Funding a Masters in the Netherlands
Hi guys,
I've got a place to study an MA in International Security at the University of Groningen. I have also applied to study similar masters courses at Leiden and uVa.
One of my reasons for applying to study here was the cost of tuition is so much cheaper. I have saved up enough to pay for my masters fees myself, however, I wanted to know what options currently exist for funding your living costs whilst studying. From my understanding there aren't many scholarships available if you're from within the EU. I know there is a maintenance grant you can apply for but it isn't very much unless you work for 56 hours a month, whereby it increases a lot more. However, I don't speak any Dutch and thought this might mean I won't be very likely to find a job if I was to go through with a masters.
I wanted to see if there are any other options available and whether anyone has any experience gaining grants or loans to study in the Netherlands.
Cheers
I've got a place to study an MA in International Security at the University of Groningen. I have also applied to study similar masters courses at Leiden and uVa.
One of my reasons for applying to study here was the cost of tuition is so much cheaper. I have saved up enough to pay for my masters fees myself, however, I wanted to know what options currently exist for funding your living costs whilst studying. From my understanding there aren't many scholarships available if you're from within the EU. I know there is a maintenance grant you can apply for but it isn't very much unless you work for 56 hours a month, whereby it increases a lot more. However, I don't speak any Dutch and thought this might mean I won't be very likely to find a job if I was to go through with a masters.
I wanted to see if there are any other options available and whether anyone has any experience gaining grants or loans to study in the Netherlands.
Cheers
Hi!
So I'm Dutch and I did my undergrad at UvA, but in September I'll be going to a UK university as I wanted to escape the Dutch educational system, I didn't really have a great experience. But that's my personal experience, I know that there are thousands of students out there who absolutely loved it.
UvA:
- it's in Amsterdam and the university does not provide any housing (as far as I know) so you would have to find your own, so housing is going to be a relatively big expense as you are in the capital. €500 a month is on the low end while €1000 a month is on the higher end for student housing. Furthermore, finding housing is difficult, you can use the websites "duwo" or "kamernet" or try and look up some Facebook groups such as "Student housing Amsterdam" or "Kamer in Amsterdam" if you feel like giving your Dutch a shot. Also, the international student network website has some info for internationals on housing and getting around and buying a bike, etc. Lastly, the uni does not have a real campus and people tend to disappear after class which was one of my least favourite things about the uni, you really have to join a student club or sport to really enjoy student life. For your reference, I had most of my classes in PC Hoofthuis, Oude Manhuispoort, and Roeterseiland Campus.
- Uni buildings are spread out throughout the entire city, which can be annoying, especially if you have to travel all the way to examination halls for exams. But you are truly part of the city, so it depends on what you prefer in terms of student life.
- Going out in Amsterdam is usually on Thursdays and Wednesdays as bars will drop their prices a little and if you go to a place like "de gieter" you'll end up paying €1,50 for a small beer, a little under 1/2 pint.
Leiden
- Not as expensive to live as Amsterdam, but still a little more expensive then Groningen. Prices vary between €300 to €650 a month.
- For housing, I would recommend looking at the websites I named earlier, "Duwo" and "Kamernet" and try and find a couple of facebook groups.
- The uni buildings are spread out through the city but less than in Amsterdam, so the humanities are concentrated on one spot and the sciences on another. And I believe that they also have a campus in The Hague. If I remember correctly, the Humanities, are located in the city center and thus have beautiful buildings.
Groningen
- Definitely your cheapest housing option, €250 to €650 a month.
- Again look at websites like "Duwo" "kamernet" and various facebook groups.
- They have two campuses if I'm not mistaken, but their mains campus "Zernike" is a true campus with uni buildings and sports fields and a library and grass to chill on.
Scholarships and money
- As all the unis are so heavily subsidised there isn't really a culture of scholarships. People do take out loans, but I don't think you would be able to do that as you are not a Dutch national. But you can get a loan to pay the tuition fee (which is capped at whatever the tuition fee is this year, s around €2100 in total), but it seems like you have that one covered already. Also, you cannot get the free student public transport perk that Dutch nationals have. Trains are way cheaper in the Netherlands btw and no need to book them weeks in advance.
