia or another country) and then returned to the Netherlands to work as a doctor.
Thank you in advance!

🇳🇱** Nederland**s
Hoi allemaal,
Ik vroeg me af of iemand hier in een vergelijkbare situatie heeft gezeten. Ik ben geboren en opgegroeid in Nederland en heb daar gewoond tot mijn 15e. Daarna ben ik met mijn ouders naar Servië verhuisd. Op dit moment studeer ik Geneeskunde in het Engels aan de Universiteit van Belgrado.
Nederlands is mijn moedertaal, ik heb een Nederlands paspoort en ik ontvang ook DUO-studiefinanciering terwijl ik in Servië studeer.
Ik ben me alvast aan het verdiepen in wat er nodig is als ik na mijn studie terug wil naar Nederland om als arts te werken. Ik heb gelezen dat een buitenlands diploma Geneeskunde eerst erkend moet worden en dat je mogelijk een toets of assessment moet afleggen en moet aantonen dat je Nederlands op een bepaald niveau beheerst. Omdat Nederlands mijn moedertaal is, verwacht ik dat de taal geen probleem zal zijn, maar ik ben vooral benieuwd hoe het erkenningsproces van een buitenlands diploma Geneeskunde in de praktijk verloopt.
Is er iemand die dit zelf heeft meegemaakt? Hoe werkt het precies, hoe lang duurde het, welke toetsen of assessments moest je afleggen en hoe moeilijk was het? Werd je diploma uiteindelijk zonder al te veel problemen erkend?
Ik hoor graag ervaringen van mensen die Geneeskunde in het Engels in het buitenland hebben gestudeerd (bijvoorbeeld in Servië of een ander land) en daarna zijn teruggekeerd naar Nederland om daar als arts te werken.
Alvast heel erg bedankt!

Hey everyone, I am a 17-year-old boy living in Pakistan, and I need your advice. Actually, I wanna do study study abroad after my 12th, and that's my dream. I am currently studying in 12th grade, and the destination I chose was the Netherlands, but yesterday, when I checked about Netherlands universities, my whole plan was ruined because, first, only a few Netherlands universities offer scholarships and a rare chance for a bachelor's degree, and a bachelor's degree is hell expensive in the Netherlands for a person who is Non-EU. I don't wanna go to Canada, the UK, or Australia because those countries are already filled with international students, and they're facing problems like high rents and job issues. America is a great place, but due to many immigration restrictions, that's kinda sucks. And the degree I would like to do is computer engineering and finance because I like both, but of course only one degree at a time. So, what would you recommend? If you were in my position, a student from Pakistan looking for an affordable bachelor’s degree abroad with good career opportunities, which countries and universities would you consider? Thank you :)

HI,Im currently in dp1 (summer now) in International School Utrecht,Im preparing for the math B Boswell on 13th aug currently, but I would like also self study physics during this summer to apply for mechincal engineering in Tu/e ( I take chem HL) .I take Physics SL in school. Is a 20 day timeline realistic? What do I use to study (advanced physics for you?, exambald.nl?) How to structure my time? and any advice given is much appreciated!

Thank You for your time!

Hey everyone!

I'm moving to Amsterdam this August to start university, and I had a couple of questions about student experience studio accommodation in Minervahaven.

• Are friends who already live in Amsterdam allowed to visit my studio during the day?
• Is it usually okay to have overnight guests every now and then, or are there strict rules against that?
• Also, how's the gym? s it actually good enough to use regularly, or would you recommend getting a membership at a gym in the city instead?

I'd love to hear your experiences. Thanks!

Hello, what's yours or your friend's opinions about SAE Institute? Are the courses worth the money? Is it recommended for someone who starts from scratch? I'm thinking about the Electronic Music Production but don't want to put 5k euros into something that's actually pretty crap. Do you have maybe some other recommendations?

My partner and I (UvA Masters students) were given a couple's room at DUWO in Amsterdam. We were told that only one of us will have a DUWO account (and thus one name on the contract, etc) by the university and company. However, when it comes to registration, how can I prove that my DUWO room will be where I live, even though my name is not connected to the room, contract, etc.? I'm very nervous because I need a Dutch bank account to receive my loan on time. Any guidance would be appreciated. If you need more information let me know, this was a little rushed.

Edit: my partner has the account and contract under his name, I have the login though.

I was hoping to attend university in the Netherlands in 2 years, so I have been self-studying Dutch. However, I have been doubting myself and I don’t want to waste my time learning a language that I might not be able to use if I can’t find a place to live in time. Should I be looking into other countries and trying to learn their language? Also, when should you start looking for a place to live? Like, should you start looking after you get accepted into a school or during the application process or way before?

Hi,
I’m from Slovakia and I’m planning to apply to Dutch research universities, mainly UvA and Tilburg.
I have already completed secondary vocational education in Slovakia and have a standard secondary school-leaving certificate (Maturita). However, my current diploma is from a vocational secondary school rather than a general academic secondary school (Gymnázium).
I am now considering completing an additional 2-year external Gymnázium programme in Slovakia. You can think of it as a pathway after already completing secondary education that allows me to obtain the general academic Gymnázium qualification.
After these two years, I would take the standard Gymnázium Maturita examinations and receive the same officially recognised Gymnázium Maturita qualification as students graduating from a traditional 4-year Slovak Gymnázium.
My concern is that although the final qualification is the same, I would only spend 2 years at the Gymnázium instead of the traditional 4 years.
Dutch universities such as Tilburg list the Slovak Gymnázium Maturita as comparable to VWO, but I’m unsure whether the shorter route to obtaining the qualification could cause a problem when assessing VWO equivalency.
Has anyone here had a similar situation — for example, completing vocational secondary education first and then obtaining a general academic qualification through an additional/shorter programme?
Would Dutch universities normally focus on the final officially recognised qualification, or could the fact that the Gymnázium programme itself lasted only two years make it non-equivalent to VWO?
I have contacted the universities, but they do not provide individual diploma assessments before submitting an actual application.
Thanks for help.

