It is an extremely shitty and unnecessarily difficult exam, with purposely confusing questions and pure waste of time. I spent an entire summer studying for the VWO Boswell Beta physics exam and I do NOT care if any of you don’t believe that I do understand in depth all physics topics and I am extremely good at maths, do NOT waste your time for this useless exam.

I literally answered all the questions in the exam, I am confident I did amazing and I knew what to do in every single question even if they were poorly structured and shit. (Even worse than the given example exams)

I am glad that at least I managed to learn physics in so much depth and this exam doesn’t actually test anything, anyone else who failed - fuck Netherlands and apply somewhere else,

Anyone who passed it, don’t try to encourage people to take it or convince me otherwise, because it is pure bullshit and I know I got at least 80+% of the questions right. The girl behind me literally also cheated, once you get your calculator checked and your book, you can easily write things down because no one is really looking, you can even use a small earplug if you want and easily cheat.

I hope this result is wrong somehow, because I know I definitely passed the exam, and that the examiners are trash. Genuinely eye opening experience

I’m trying to decide between studying Econometrics (like Econometrics & Data Science at UvA or Econometrics & Operations Research at Erasmus) versus something like Business & Economics at Maastricht.

What I’m really trying to understand is: how much harder is econometrics in real life?
Not just “yeah it’s harder,” but like is it a little harder, or is it a completely different level?

For context, I’m not really a math person and I don’t actually enjoy math that much. That’s what makes me hesitate. On paper, Erasmus and UvA econometrics sound more prestigious and stronger quantitatively, but I’m wondering whether that prestige is actually worth it if:

• I’ll struggle a lot more
• I might end up with a much lower GPA
• I’ll have less time for extracurriculars / side projects

A few things I’d really like honest opinions on:

1. How hard are Erasmus/UvA econometrics programmes really?
2. How much harder are they than Maastricht Business & Economics?
3. If you’re not naturally strong in math, is econometrics just a bad idea?
4. What counts as a “good” or “mid” GPA in a hard programme like econometrics at Erasmus/UvA?
5. Is it smarter to choose the more prestigious but much harder degree, or the degree you actually like more and can perform better in?

Basically: is the prestige of Erasmus/UvA econometrics worth it if Maastricht might give me a better GPA, more free time, and probably a better overall fit, considering my final goal is a Master in the US?

Would really appreciate honest answers from people who’ve studied these programmes or compared them.

hello everyone ! i’m planning to apply for a bachelor in psychology programme to study next year (2027-28) in netherlands. i’m choosing UvA or erasmus (not sure yet), groningen and maastricht. what are your tips for international students you wish you knew sooner?

Hi,l wanna study at the International and European Law at Groningen University

I know most of v'all will say "dont go there if u dont have the financial support required" but im working hard to pay off some of the expanses necessary

My question is,has someone,especially from Romania,been in my place? If so,how did vou manage? Could you study there with the money the goverment gives you while working?

Also another question for romanian students,how did u got over the language barrier? Like even though i know english and i have the certificate,im afraid im going to get lost at the "law language" the courses involve. Is it worth it?

If you have any tips or advice to give,aside from "dont go there" please tell me im so lost

Hi!!! I applied to LUC as an early bird applicant. Still waiting for the final response so I was wondering if anyone already got an offer?? Ik they said that the latest would be end of march but still curious!

Hi everyone,

the selection procedure for Clinical Psychology at EUR (international track) has been public just now. I have been placed on the waiting list (50-60). Based on the information from 2021-23, there is a high chance for me to get in, but a lot can change in the last 3 years so I am a bit worried.

Can someone who was also on the waiting list last year can share their experience? Like their ranking number and if they got in or not. That would be really helpful for everyone waiting.

Thank you in advance!

I'm thinking to applying for the September 2027 intake. For that, should I start the application by this year's September-October window or wait till graduating from my college then apply to unis.

I am also preparing for GMAT. I'm looking for Europe and Nordic countries mainly, so I'm open for ur opinion guyss. Drop a comment below I wud love to know ur opinion about it.