- In my case, if I go and study in the UK I can still apply for a student loan in the Netherlands to fund my studies here. I don't know what the system is like in the UK but maybe look into getting a loan or scholarship here to pay for your studies over there. I believe that there are EU wide scholarships available, make good use out of the transition period lol.
Language issues
- I wouldn't mind worrying about finding a job as most Dutch people speak English and I'm sure you'll be able to find a campus job if you are really looking for it. However, I think, you are more likely to find a more serious English speaking job in Amsterdam, just because there are more things to do and it's more touristy. But for things like restaurants and cafes and other things, there shouldn't really be a difference in all three cities.
I hope this helped, obviously I know more about the UvA because I studied there, but if you have any question just ask!
So I'm Dutch and I did my undergrad at UvA, but in September I'll be going to a UK university as I wanted to escape the Dutch educational system, I didn't really have a great experience. But that's my personal experience, I know that there are thousands of students out there who absolutely loved it.
UvA:
- it's in Amsterdam and the university does not provide any housing (as far as I know) so you would have to find your own, so housing is going to be a relatively big expense as you are in the capital. €500 a month is on the low end while €1000 a month is on the higher end for student housing. Furthermore, finding housing is difficult, you can use the websites "duwo" or "kamernet" or try and look up some Facebook groups such as "Student housing Amsterdam" or "Kamer in Amsterdam" if you feel like giving your Dutch a shot. Also, the international student network website has some info for internationals on housing and getting around and buying a bike, etc. Lastly, the uni does not have a real campus and people tend to disappear after class which was one of my least favourite things about the uni, you really have to join a student club or sport to really enjoy student life. For your reference, I had most of my classes in PC Hoofthuis, Oude Manhuispoort, and Roeterseiland Campus.
- Uni buildings are spread out throughout the entire city, which can be annoying, especially if you have to travel all the way to examination halls for exams. But you are truly part of the city, so it depends on what you prefer in terms of student life.
- Going out in Amsterdam is usually on Thursdays and Wednesdays as bars will drop their prices a little and if you go to a place like "de gieter" you'll end up paying €1,50 for a small beer, a little under 1/2 pint.
Leiden
- Not as expensive to live as Amsterdam, but still a little more expensive then Groningen. Prices vary between €300 to €650 a month.
- For housing, I would recommend looking at the websites I named earlier, "Duwo" and "Kamernet" and try and find a couple of facebook groups.
- The uni buildings are spread out through the city but less than in Amsterdam, so the humanities are concentrated on one spot and the sciences on another. And I believe that they also have a campus in The Hague. If I remember correctly, the Humanities, are located in the city center and thus have beautiful buildings.
Groningen
- Definitely your cheapest housing option, €250 to €650 a month.
- Again look at websites like "Duwo" "kamernet" and various facebook groups.
- They have two campuses if I'm not mistaken, but their mains campus "Zernike" is a true campus with uni buildings and sports fields and a library and grass to chill on.
Scholarships and money
- As all the unis are so heavily subsidised there isn't really a culture of scholarships. People do take out loans, but I don't think you would be able to do that as you are not a Dutch national. But you can get a loan to pay the tuition fee (which is capped at whatever the tuition fee is this year, s around €2100 in total), but it seems like you have that one covered already. Also, you cannot get the free student public transport perk that Dutch nationals have. Trains are way cheaper in the Netherlands btw and no need to book them weeks in advance.
- In my case, if I go and study in the UK I can still apply for a student loan in the Netherlands to fund my studies here. I don't know what the system is like in the UK but maybe look into getting a loan or scholarship here to pay for your studies over there. I believe that there are EU wide scholarships available, make good use out of the transition period lol.
Language issues
- I wouldn't mind worrying about finding a job as most Dutch people speak English and I'm sure you'll be able to find a campus job if you are really looking for it. However, I think, you are more likely to find a more serious English speaking job in Amsterdam, just because there are more things to do and it's more touristy. But for things like restaurants and cafes and other things, there shouldn't really be a difference in all three cities.