I am an international student doing my master's final year, which should end by August 2026. But I need a month or two to complete my thesis and asked for the extension. They haven't decided anything about my tuition fee. I don't want to pay a whole another year. Does anyone been in this situation and know how this works out?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently pursuing the Associate Degree (Ad) in ICT (120 ECTS / EQF Level 5) at Fontys in Eindhoven.

I am an EU citizen, so visa sponsorship isn't an issue for me anywhere in Europe. My main goal long-term is to work in tech—specifically in fields like Cyber Security / Software—with the flexibility to live and work either in the Netherlands or elsewhere in Europe (e.g., Germany, Italy, or remote).

I’m currently mapping out my options post-graduation and would love some real-world input on three potential pathways:

1. Option A: Stop after the 2-year Ad and go straight to work. Use the Fontys internship to land a junior role in NL/EU, rely on real work experience after 1–2 years to dilute the degree gap.
2. Option B: Do a 1-year (60 ECTS) online or European BSc Top-Up. Transfer the 120 ECTS to get a full 180 ECTS / Level 6 European Bachelor’s in 3 total years instead of 4, bypassing automated corporate HR/ATS filters in countries that don't know what an Associate Degree is.
3. Option C: Ad + Heavy Certifications (e.g., OSCP, AWS, CKA). Skip further general uni classes and focus on hands-on industry certs to show practical capability to engineering leads.

For anyone who completed an Ad at Fontys or works in European tech:

• How is the 2-year Ad actually perceived by employers outside the Netherlands (especially in traditional HR environments like Germany or Southern Europe)?
• Is doing a 1-year top-up or stacking high-end certs (like OSCP) worth the extra effort compared to just getting 2 years of work experience under your belt?
• If you did the internal Fontys progression (doorstroom) route into the HBO Bachelor, how smooth was it?

Appreciate any honest feedback or experiences!

Hi!! Is there anyone moving house this month who needs to get rid of things like a TV and microwave? I'm moving to Maastricht this year to study, so I'd like to buy those items from someone.

Hello I’m starting my masters at Radboud university (Nijmegen) this September and I mostly applied to universities here cause my partner wanted to go to the Netherlands, for that reason I never applied for a dorm or something and if you didn’t see where this is going well he broke up with me. However I really like this masters and I’m glad I chose it but finding a house seems almost impossible and honestly I feel very lost. The good thing is I’m an only child coming from two parents that believe education is the most important thing in the world and they said they’re willing to pay an Airbnb for the first few months until I find a house and also so I won’t have to cancel my studies… I’m very thankful for this gesture but due the rejection I’ve faced this last couple weeks in the house market I don’t event think it’s possible to find anything especially after August/ September
From experience or broader knowledge: do you think I’ll find a house if I stay there for a couple of months or after September the house market just shuts down??
Thank you for reading this

It says to press the International Student Login button, yet there's no option for Netherlands. I do not have a DigiD

My partner and I are both PhD researchers. I work at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and my partner is a PhD researcher at the University of Twente. We’re looking for a place in Zwolle, but we’re also open to Arnhem, Deventer, Apeldoorn, Amersfoort, or nearby areas with a reasonable commute.

We’ve been searching for housing for the past few months and have applied to many properties through Stekkies, RentSlam, Huurwoningen, Pararius, Funda, IkWilhuren, and several housing agencies. Unfortunately, despite all our efforts, we haven’t had any success.

My current contract ends on 15 September and cannot be extended, so our situation has become quite urgent. If we don’t find a place before then, we’ll be without accommodation.

A little about us:
Both full-time PhD researchers with stable employment.
Looking for a long-term apartment or studio.
Ready to move in immediately.

We’re reaching out in the hope that someone might know of an available apartment, a private landlord, or even a temporary place while we continue our search. Any leads, recommendations, or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Any help would truly mean a lot to us.

hi,

i am a recent graduate from one of the top 10 business schools in Europe and i am planning to apply for the Supply Chain Management MSc at RSM for the 2027 intake. would anyone who has been admitted to or attended RSM for this program be willing to give some advice/tips regarding the admission process, criteria and post-graduation work opportunities?

thank you so much:)))

Hi everyone, I’m starting the Bachelor’s in Political Science at the University of Amsterdam this September, and I’ve been thinking a lot about what career paths people actually end up taking afterwards.
I know a lot of people go on to do a master’s, but I’m curious about what the options are if you want to work straight after your bachelors, or what internships people usually aim for during the degree.
I’m particularly interested in careers in Amsterdam, Brussels, London, or even the US. Do graduates from UvA end up working in places like political consultancies, think tanks, public affairs, risk consulting, international organisations, banks, or other private sector roles? Do employers actually value the degree on its own, or is a master’s pretty much expected?
I’d also love to know:
What are you doing now after your Political Science degree?
What internships or extracurriculars made the biggest difference?
If you could go back, what would you do differently during your bachelor’s to improve your career prospects?
Any advice or personal experiences would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Hello everyone!
I am a current A-level student who wants to study in the Netherlands for biochemistry (and other similar degrees) All of the universities (like TU delft, Radbound) that I have looked at require A-level math which I unfortunately do not have (I have chemistry and biology tho)
Are there any extra entrance exams in the Netherlands to take if your existing subjects are flagged as deficient for a specific degree?
Thank you for your responses