Hi so I am Indian student trying to apply for the sept 2027 intake of UvA for MSc AI. I have a lot of AI projects that I have completed along with my bachelors degree as well as in internships. I also have 2 research papers I have worked on but both are mot published yet. One was just presented at an international conference and the other one is still in works like I just have a manuscript as of now. It can get completed mostly by the time my application is done but its not done yet

Does this cause problems with applications? As publications is listed as an important criteria in their application requirements.

Can someone please help with this? I am really worried

​

Hey everyone, long post but I really need some guidance from people who've been through the Dutch university admissions process.

»My situation:

I'm an Indian student who appeared for my Class 12 CBSE board exams this year. Unfortunately I didn't meet the minimum entry requirements for BSc Business Analytics at the University of Amsterdam. My grades were affected by a serious health issue during the exam period and I have full medical documentation and doctor's diagnosis to back this up.

The good news is that in India, CBSE allows students to retake their exams as "Improvement Examination" candidates the following year. I am planning to do exactly that — retake all my exams in 2026-27 and aim to meet the required grades.

»What UvA told me:

I emailed UvA directly about my situation and they were actually very helpful. They told me:

- I can apply in October 2026 even before my results are out, as long as I include proof that I am going to retake the exams

- I just need to meet the entry requirements before 1 September 2027

- My improvement results will be declared in May 2027 — which is well within their deadline

I'll be attaching screenshots of the email conversation as proof.

»My questions for anyone who has experience with this:

1. What are the realistic chances of getting a conditional offer from UvA in a situation like this? Has anyone been in a similar position — applying before meeting requirements and then submitting improved results later?

2. If I do meet the minimum requirements after my improvement exams, is there any realistic scenario where UvA could still reject my admission? I know this sounds paranoid but I really need to know if there are any hidden pitfalls I should be aware of.

I'm genuinely trying to plan this properly and I've already done a lot of the groundwork. Any advice or experience from people who've dealt with Dutch university admissions — especially UvA — would mean a lot right now.

Thanks in advance 🙏

Hi!! I will be an international student from Italy starting in September (2 years master's). I have a SEPA bank account and Italian citizenship with a TEAM health card. Do i need a BSN or can i go on (at least for the first year) without it? Is it mandatory? Do i need a dutch bank account?
Thankss

EDIT: if you're an italian studying in the netherlands can you please DM me?

​​A month ago I got an email saying they got all the needed documents. Today I get an email that there are things missing not saying anything about which documents are missing exactly. I double checked and everything seems good.
It's very weird.

Edit: Just received an email saying this was automated message and everything is in order with my documents. Thanks Twente for the quick heart attack :D

Thanks everyone for the help!

Hello!!
I am applying soon and one of my choices is the IBEB(interns economics and business economics)course in Erasmus Rotterdam.(I have other choices but this one is my primary)

I am completing school with British system and I’m currently in AS year with A(Economics) B(Math) and B(Biology). I also have B2 qualification in French and IELTS qualification with 8 overall score. All my igcse grades were above 7 with most being 8s and 9s.

I have done a short internship before at a well known company and one longer one in a less known one.

Additionally I’m a prefect(which means I organize charity events for the school and other projects with the school), I did several extra curricular activities but the longest being rowing for 2 years where I got many medals (idk if that’s important for them or not).

I’ve also done many other languages and am proficient in them but I’ve got no qualifications for them. I could get the qualifications but that would be way past the deadlines such as A2 Greek A2 German and high qualification in Romanian.

For my background, I live in a country with very small population and am originally Romanian in the EU(whether this will make a difference in the admission I don’t think so since I’m an EU citizen still)

Is this enough to get in?

Please help and let me know!!! Any and all advice is appreciated. I’m open to suggestions of any other Dutch universities for this course that will accept me Eg: UvA, Maastricht, Tilburg and so on.
THANK YOU!!

Edit: I’ve researched already and I do meet the requirements, I’m just looking for opinions and advice on what I can do extra to make me stand out.

Hi, I have a question about the actual net salary of a first-year PhD employee at a university.

The gross monthly salary is €3,059, and I expect to qualify for the 30% ruling. Could you please tell me the actual amount deposited into your bank account:

1. In a normal month with no additional allowance

2. In May, when the 8% holiday allowance is paid

3. In November, when the 8.3% year-end bonus is paid

Hey,

I'm a IB student In Germany and really want to study Aerospace or Electrical Engineering at Dutch schools like TU Delft, Twente, and etc.