I hope this helped, obviously I know more about the UvA because I studied there, but if you have any question just ask!
I wanted to so my MA at Leiden but I literally couldn't find a sensible way to fund it. I think you can take out a tuition fee loan but this doesn't help you. I don't think there are any loans for living, sadly, unless you get a scholarship (I asked 2 friends who had studied at Amsterdam and Leiden, and they had to self-fund). Sorry I can't be more positive, and congratulations on your offers!
Original post by mctruffle
Thanks for the replies guys. Then from what it sounds like you basically have to self-fund through the course? In that case, I doubt I could afford to do the masters unfortunately.
Hi!
If I were you I would just make up a balance and see what happens.
I went along and did some searching on Google on what an average student spends in a month in the Netherlands:
Rent including bills (is going to be more expensive if you end up going to Amsterdam): €420
Groceries: €181
Books and study materials: €58 (honestly I never bought books if they were over €50, and I always started out the term without any books and then later bought them if I really needed them)
Public transport €63
Going out and playing sports €146
Clothes €47
Phone bill €26
Total: €941 a month (£825)
You'll be at uni for like 10 months: €9410 (£8250)
Including tuition (€2143)(£1879): €11553 (£10128) in total (again you can get a loan for the tuition)
Did the same google search for UK students:
Rent (obviously, this depends on where you are going in the UK): £406
Groceries: £108
Social: £64
Travel: £47
Bills: £37
Clothes: £34
Books: £20
Phone: £18
Other: £31
Total: £765 a month
10 month total: £7650
Tuition £9250 (depending on the uni you go to, mine is more than that)
Total including tuition: £16900
So by going to the Netherlands, you'll safe £16900-£10128=£6772
and the amount you need to come up with is £8250 vs £16900 in the UK, if you take the tuition fee loan, which literally is a loan against 0.01%.
Hi guys,
Does anyone know if the Erasmus + is an option for securing funding for living costs? As it stands I think my only hope would be to do something like this or try to get a job working 56 hours a month and securing a student loan from the Dutch government.
Here's the link to Erasmus+
https://www.studyinholland.nl/finances/scholarships/find-a-scholarship/lifelong-learning-programme-erasmus?facet.query:list=modified%3A%5BNOW-7DAY/DAY%20TO%20NOW/DAY%2B1DAY%5D&facet.query:list=modified%3A%5BNOW-1MONTH/DAY%20TO%20NOW/DAY%2B1DAY%5D&facet.query:list=modified%3A%5BNOW-1YEAR/DAY%20TO%20NOW/DAY%2B1DAY%5D&facet.query:list=modified%3A%5B%2A%20TO%20NOW-1YEAR/DAY%5D&fq:list=audiences_label%3A%22Master%27s%20degree%22&fq:list=purpose_label%3A%22Study%22&fq:list=countries_label%3A%22United%20Kingdom%22&fq:list=field_of_study_label%3A%22Arts%20and%20Humanities%22&came_from=https%3A//www.studyinholland.nl/finances/scholarships/find-a-scholarship%3Ffacet.query%3Dmodified%253A%255BNOW-7DAY%252FDAY%2BTO%2BNOW%252FDAY%252B1DAY%255D%26facet.query%3Dmodified%253A%255BNOW-1MONTH%252FDAY%2BTO%2BNOW%252FDAY%252B1DAY%255D%26facet.query%3Dmodified%253A%255BNOW-1YEAR%252FDAY%2BTO%2BNOW%252FDAY%252B1DAY%255D%26facet.query%3Dmodified%253A%255B%252A%2BTO%2BNOW-1YEAR%252FDAY%255D%26fq%3Daudiences_label%253A%2522Master%2527s%2Bdegree%2522%26fq%3Dpurpose_label%253A%2522Study%2522%26fq%3Dcountries_label%253A%2522United%2BKingdom%2522%26fq%3Dfield_of_study_label%253A%2522Arts%2Band%2BHumanities%2522%26facet.field%3Daudiences_label%26facet.field%3Dpurpose_label%26facet.field%3Dcountries_label&facet.field:list=audiences_label&facet.field:list=purpose_label&facet.field:list=countries_label
Does anyone know if the Erasmus + is an option for securing funding for living costs? As it stands I think my only hope would be to do something like this or try to get a job working 56 hours a month and securing a student loan from the Dutch government.
