Master's in the Netherlands: Admission, Costs and Deadlines for 2027/28

For students from outside the EU/EEA, a Dutch master's degree is fee-paying: research universities charge an institutional rate, for example $30,100 (€26,479) for 2027/28 at TU Delft, or $22,960–38,990 (€20,200–34,300) a year for most University of Amsterdam master's programmes in 2026/27. A four-year bachelor's degree (or a five-year specialist diploma from post-Soviet countries) qualifies for direct entry if your subject matches the programme and your grades are strong — TU Delft, for instance, asks Russian graduates for at least 4.0 out of 5. Applications for September 2027 open in October 2026, and the most competitive programmes close on 15 January 2027. On top of tuition, the Dutch immigration service (IND) wants to see $15,420 (€13,569) for a year of living costs — the 2026 study norm.

This guide covers how to choose between university types, which documents and tests you need, what a year really costs and what applicants with a Russian passport should know about checks in sensitive technical fields.

Research university or university of applied sciences?

The Dutch system is binary, and that is the first decision for a bachelor's graduate.

If you need a student residence permit, you need a full-time programme — which in practice usually means a research university. Research universities offer three master's types: academic (preparing for work), research (two years, preparing for a PhD) and teacher training. If a doctorate is your goal, a research master's gives you far more independent research.

For an overview of institutions see universities in the Netherlands; for the country in general see study in the Netherlands.

Will your bachelor's degree be accepted?

You do not need to have your degree formally recognised before applying. The university assesses it, consulting Nuffic (the Dutch recognition centre) free of charge where needed. You can order a written IDW evaluation yourself, but it is paid and not required for admission; the university also has the final say and may add programme-specific conditions beyond Nuffic's advice.

Universities publish country-specific rules. TU Delft's master's requirements for the region look like this:

TU Delft uses your university's own scale and does not round: 3.99 against a 4.0 minimum fails. If your transcript has no grading scale, add it to the same PDF.

The threshold only gets you considered. Programme fit decides the outcome: Dutch master's degrees build on a specific bachelor's, so committees compare your transcript with the programme's prerequisites — maths and statistics for econometrics, algorithms, data structures and programming for computer science. The courses you took matter more than the title on your diploma.

If your background does not match. Some programmes offer a pre-master's. The student residence permit covers such a preparatory period (usually up to a year). It is cheap — at the University of Amsterdam $50 (€44.90) per credit in 2026/27, capped at $3,060 (€2,694) — but not every programme has one, and not all are open to graduates of foreign universities, so check the programme page.

Graduate before you start. You can apply in your final year, but the degree must be completed before the programme begins: TU Delft wants proof of graduation by 31 August, and the University of Amsterdam applies the "bachelor before master" rule (harde knip).

Deadlines for a September 2027 start

Almost all master's programmes start in September. Non-EU/EEA deadlines are earlier than those for Europeans because the university still has to arrange your residence permit after admission.

Registration in Studielink and university portals is explained in applying to Dutch universities.

One practical point: have your English test result before you apply, not before enrolment. At TU Delft non-EU applicants must upload it with everything else, and every scholarship applicant must include it by the scholarship deadline — so for January deadlines, sit IELTS or TOEFL by the end of November 2026.

Documents

Each programme sets its own list, but the core is similar:

• bachelor's degree or a statement that you are in your final year;
• transcript for all years plus your university's grading scale;
• translation into English if documents are in another language; TU Delft accepts translations from your university or a sworn translator only;
• IELTS, TOEFL or Cambridge certificate no older than two years on the day you apply;
• motivation letter — at TU Delft a 1,000–1,500-word essay covering the programme, specialisation, three possible thesis topics and a summary of your bachelor's thesis of up to 250 words;
• CV — at most three pages at TU Delft;
• passport copy, valid at least six months after the programme starts for immigration purposes;
• reference letters — not always; at TU Delft one letter is needed only for scholarship applicants;
• GRE — at TU Delft for Aerospace Engineering (strict minimum: Verbal 154, Quantitative 163, Analytical Writing 4.0), Computer Science, Computer & Embedded Systems Engineering and Data Science and AI Technology;
• portfolio — for architecture and design.