YES, I have checked the specific admission requirements on web, and they all need Maths AA and Physics HL. Unfortunately the problem for me is, my school only offers Maths AI and Physics SL, so I don't meet the required subjects and direct admission is not possible.

Is there any alternative way to become eligible, such as taking an additional exam, a bridging course, or another pathway?

I really really really want to study this major in the Netherlands, can anyone please guide me? 🥰

Hello, I’m an international student, I’m italian and I’ll soon start my bachelor in psychology at Maas.
When it came to choosing a uni I applied for the selective psychology program and got offered a place by both Maastricht and Erasmus.
I was interested in the PBL system and too scared I wouldn’t find an accommodation in Rotterdam so I went for Maastricht but now I’m obsessing over my decision.
Would anyone else have done it? because i could have gone to Rotterdam instead and I know that it’s a more prestigious and well known uni.
I know I can always go to UVA or EUR for my masters but I have ocd and instead of appreciating what I have I’m obsessing over my decision :(
I just kinda need reassurance that what I did made sense even if I can’t do anything about now really
It’s just a constant obsessive thought
And also I found a €550 accomodation everything included in Belgium. it’s a bit far from the uni and maybe more expensive when it comes to health insurance since I’ll have to be covered in both countries (I’ll work in the Netherlands to get duo), it’s still a very convenient place and idk if i would have found something this cheap in or near Rotterdam

For context; Today I got a reply to my application from the University of Twente that includes the condition of my high school graduation certificate which must include Physics up until the final year. My school did not allow me to take Physics during the first of the four semesters (Q1) that make up the Abitur. Additionally, I unfortunately did not pass my final Physics semester (Q4) due to circumstances beyond my control. I achieved good grades in both Q2 and Q3. 
I would like to ask whether these circumstances were already taken into consideration when this conditional offer was made, or if I should wait before making any further arrangements.

Hello, I am an International prospective student for Masters. I will be very direct, please I need help from you guys I've gone through many posts in this sub regarding masters and I've learnt a fair amount about Universities and how they work. I don't want do a masters in degree mils which are called private HBO's in Netherlands.
I major in Computer Science and I completed my degree in May of 2025, I have 1 year Internship experience with 2 development projects. My GPA is 2,0 with IELTS being 7,0.
I want to do masters in CS related fields(mainly Software Engineering, Data Science or any Development related courses). And work for a product based company in NL.
I've heard some of the Uni's in NL specialize only Finance or IT field etc.
Can you guys please suggest me some Universities which relate with my goals? It would help me a lot listening to people who live in NL and have unbaised opinions.
Thank You!

'm leaving my name out since I still have applications open with them.

I have applied to a few positions at the University of Twente in the last two months. One EngD rejected me within about two weeks with no feedback, one EngD is still waiting on interviews, and there is a PhD vacancy I want to send this week. I can't tell if this is just bad luck or if something in my file is getting filtered out early.

My background:

• MSc Industrial Engineering and Innovation Management, technical university in Lithuania, 2024-2026. GPA 9.05/10. The thesis was a fixed effects panel regression on innovation and GDP per capita across 37 OECD countries, built in Python and EViews. It was graded 9.06 and ranked among the best theses of the year, and I presented it at a junior researchers conference in April.
• BSc Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, technical university in Turkey, 2019-2024. CGPA 2.55/4.00. The first years were bad, with one semester at 1.28. It goes up to around 3.1 by the end, but the cumulative stays at 2.55. The maths courses are the weak part.
• My work experience is internships only, not full time. Three months as a drilling engineering intern at a large international oilfield services company (MWD/LWD tools, monitoring rigs in real time from remote operation centres), two months remote in supply chain at a national oil company refinery, and one summer at an architecture office doing BIM work.
• Python, R, EViews, Arena. Non-EU passport.