Here's the link to Erasmus+
https://www.studyinholland.nl/finances/scholarships/find-a-scholarship/lifelong-learning-programme-erasmus?facet.query:list=modified%3A%5BNOW-7DAY/DAY%20TO%20NOW/DAY%2B1DAY%5D&facet.query:list=modified%3A%5BNOW-1MONTH/DAY%20TO%20NOW/DAY%2B1DAY%5D&facet.query:list=modified%3A%5BNOW-1YEAR/DAY%20TO%20NOW/DAY%2B1DAY%5D&facet.query:list=modified%3A%5B%2A%20TO%20NOW-1YEAR/DAY%5D&fq:list=audiences_label%3A%22Master%27s%20degree%22&fq:list=purpose_label%3A%22Study%22&fq:list=countries_label%3A%22United%20Kingdom%22&fq:list=field_of_study_label%3A%22Arts%20and%20Humanities%22&came_from=https%3A//www.studyinholland.nl/finances/scholarships/find-a-scholarship%3Ffacet.query%3Dmodified%253A%255BNOW-7DAY%252FDAY%2BTO%2BNOW%252FDAY%252B1DAY%255D%26facet.query%3Dmodified%253A%255BNOW-1MONTH%252FDAY%2BTO%2BNOW%252FDAY%252B1DAY%255D%26facet.query%3Dmodified%253A%255BNOW-1YEAR%252FDAY%2BTO%2BNOW%252FDAY%252B1DAY%255D%26facet.query%3Dmodified%253A%255B%252A%2BTO%2BNOW-1YEAR%252FDAY%255D%26fq%3Daudiences_label%253A%2522Master%2527s%2Bdegree%2522%26fq%3Dpurpose_label%253A%2522Study%2522%26fq%3Dcountries_label%253A%2522United%2BKingdom%2522%26fq%3Dfield_of_study_label%253A%2522Arts%2Band%2BHumanities%2522%26facet.field%3Daudiences_label%26facet.field%3Dpurpose_label%26facet.field%3Dcountries_label&facet.field:list=audiences_label&facet.field:list=purpose_label&facet.field:list=countries_label
Original post by mctruffle
Hi guys,
Does anyone know if the Erasmus + is an option for securing funding for living costs? As it stands I think my only hope would be to do something like this or try to get a job working 56 hours a month and securing a student loan from the Dutch government.
Here's the link to Erasmus+
https://www.studyinholland.nl/finances/scholarships/find-a-scholarship/lifelong-learning-programme-erasmus?facet.query:list=modified%3A%5BNOW-7DAY/DAY%20TO%20NOW/DAY%2B1DAY%5D&facet.query:list=modified%3A%5BNOW-1MONTH/DAY%20TO%20NOW/DAY%2B1DAY%5D&facet.query:list=modified%3A%5BNOW-1YEAR/DAY%20TO%20NOW/DAY%2B1DAY%5D&facet.query:list=modified%3A%5B%2A%20TO%20NOW-1YEAR/DAY%5D&fq:list=audiences_label%3A%22Master%27s%20degree%22&fq:list=purpose_label%3A%22Study%22&fq:list=countries_label%3A%22United%20Kingdom%22&fq:list=field_of_study_label%3A%22Arts%20and%20Humanities%22&came_from=https%3A//www.studyinholland.nl/finances/scholarships/find-a-scholarship%3Ffacet.query%3Dmodified%253A%255BNOW-7DAY%252FDAY%2BTO%2BNOW%252FDAY%252B1DAY%255D%26facet.query%3Dmodified%253A%255BNOW-1MONTH%252FDAY%2BTO%2BNOW%252FDAY%252B1DAY%255D%26facet.query%3Dmodified%253A%255BNOW-1YEAR%252FDAY%2BTO%2BNOW%252FDAY%252B1DAY%255D%26facet.query%3Dmodified%253A%255B%252A%2BTO%2BNOW-1YEAR%252FDAY%255D%26fq%3Daudiences_label%253A%2522Master%2527s%2Bdegree%2522%26fq%3Dpurpose_label%253A%2522Study%2522%26fq%3Dcountries_label%253A%2522United%2BKingdom%2522%26fq%3Dfield_of_study_label%253A%2522Arts%2Band%2BHumanities%2522%26facet.field%3Daudiences_label%26facet.field%3Dpurpose_label%26facet.field%3Dcountries_label&facet.field:list=audiences_label&facet.field:list=purpose_label&facet.field:list=countries_label
Does anyone know if the Erasmus + is an option for securing funding for living costs? As it stands I think my only hope would be to do something like this or try to get a job working 56 hours a month and securing a student loan from the Dutch government.