TU Delft allows only one master's application per academic year. Universities verify documents themselves (often digitally), so an apostille on your diploma is rarely needed; you will need legalised civil documents such as a birth certificate for municipal registration — see the Dutch student residence permit guide.

English requirements

There is no national threshold; universities and sometimes programmes set it.

UvA master's programmes set their own, sometimes higher, requirements. TU Delft accepts IELTS One Skill Retake; the UvA bachelor's rules do not, and exclude IELTS Online, TOEFL Home Edition and MyBest scores, but accept PTE Academic (71) and LanguageCert Academic (70).

How much a master's costs

Citizens of the EU/EEA, Switzerland and Suriname pay the statutory fee — $3,060 (€2,694) in 2026/27. Everyone else pays an institutional fee set by the university, which varies by institution and even by faculty.

UvA fees for 2027/28 had not been published when we checked. Note that a two-year UvA science master's costs less per year but more overall: $59,100 versus $38,990 for a one-year programme.

Living costs. Study in NL estimates $1,140–1,710 (€1,000–1,500) a month. Nibud's 2024 breakdown: rent $640 (€561), groceries $280 (€244), leisure and sport $270 (€239), transport $80 (€67), books $50 (€41). A room typically costs $510–1,140 (€450–1,000), more in Amsterdam than in Enschede or Groningen. Once you take a paid job, Dutch basic health insurance becomes compulsory — about $150 (€133) a month.

One-off costs. Application fee $110 (€100) at TU Delft and the UvA; IND fee $290 (€254); at TU Delft, $320 (€285) for the housing service, and the first rent invoice through that service usually covers three months plus a contract fee.

Proof of funds. The IND study norm is $1,280 (€1,130.77) a month for 12 months — $15,420 (€13,569) in 2026 — and changes every 1 January. It is a legal minimum, not a realistic budget. In 2026/27 TU Delft collected a $16,140 (€14,200) living-cost deposit from first-year non-EU students and refunded it to their European bank account about three weeks after the start of classes.

Example. Year one of a two-year TU Delft MSc starting in 2027: $30,100 (€26,479) tuition plus at least $15,420 in living costs — about $45,500 before flights, insurance and a housing deposit. Year two is charged at the 2028/29 rate. City-by-city budgets are in the cost of studying in the Netherlands.

Paying from Russia. First-year non-EU students at TU Delft must transfer the whole amount in their financial letter in one payment by 1 July; direct-debit instalments are not available in year one. Plan a lawful payment route early — see how to pay for studies abroad from Russia. EU sanctions also stop EU banks from accepting deposits above $113,550 (€100,000) per bank from Russian nationals who do not hold an EU/EEA/Swiss residence permit; once you hold a Dutch student residence permit, that restriction no longer applies to you.

Scholarships worth applying for

Full funding is rare, so budget as if you will not get it and apply in parallel.

The NL Scholarship is often described as open everywhere, but in 2026/27 the participating research universities were TU Eindhoven, Maastricht, Radboud, Groningen, Twente, Utrecht, VU Amsterdam and Wageningen — not TU Delft or the University of Amsterdam. The list changes every year. Erasmus Mundus joint master's programmes with Dutch partners have their own (usually winter) deadlines and selection rules. More options: scholarships abroad in 2026.

Restrictions for Russian nationals

There is no general ban. The IND handles student permits for Russian nationals under the standard procedure, and the Dutch embassy in Moscow issues the MVV entry visa. TU Delft states that applicants of all nationalities are welcome. A few things are still worth knowing.

EU sanctions on technical assistance. Regulation (EU) 833/2014 prohibits technical assistance related to dual-use and other listed goods and technology to persons in Russia or for use in Russia; "technical assistance" explicitly includes instruction and training. The European Commission's guidance says such assistance to Russian nationals outside Russia is not prohibited unless there is evidence it would be used in Russia. For a Russian citizen studying in the Netherlands this is not an admissions ban, but programmes close to sensitive technologies — microelectronics, quantum, aerospace — may ask additional questions.