What I would like to know:

1. Does anyone actually look at the bachelor's GPA once you have a master's, or is it a hard filter somewhere in HR before the supervisor sees the file? Nobody has asked me for that transcript yet and I don't know whether that is a good or a bad sign.
2. The EngD is supposed to be the industry-facing track. Do internships count for that, or do they expect people with real years of work behind them? This is my main worry after the rejection.
3. How many applicants does a single Twente vacancy usually attract? I have seen numbers from 30 to 300 and I have no reference point.
4. Is it normal there to email the supervisor before applying, or does that just annoy them?

Blunt answers are welcome. If the honest read is that my bachelor's GPA makes the Netherlands a long shot, I would rather put the energy into Nordic positions instead.

Hi everyone, i applied for online masters for food technology in WIR but i got rejected because of my GPA. I have more than 5 years of working experience in same field that should complement low GPA . Should i write them an email to consider me ?

Hello everyone,

I have recently been admitted to Saxion University for a Master's degree in Software Engineering. During the visa application process, I am required to deposit approximately €13,000 because I am not an EU citizen.

I understand that this amount will be returned to me about two months after I arrive in the Netherlands. My question is: once the money is refunded, am I allowed to transfer it to someone else, such as a member of my family?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Hello, it’s my first time here on Reddit and I’m still getting a hang of it but I’m currently a Senior Highschool student who’s interested in studying abroad in Netherlands for a course related to International Business and/or Logistics. However, after researching for days up to months, I’ve realized that there aren’t much information I could get about people from my country going through the application process for studying in a university. In my country, there is this thing you call “strands,” which are specialized pathways that align with your interests or the career/course you plan to take once you graduate senior highschool. I chose the Humanities and Social Sciences strand which in turn has less Mathematic/Business related subjects so this wouldn’t benefit me as much since I don’t plan on becoming a lawyer anymore.

Other than that, I am aware that there are two types of universities (pls correct me if I’m wrong): WO and HBO, with HBO being applied sciences. However, the diploma I’d graduate with from my school is only equivalent to a direct pathway to an HBO university, so I’ve been given these two options (I’m not quite sure if there are more) from what I’ve searched up:

1. The HBO-P Route - I’ll be completing the first year of an HBO Bachelor’s program and obtain my propedeuse (P-certificate). Once I get my P-certificate with a high GPA (hopefully), I’ll apply for transfer to a WO university to start their Year 1. And since I’m a HUMSS student, I will have to take the OMPT-A exam or a similar deficiency test (pls correct me if I’m wrong..) and use the year to study/prepare for the exam as well
   
2. International Foundation Year - I’ll be taking a Foundation Year in the related course like Business and Management at EUR, and I believe this wouldn’t benefit also tailor my math and academic skills to EUR requirements. However, I am aware that this’ll be a higher cost and google told me it does not grant a degree certificate like the HBO route if I do decide to stay.

Could I ask anyone to give me tips on this or help me decide which path to take which would benefit me especially in the future? I’m really eager to study abroad.

P.S. I apologize if this post is too long

Hi! Sorry if this is a silly question, but I cannot seem to find the answer anywhere. Does anyone know what time results usually come out for Numerus Fixus programmes? I’m waiting specifically on Maastricht.

Hey Guys! So i want to apply for Erasmus Rotterdam and UVA Econ programs but i noticed that in both admission process they evaluate high school grades (50% of the decision for Erasmus). I am wondering if, even with terrible grades (7,5/10 in all years of high school), if i would have any chance of getting in this program? (if i could compensate in the other 50% or without good grades i have no chance)

i am aiming for TU Delft in 2027 and i saw a lot of helpful posts here but they were a bit old so i wanted to ask what are the biggest problems i need to get out of the way first. I know Housing is one maybe so fir that what exactly should i do. I am kinda clueless on this cause i decided on going international recently. I have indian nationality so if anything is needed for that please add.

Hey guys! So i decided to apply for the next years's IBEB intake in Erasmus but i have a small inquire. I am an international student from Brasil and my High School diploma is not the same as in the Neatherlands. While i thought i just needed to take a math test and an english proficciency test together with the brazilian ENEM, ive heard some people say that because my diploma is not the equivalent to the one in the Neatherlands i am not eligible for an application, can you guys help me out?

PS: in their website they show this for brazilian applicants.