Here's the link to Erasmus+
https://www.studyinholland.nl/finances/scholarships/find-a-scholarship/lifelong-learning-programme-erasmus?facet.query:list=modified%3A%5BNOW-7DAY/DAY%20TO%20NOW/DAY%2B1DAY%5D&facet.query:list=modified%3A%5BNOW-1MONTH/DAY%20TO%20NOW/DAY%2B1DAY%5D&facet.query:list=modified%3A%5BNOW-1YEAR/DAY%20TO%20NOW/DAY%2B1DAY%5D&facet.query:list=modified%3A%5B%2A%20TO%20NOW-1YEAR/DAY%5D&fq:list=audiences_label%3A%22Master%27s%20degree%22&fq:list=purpose_label%3A%22Study%22&fq:list=countries_label%3A%22United%20Kingdom%22&fq:list=field_of_study_label%3A%22Arts%20and%20Humanities%22&came_from=https%3A//www.studyinholland.nl/finances/scholarships/find-a-scholarship%3Ffacet.query%3Dmodified%253A%255BNOW-7DAY%252FDAY%2BTO%2BNOW%252FDAY%252B1DAY%255D%26facet.query%3Dmodified%253A%255BNOW-1MONTH%252FDAY%2BTO%2BNOW%252FDAY%252B1DAY%255D%26facet.query%3Dmodified%253A%255BNOW-1YEAR%252FDAY%2BTO%2BNOW%252FDAY%252B1DAY%255D%26facet.query%3Dmodified%253A%255B%252A%2BTO%2BNOW-1YEAR%252FDAY%255D%26fq%3Daudiences_label%253A%2522Master%2527s%2Bdegree%2522%26fq%3Dpurpose_label%253A%2522Study%2522%26fq%3Dcountries_label%253A%2522United%2BKingdom%2522%26fq%3Dfield_of_study_label%253A%2522Arts%2Band%2BHumanities%2522%26facet.field%3Daudiences_label%26facet.field%3Dpurpose_label%26facet.field%3Dcountries_label&facet.field:list=audiences_label&facet.field:list=purpose_label&facet.field:list=countries_label
I think in order to qualify for an Erasmus grant you have to go on exchange to the Netherlands. So basically you need to study at a UK institution but go to the Netherlands on an exchange. In that scenario you’ll be paying UK tuition fees to attend a Dutch uni for a semester.
However, maybe reach out to all the uni’s that you got offers from to see if they have any experience with funding and know how to get it. Because honestly not a lot of people on here are going to know how this works and what your options are.
Otherwise I would look into getting a loan in the uk. But then again I’m Dutch and I have a loan from the the Netherlands so I don’t know anything about that.
Also student culture is very different in the Netherlands and it is very normal to take 5 years to finish a 3 year degree. So you could work the hours you need and try to finish it in one year but maybe take two if it doesn’t work out. I know that in the UK this is not as common as in the Netherlands but I now people who are 27 years old and still working on their bachelor degree while they started at 18. Uni’s are extremely flexible.
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