Knowledge-security policies. Dutch institutions assess international cooperation under the national knowledge-security guidelines, revised in July 2026. TU Delft, for example, checks sanctions, export control and research sensitivity when recruiting staff and hosting researchers; for master's students this mainly affects projects in restricted labs.

The screening law is not in force. A bill on screening people who access sensitive knowledge (Wet screening kennisveiligheid) went to public consultation in spring 2025. In a letter to parliament dated 11 June 2026, the education minister confirmed that a screening law will come and should make it possible, where needed, to screen researchers and PhD candidates from outside the EU who work with sensitive knowledge. But he called the consulted version too broad and unfeasible; the government, with the justice and economic affairs ministries, is looking for a narrower form. How to define who is screened is still open — the same letter says limiting screening to non-EU nationals is not legally tenable. There is no timetable, and the letter does not single out master's students.

One university that spells it out. The University of Twente states that students from Russia, Belarus, Iran and Myanmar are welcome and eligible for scholarships, but on technical programmes they may be excluded from projects with outside partners that involve sanctioned technology under a non-disclosure agreement, and from projects with defence suppliers or military organisations — mainly internships and thesis work.

If your programme is in a sensitive technical field, read its page for extra conditions and ask admissions before applying. The university decides on admission; the IND decides on the permit.

Working during and after your studies

During your studies, non-EU students may work as employees if the employer holds a TWV permit, choosing either up to 16 hours a week or full-time in June, July and August. Self-employment has no hour limit but requires Chamber of Commerce (KvK) registration and paying tax. Internships that are part of the programme need no TWV. Your permit also depends on progress: you must earn at least 50% of each year's credits.

After graduation, you can apply within three years for an orientation year permit — $290 (€254) — and work without restrictions. The next step, the highly skilled migrant route, has a reduced salary threshold for recent graduates: $3,550 (€3,122) gross a month in 2026, versus $4,950 (€4,357) for other migrants under 30. Thresholds change every 1 January.

Is a Dutch master's right for you?

See the profiles of TU Delft and the University of Amsterdam; for business there is the private Nyenrode Business University.

Common mistakes

• Relying on the 1 May deadline. Non-EU deadlines are 15 January, 31 January or 1 April depending on the programme.
• Leaving the English test too late. TU Delft rejects non-EU applications without it, and scholarship applicants need it by 1 December.
• Choosing by programme title. Compare prerequisites with your transcript.
• Rounding your GPA. TU Delft does not accept 3.99 for 4.0 or updated transcripts after you apply.
• Applying to two TU Delft programmes. Only one per year is allowed.
• Counting on part-time work to pay tuition. 16 hours a week covers part of living costs, not fees, and the IND checks funds before issuing the visa.
• Travelling without housing. Both TU Delft and the UvA advise against it: without an address you cannot register with the municipality, which your permit depends on.

FAQ

Sources

• Study in NL: master's, tuition fees, living costs, NL Scholarship, how to apply, checking your diploma, health insurance
• TU Delft: MSc admission requirements, country requirements, documents, procedure, deadlines, fees, scholarships, knowledge security
• University of Amsterdam: tuition fees, pre-master's fees, applying for a master's, MSc Artificial Intelligence, Business Administration, Faculty of Science scholarships, English requirements
• IND: student residence permit, required amounts 2026, fees 2026, orientation year
• European Commission: consolidated FAQs on Russia sanctions, University of Twente: sanctions-related restrictions
• Letter to parliament on knowledge-security screening, 11 June 2026 (Kamerstuk 31288, no. 1260), National Contact Point for Knowledge Security: revised guidelines, July 2026

Dollar amounts use the ECB reference rates of 24 and 29 September 2026 (€1 = $1.1367 and $1.1355), rounded.

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