Applying to Dutch Universities for 2027/28: Deadlines, Studielink, Documents and the Residence Permit

To apply to a Dutch university you submit an enrolment request in the national Studielink system and then upload your documents in the university's own portal. Applications for 2027/28 open on 1 October 2026. The deadline for fixed-quota (numerus fixus) programmes is 15 January 2027 and for most other programmes 1 May, but universities advise applicants with international diplomas who need a visa to finish by 1 April. Non-EU students do not apply for the residence permit themselves: the university does it after admission, so your job is to have language, documents and funds ready on time.

This guide covers the intake calendar, the Studielink steps, numerus fixus rules, documents and legalisation, language requirements, and what happens between your offer and the first day of classes. For a country overview, see study in the Netherlands.

Intake calendar for 2027/28

Institution-specific dates here come from the University of Amsterdam and illustrate the usual logic; check your programme's page for its own dates.

Step 1. Check how your diploma is rated

Before registering, find out which Dutch level your school-leaving certificate corresponds to. Nuffic, the Dutch organisation for international education, compares foreign diplomas with HAVO (entry to universities of applied sciences) and VWO (entry to research universities). Many certificates from outside Western Europe are rated at HAVO level — Russia's is "at least HAVO", Kazakhstan's is HAVO. In that case research universities usually ask for more: VU Amsterdam wants Russian applicants to add at least one year of academic credits, and TU Delft at least 60 ECTS of a related bachelor's with a 75% average. From Kazakhstan, TU Delft accepts directly only the Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools Grade 12 certificate with Advanced Mathematics. See bachelor's in the Netherlands for routes after school and universities in the Netherlands for how institutions differ.

Step 2. Apply in Studielink and in the university portal

Studielink is the government's central enrolment system. You submit an enrolment request there, and the university then invites you to its own portal, where the actual assessment takes place. Using UvA as an example:

1. Create a Studielink account. If you live abroad you do not need DigiD, the Dutch digital ID; applicants living in the Netherlands do.
2. Submit the enrolment request at least a week before the deadline. UvA warns that portal access can take up to 48 hours.
3. Complete the university's application form and upload documents. The invitation may contain a personal deadline earlier than the general one; missing it cancels the request.
4. Pay the handling fee if there is one. Study in NL says some institutions charge non-EEA applicants $85–114 (€75–100); UvA's $114 (€100) fee is non-refundable.
5. Complete the study-choice check. Nationally this is the studiekeuzecheck — a questionnaire, trial lecture or conversation. UvA requires its own version, UvA Matching, from everyone with non-Dutch prior education.
6. Receive a decision. Usually a conditional offer, subject to final documents and test results.
7. Confirm your participation in Studielink. This lets the university start the permit and, where offered, housing procedures. At UvA you can still cancel free of charge until 1 September.

The 1 May rule protects applicants: if you apply for a bachelor's by that date, you are in most cases entitled to a studiekeuzecheck, and its advice is not binding. After 1 May a programme may refuse your registration or issue binding negative advice. If you need a visa, treat 1 April as your real deadline anyway.

Step 3. If the programme has numerus fixus

Numerus fixus means a fixed number of places. The national rules are strict:

• You can submit at most four enrolment requests per academic year, of which in principle no more than two for fixed-quota programmes.
• Medicine, dentistry, physiotherapy, oral health care, midwifery and emergency medical care allow only one application per year per programme — you cannot apply for medicine at two universities at once.
• Over the years you get at most three selection attempts per programme nationwide; an institution may set a lower limit.
• An attempt counts if your application is still in Studielink after 15 January, even if you skip the selection. Withdraw before 15 January to keep the attempt.
• Selection runs from 15 January to 15 April; ranking numbers arrive on 15 April and an offered place must be accepted within 14 days.

Each programme chooses its selection method — tests, motivation assignments, grades or a combination — so read it before you apply.

Step 4. Prepare and legalise documents

Legalisation rules depend on the country that issued the document. NetherlandsWorldwide's country pages explain them: Russian documents, for example, need a sworn translation and an apostille, and if translated in Russia both the original and the translation are apostilled; Kazakhstan issues electronic apostilles. Universities usually accept scans at the application stage and ask for certified copies after a conditional offer (UvA: by post before 31 August), so start translations in the autumn.

