What you need to know about higher education (HBO, WO) in the Netherlands.

Higher Education
Third-level education, as it is known in the Netherlands, is offered at vocational level (HBO; so-called “professional universities” or hogeschool) and at academic level (WO, university or Universiteit)), in the Dutch language and often also in the English language. Bachelor’s and master’s degrees are available at both HBO and WO institutions but you can only do a PhD at a (WO) university.

There’s a huge range of courses taught in English (around 1,300) and you can see what’s available where on the Nuffic website (www.nuffic.nl) which includes extensive information about the Dutch higher educational system. Institutions are either government-funded or government-approved.

There are also privately financed institutions that are not recognised. The accreditation organisation is NVAO (www.nvao.net).

HBO
Around 350,000 students are enrolled at 44 “universities of professional education”  or Hogeschool which provide general courses or specific study in one of seven sectors: agriculture, engineering and technology, economics and business administration, healthcare, fine and performing arts, education/teacher training and social welfare. More information is available at www.hbo-raad.nl.

WO
There are 14 research universities with around 205,000 students involved in intensive academic studies. More information can be found at www.studyin.nl and www.mastersportal.eu, www.vsnu.nl.

Costs
Fees depend on your nationality and age. There’s an EU fee for EU/EEA nationals, which is set by the Dutch government. Otherwise you pay the institutional fee (three or four times higher). The fees at private institutions can be substantially higher.

How to apply
There are nearly 50,000 international students studying in the Netherlands - Germany is top of the international student list - and information on fees, qualifications and study programmes is widely available in English. Students should first contact the institution offering the course, which will specify what education qualifications are required for admission.  A quota system is in place for oversubscribed courses that is settled by lottery. At www.studielink.nl you can apply online. Third level courses which are subsidised by the Dutch Ministry of Education.

University programmes are organised around a Bachelor’s or undergraduate phase lasting three years, and a master’s or graduate phase lasting one to two years. As many Dutch universities have partner institutions in other countries, students can study part of their course abroad.

Diplomas and certificates awarded overseas need to be accredited by the Dutch authorities. Often the school where you have applied takes care of this. If not, you can check IcDW (www.idw.nl) Internationale Diplomawaardering for information. Check with the institute if there are costs involved.Non-native English speakers are required to pass an English language test at a specified level, most commonly the TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge Test.

Spreekt u Nederlands?
Dutch has been compared to a disease of the throat rather than a language. A sloppy pronounciation of seaside town Scheveningen was (so the legend goes) a way to catch out spies in the war. Whatever your attitude to language learning, learning Dutch is a crucial step to integration in the Netherlands and part of the immigration and integration (inburgering) procedure.  (See www.dutchgrammar.com for experiences of doing the test.)

Despite what you will hear from fellow-pupils in your evening classes, people will reply in Dutch, not English, if you start a conversation. Persist! In no time at all, you’ll be appreciating the heady mishmash that is Dunglish (www.dunglish.nl) or checking out the latest thoughts from Dutch language pedants (http://taalpuristen.web-log.nl/taalpuristen/).

Joining a class is a friendly and supportive way to learn a new language, and because the makeup of classes is often international, you may well pick up linguistic niceties in several other languages as well.

There’s a wide choice of commercial language courses on offer to suit individual needs and budgets with courses ranging from ‘Dutch for Au Pairs’ to more intensive NT-2 (Nederlands als Tweede Taal) classes.

It is always worth asking about average class sizes. The smaller the class size (generally) the higher the fee.  The language school can’t always predict class size in advance so you may be lucky, particularly if you’re learning in Amsterdam or Dan Haag where competition between schools is high.

Universities often provide beginner Dutch classes for non-students, although, as you would expect, a certain level of academic ability is required to keep up. These classes can progress quite fast.

Homework is an essential part of the learning process. But watching TV or DVDs with Dutch subtitles is also extremely helpful. Sesame Street is sometimes recommended for smaller language learners who may get extra classes at school.

Institutions targeting business and professional users can often provide cross-cultural training programmes as well although there’s no shortage of “Dealing with the Dutch” type literature available online or in the bookshops.

Some organisations fund language lessons as part of relocation, which might also include your partner. If you discover that you’re being sent to “the nuns” to learn Dutch, fear not (indeed rejoice). The Sisters no longer teach at the Regina Coeli Institute in Vught, but the intense, individual programmes are renowned.

Perhaps your employer already has an arrangement with a course provider in which case not only will the course be cheaper, but you might even get (paid) time off for doing it.

Top tips Dutch&Such
1.    If you want to integrate, learn Dutch. “Someone who has lived here for years, and can only order a sandwich at the bakery, simply remains an outsider"
2.    Read about Dutch history and culture.
3.    Get to grips with the smallest of words. Er is used in a myriad of ways.
4.    Oefenen, oefenen (practice, practice) Gutteral sounds (g, ch, r) and combined vowels ui, eu, uu, ou are tricky for all learners.
5.   Watch Dutch news programmes and listen to Dutch radio. English-language films with Dutch subtitles or Zwartboek with English subtitles, for example.

Useful links:
NUFFIC (Netherlands Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education) in The Hague (www.studyin.nl), the IB-Groep in Groningen (www.ib-groep.nl),  and www.mastersportal.eu/ for information on Master's programmes: 

19 June 2008

Text and research by Ann Maher.

[Copyright Expatica 2008]