Studielink application: step by step, including numerus fixus

Studielink is the national system you use to apply for most bachelor’s programmes at Dutch universities and universities of applied sciences. This page explains the Studielink application for international students step by step, from creating an account without DigiD to numerus fixus selection and accepting a place, for programmes starting in the 2027-28 academic year. Each step links to the official Studielink or Study in NL page.

Master’s programmes often start in Studielink too, but each university sets its own requirements, portal and deadlines, so always follow the programme page. Our guide to studying in the Netherlands covers both levels, costs and the residence permit.

Step by step

1. Choose a programme and check how it takes applications

Find programmes in the Study in NL Studyfinder, then read the programme page on the university’s own website. Study in NL advises checking first whether the institution wants you to register through Studielink, because some institutions use a different method for students from abroad (Study in NL, How to apply). On the same page, check whether the programme is numerus fixus and which deadline applies to you.

2. Check admission requirements and your deadline

Admission requirements are set by each institution and can differ between programmes: your diploma, specific subjects, and for English-taught programmes an English test with a minimum score (Study in NL, Admission requirements).

The national dates are general deadlines: the exact deadline can vary by institution and programme, so always check it with the institution (Study in NL). Some universities set an earlier date for applicants who need a visa or residence permit, for example:

• Example: the University of Amsterdam's advisory deadline for bachelor's applicants with international prior education is 1 April (final deadline 1 May); applicants who need a visa or UvA housing are urged to apply before 1 April.
• Example: at Leiden University, the bachelor's deadline is 1 April for applicants who need a student visa or residence permit (1 May for most other bachelor's programmes; 15 January for numerus fixus).

3. Create your Studielink account

Applicants without a Dutch home address create a Studielink account without DigiD by uploading a scan or photo of their passport or European identity card. Non-European identity cards cannot be used. Anyone registered at a Dutch address must log in with DigiD. The official page on verifying your personal details explains what a usable scan or photo looks like.

When you create the account, you choose the nationality that matches your document, upload a clear photo or scan of it, check the details read from it, add an address outside the Netherlands, a unique email address and a phone number for text-message codes, and activate the account from the email link. Check your details carefully: they cannot be changed once the account is created.

4. Add your previous education

Enter your diploma (obtained or still expected), the country and the date. You cannot upload documents in Studielink: the institution verifies your previous education later and tells you how to send copies of your diplomas, as the Studielink guide to creating an account without DigiD explains.

5. Submit your enrolment application

Search for the programme and choose the start date. Numerus fixus programmes carry a label, and Studielink warns you that submitting uses a selection attempt unless you withdraw before the deadline. Answer any extra questions the institution adds, check everything and confirm. Your account is not complete until you have submitted your first enrolment application.

There are limits on how many programmes you can apply to:

• Studielink accepts up to four enrolment applications per academic year, of which at most one or two may be numerus fixus programmes.
• You can apply to at most two numerus fixus programmes per academic year. For Medicine, Dentistry, Dental Hygiene and Physiotherapy you can submit only one application per programme (for example, not Medicine at two universities).

6. Complete the university’s own steps

After you submit, the institution contacts you about the next steps, such as identity checks, your previous education, selection and payment. Watch your Studielink inbox and To Do list, and expect some steps in the institution’s own portal. Some institutions charge non-EEA applicants or applicants without Dutch prior education an application or handling fee of EUR 75 to EUR 100.

If you meet the admission requirements and submit your first Studielink application for a bachelor's programme by 1 May, you have the right to be admitted. Some programmes make a study choice check (matching) mandatory; missing it without a valid reason means losing that right. If your programme has a study choice check, the institution tells you how and when to do it.

7. Numerus fixus: selection and ranking

Each numerus fixus programme runs its own selection procedure, and the programme page explains what you need to do and by when. If a numerus fixus programme has more applicants than places, the institution runs a selection between 15 January and 15 April, and applicants in the selection receive their ranking number via Studielink on 15 April. If your ranking number is within the number of places, you receive an offer; if not, you may get a place later if someone declines.

8. Accept your place and arrange payment

If you are offered a numerus fixus place, you must accept it in Studielink within two weeks, or it goes to the next applicant. If you receive offers for two numerus fixus programmes, you can accept only one; for the other you refuse the place, wait for placement or cancel the application, and you cannot change your choice later. See the Studielink step-by-step plan for several numerus fixus applications. For other programmes the institution sends its admission decision and may ask you to confirm by a set date.

Tuition payment is arranged in Studielink too, by direct debit authorisation or another payment method (Studielink step-by-step plans). Which rate you pay depends on your nationality:

• You pay the statutory fee if you are a national of an EU/EEA country, Switzerland or Suriname (or hold certain Dutch residence permits), study a government-funded programme, and do not already hold a government-funded Dutch degree at the same level. For 2027-28 the statutory fee is €2,771.
• Students who do not qualify for the statutory fee, including most non-EU/EEA students, pay the institutional fee. Each university sets it per programme, and it is never lower than the statutory fee.

9. Residence permit (non-EU/EEA students)

Non-EU/EEA students cannot apply for the study residence permit themselves: the Dutch university, as an IND-recognised sponsor, applies for it (and for the MVV entry visa, if needed) and the fee is paid through the institution. Whether you need an MVV (provisional residence permit, the long-stay entry visa) depends on your nationality. Nationals of EU/EEA countries, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vatican City do not need one; other nationalities, including all Latin American countries, generally do. Official foreign documents for the residence permit must be legalised (or carry an apostille) and translated into Dutch, English, French or German. The institution gives you the document list. The IND explains the process on its study residence permit page.

10. After you arrive

Anyone staying in the Netherlands for more than 4 months registers with the local municipality (gemeente) in the Personal Records Database (BRP) and receives a citizen service number (BSN), needed for a bank account, health insurance and work. Study in NL keeps a list of things to do after arrival.

Common mistakes

These pitfalls come from Studielink, Study in NL and the IND:

• Missing the numerus fixus deadline. After it, a numerus fixus application is no longer possible for that year.
• Applying after the general deadline. You lose the right to be admitted, and the institution may refuse you.
• Not checking whether the institution uses Studielink. Some institutions register students from abroad in another way.
• Wrong personal details. They cannot be changed after the account is created.
• Dual nationals using their non-EU passport. The document you use decides which tuition fee rate applies.
• A non-European ID card or a poor scan. Non-European ID cards are not accepted, and the whole page, including the machine-readable zone, must be visible.
• Forgetting that a numerus fixus application uses a selection attempt unless you withdraw it before the deadline.
• Not accepting an offered numerus fixus place in time. It goes to the next applicant.
• Expecting a cheaper first year. The 50% first-year tuition reduction no longer applies: it ended with the 2024-25 academic year (from 1 September 2024).

Deadlines for 2027-28

These are national dates. Universities can set earlier deadlines for individual programmes, and some do for applicants who need a visa or residence permit. Master’s deadlines are set by each university. Our application deadlines guide compares the Netherlands with the UK, Germany and Spain.

How Wisemore can help

You can apply through Studielink on your own using the official step-by-step plans. If you want support, our university application help covers the work around it: we study the requirements of the programmes you choose, help you gather the information and documents the application asks for, complete the application with you and check it for errors and inconsistencies. We confirm the exact price before you pay.

Prepared by the Wisemore editorial team · Last checked: 13 Oct 2026