Step 5. Prove your language level

UvA requires the test to be less than two years old at the programme start date; TU Delft, less than two years old on the day you upload it. Nationals of the USA, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada are exempt at TU Delft, as are some diplomas taught in English. Dutch-taught programmes also require Dutch — at TU Delft, VWO level.

If you are applying for a master's

Many research-university master's also use Studielink, but the assessment looks at content — subjects, credits and sometimes GMAT or GRE — not just the level of your degree. If your bachelor's does not match, you may be offered a pre-master. Deadlines for non-EU applicants are often earlier than 1 May, and scholarship deadlines earlier still. See master's in the Netherlands.

Russian citizens: are there restrictions?

There is no general ban: Russian citizens apply through Studielink on the same terms, the university decides on admission and the IND on the permit. Targeted restrictions stem from EU sanctions on technical assistance related to dual-use technology. The University of Twente, for example, tells students from Russia, Belarus, Iran and Myanmar that in technical master's programmes they may be excluded from projects with external partners that involve sanctioned technology or defence organisations; studying and scholarships are not affected.

The Dutch knowledge security screening bill (Wet screening kennisveiligheid) had not been enacted as of 24 September 2026. In a letter to parliament of 11 June 2026 the education minister described it as a tool for screening researchers and PhD candidates from outside the EU, not bachelor's applicants. If you are applying to an engineering programme linked to microelectronics, aerospace or quantum technology, ask the admissions office before applying whether your nationality could limit projects or internships. More in universities in the Netherlands.

After admission: permit, funds and housing

You cannot apply for a student residence permit yourself; only an institution recognised by the IND as a sponsor can. For nationals who need an MVV, it requests the MVV and the residence permit in one application.

Russian citizens collect the MVV only at the Dutch embassy in Moscow (the St Petersburg consulate-general is temporarily closed); the passport is kept for up to 10 working days, and study applicants who find no free slots can email the embassy with their programme start date. Details are in our guide to the Dutch student residence permit. If you pay from Russia, use only lawful payment routes — see how to pay for studies abroad from Russia.

Look for housing in parallel with your application. Study in NL warns of a severe student housing shortage and advises arranging a room before arrival. UvA has no campus housing and UvA Housing cannot place all international students. Never sign a contract without seeing the room, at least by video, and never pay brokerage fees.

First year: your grades affect your permit

To keep a student residence permit you must earn at least 50% of the credits for each academic year; if progress is insufficient without good reason, the institution must report it to the IND. Separately, many programmes use a binding study advice (BSA). Each institution decides whether it is binding and sets the threshold in its programme rules — Utrecht University's humanities faculty, for example, requires 45 of 60 ECTS in year one, and a negative BSA bars re-enrolment in that programme for four years.

A 12-month preparation plan

Common mistakes

• Working towards 1 May when your university advises visa applicants to finish by 1 April.
• Submitting the Studielink request on the last day, before portal access arrives.
• Taking TOEFL Home Edition or IELTS Online when the university does not accept them.
• Leaving a numerus fixus application active after 15 January "just in case" and losing an attempt.
• Applying for medicine at two universities in the same year: the system does not allow it.
• Leaving apostilles and translations until after the offer.
• Assuming admission automatically brings a residence permit: the IND decides.

FAQ

Sources

• Studielink: 2027/28 enrolment and deadlines — checked 24 Sep 2026
• Studiekeuze123: numerus fixus rules, studiekeuzecheck and 1 May — checked 24 Sep 2026
• UvA: applying for a bachelor's — checked 24 Sep 2026
• TU Delft: bachelor's admission requirements, tuition and upfront living costs — checked 24 Sep 2026
• VU Amsterdam: diplomas per country, Nuffic: Russia, Nuffic: Kazakhstan — checked 24 Sep 2026
• Study in NL: application fees, housing — checked 24 Sep 2026
• NetherlandsWorldwide: legalisation of Russian documents, Kazakh documents, MVV in Russia — checked 24 Sep 2026
• IND: student residence permit, required amounts 2026, fees — checked 24 Sep 2026
• Saxion: total costs — checked 24 Sep 2026
• University of Twente: sanctions-related restrictions, education minister's letter on screening, 11 June 2026, TU Delft: country-specific requirements — checked 28 Sep 2026
• Government of the Netherlands: binding study advice, Utrecht University: BSA — checked 24 Sep 2026
• Exchange rate: ECB, 24 Sep 2026, €1 = $1.1367

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