Finance

• The statutory tuition fee for the academic year 2025–2026 is €2,601 per year.
• For the academic year 2026–2027, the statutory fee will be €2,694 per year.

Who is eligible for the statutory fee?

You qualify if you meet both conditions below:

1. Nationality or residence requirement – one of the following applies to you:
   - You are a citizen of an EU/EEA country(opens in new tab), Switzerland, or Suriname.
   - You are a family member of an EU/EEA, Swiss, or Surinamese citizen living in the Netherlands.
   - You hold a valid residence permit in the Netherlands.
   - You are married to or have a cohabitation contract with an EU/EEA, Swiss, or Surinamese citizen.
2. No previous Dutch degree – you have not obtained a Dutch higher education degree (equivalent to your current programme).

If you do not meet both requirements, you will need to pay the institutional tuition fee.

If you are not from the EU/EEA or do not qualify for the statutory tuition fee, you will pay the institutional tuition fee:

• 2025–2026: €8,992 per year
• 2026–2027: €9,314 per year

Please note: fees may change due to government policies and inflation.

At Windesheim, exchange students from partner universities do not pay tuition fees. You will, however, usually continue to pay tuition fees to your home university. If you have any questions, feel free to email internationaloffice@windesheim.nl(opens in new tab).

Are you a free mover? Please e-mail internationaloffice@windesheim.nl(opens in new tab).

An average room in Zwolle costs somewhere between €400 to €750 a month. Prices depend on the location, facilities, room size and what is included in the rent.

Housing benefit

Rent can eat up a big chunk of income each month, especially if you are a student. Housing benefit could help you to meet those costs and save you some worry.

You could get housing benefit if:

• You are 18 years or older.
• You rent independent accommodation.
• You, your possible benefit partner, and co-occupants are registered at your Dutch home address.  
• Your rent, (combined) income and capital are not too high.
• You have the nationality of an EU country, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland or you have a valid residence permit or work permit.

You can apply for the rent benefit yourself if you have a citizen service number (burgerservicenummer or BSN). You will receive your number if you register with the municipality. As a foreign student, you can apply for a BSN at the municipality within two weeks of your arrival in the Netherlands.

Please note: housing benefit does not apply to student residences such as Talentenplein.

Bachelor's degree students have to pay for their own books, readers and field trips and travel expenses for studying/projects/internships abroad in addition to tuition fees. Exchange students only have to pay a small amount for readers.

You need to bring your own laptop, but we offer free Microsoft Office software.

Average costs per programme

• Global Project and Change Management: approx. €250 per year
• International Business: approx. €400 for the first year, other years less, €400 for study trips abroad

Dutch law requires everybody living in the Netherlands to have health insurance. That includes students who are only here for a few months. It is your responsibility to arrange coverage that suits your needs. Health insurance costs range from about €40 to €140 per month.

Additionally, we highly recommend getting liability insurance.

Read more about insurances

You will need budget for things such as food, clothes, travel, going out and using your mobile phone. What you spend will depend on your lifestyle, but €350 to €550 a month is fairly normal. 

The Netherlands has a good public transport network. Travelling by train and bus is easy, but can be expensive. On the websites of the Dutch Railways(opens in new tab) and 9292.nl(opens in new tab) (for other forms of transport like bus or tram), you can find departure and arrival times as well as information about fares, tickets and subscriptions.

A quick and easy way to meet other students is joining a student society. Membership fees are typically about €50 a year.

Find out more about student life in Zwolle

The total costs for international students, studying at our University of Applied Sciences, are:

• EU/EEA students: between € 12,000 and €18,000 euro per year
• Non-EU/EEA students: between € 18,000 and € 24,000 euro per year

The Dutch government offers a student finance system to help cover tuition fees, living costs and health insurance.

You may be eligible if you:

• Are under 30 and enrolled in full-time education in the Netherlands
• Have Dutch nationality, or the same rights (for example as an EU student)
• Work at least 32 hours per month in the Netherlands, or earn at least 50% of the social security norm (in 2026: €700.75 per month, or €173.00 if you are under 21)

If you qualify, you can receive a monthly grant of around €300–€800 and a free public transport card.

For full details, check the Study in NL(opens in new tab) website or the DUO (opens in new tab)website (Dutch Ministry of Education).

Windesheim does not offer scholarships, as the tuition fee is already very low. There might be other possibilities, depending on your country and programme. StudyinNL.nl(opens in new tab) presents an excellent overview of the scholarships available.

It is also advisable to speak to the Dutch embassy in your country. They can give you advice on which scholarships and grants you may be eligible for.

A part-time job can help cover your costs and boost your CV, but we recommend waiting a few months after arrival to settle in first.

If you’re from the EU/EEA or Switzerland, you can work as much as you like without a permit. It’s relatively easy to find a job in Zwolle, even without speaking Dutch. Many students work in cafés, restaurants, supermarkets or delivery, earning around €10–€16 per hour. The study workload allows you to combine your studies with a job. Most students work around 10–15 hours per week.

If you’re from outside the EU/EEA, it can be more challenging. You’ll need to find an employer who is willing to arrange a work permit for you.

If you work, you must have Dutch health insurance.

More information? Study in NL(opens in new tab) or this video about working as a student(opens in new tab).

When you plan to stay in the Netherlands, you might need a Dutch bank account. For example to pay rent, receive your salary, or do everyday shopping. 

In the Netherlands, most people pay by debit card or smartphone. Credit cards are mainly used online or for things like booking flights or renting a car. Cash is used less and less, and there are fewer ATMs, but you can pay contactless almost everywhere.

Good to know: using a debit card for payments or cash withdrawals is free. With a credit card, extra fees may apply, especially when withdrawing cash.

Check iamexpat.nl(opens in new tab) for more information on banking, or view this video on opening a bank account(opens in new tab).