Netherlands Education System

Schooling

The schooling system in the Netherlands emphasizes choice in education. Compulsory education under Dutch law applies to children of all nationalities from five to 18 years who are residing in the Netherlands. The school system is, however, quite unusual. Your finances, location, nationality, the age of your children, and how long you are likely to stay in the Netherlands are the main factors you should take into account when selecting a school. Many companies reimburse international school fees as part of a relocation package and the reimbursements could be exempt from income tax (though not for all schools).

Visa process is the most formidable part for students. Lack of proper information and incorrect supervision by inexperienced agents cause students to lose the opportunity of getting the visa even they have admission and every thing on hand.
At SIEC, we ensure student visa success and with our professional approach and direction chance of visa improve significantly and it become possible for student to reach their dream study destination.

Our extensive network of branches and every increasing experience provide us latest information on,

• Accurate visa application procedures
• Relevant and important documents required for visa interview
• Guidance on providing sufficient financial documentation
• Interview preparation through several mock interview sessions
• Expected questions and suitable answers to satisfy visa officer

At SIEC, our mission is simply making you achieve your goal of studying abroad!

At SIEC, our dedicated team provide all the required information to face the ‘visa interview’ at the UK or US Consulate. In addition to providing information our mock interview sessions help student to address nervousness. At first, we carefully assess the background of the applicant and then determine strong and weak areas. Based on this first-hand information, our counselors will suggest appropriate answers and responses for given questions and situations.

With this specialized and adapted preparation, facing the interview for visa will become easier for you since you will be fully confident of what to do or not to do and how to tackle difficult questions and situations.

Proper planning, self-confidence, preparation and good presentation are the key aspects to succeed in the visa interview. SIEC makes sure that you, the applicant, are fully prepared to handle all these aspects successfully and get the coveted Student Visa for UK or USA.

See the following YouTube links that show examples of two students’ mock credibility interviews carried out by INTO.
They were also with 2 Chinese students both with GOOD ENGLISH. Note these interviews were also for DIPLOMA courses:

Types of schools:

Public (openbare) schools
State-run schools (non-denominational) provide secular education, but they can also offer teaching around specific philosophic or pedagogic principles (Montessori, Steiner etc.).

Private schools
Most private schools are denominational (Roman Catholic, Protestant, Islamic, Hindu) or follow specific philosophic principles, as above. Private schools are governed by a board or the foundation that set them up.

Special schools
There are schools for children with special needs and also special needs teachers at Dutch schools.

Costs of Schooling
Primary and secondary state education is free, with parents being asked to contribute a ‘voluntary’ nominal amount, which varies from school to school with additional payments for lengthier school trips and lunchtime supervision (tussenschoolse opvang) and after-school care (naschoolse opvang) which the school is supposed to provide or sub-contract.

Dutch Primary education (primair onderwijs or basisonderwijs) 
There are eight years of primary schooling. Most children start at four years in group one and move up a group every year. Different age groups may be in the same class. In ‘Group 8’ (in February of each year), children in 85 percent of primary schools (basisscholen) sit the CITO test which will determine their next level of education. CITO tests are also used in some schools to measure the literacy and numeracy of younger children.

Dutch Secondary Education (voortgezet onderwijs)
From 12 years. ssThere are four main diplomas:
VMBO (a further four years of school). Prep school for vocational secondary education. A VMBO-T diploma can lead onto secondary vocational education (MBO).

HAVO (Five years)
Senior general secondary education. Provides entrance to hogescholen or ‘vocational universities’ (HBO Hoger beroepsonderwijs).

VWO (Six years)
Preparation for academic studies at a research university (WO — Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs). VWO schools are called Athenaeum, Gymnasium and/ or Lyceum. In the past, the various forms of secondary education were provided in different schools but now there are broader combined schools allowing movement between diploma programmes.

MBO. (Secondary Vocational Education)
If a student has successfully completed the Dutch VMBO-t or the international middle school programmes, the IGCSE or IB-MYP, but is not admitted to the IB-Diploma Programme, the MBO (three to four years) might be a good option. In the Netherlands students can follow several MBO-programmes taught in the English language as well.

Dutch Higher Education
Third-level education, as it is known in the Netherlands, is offered at vocational level (HBO, at a ‘university of applied sciences’ or hogeschool) and at academic level (WO, at a university or universiteit).

Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees are available at both HBO and WO institutions but you can only do a PhD at a (WO) university.

There’s a huge range of courses taught in English (around 1,300). You can see what’s available and where on the Nuffic (Netherlands organisation for international cooperation in higher education) website (www.nuffic.nl) which includes extensive information about the Dutch higher education system. Institutions are either government funded or government approved.

HBO
Around 370,000 students are enrolled at 44 ‘universities of applied sciences’ or hogescholen, which provide general courses or specific study in one of seven sectors: agriculture, engineering and technology, economics and business administration, healthcare, fine and performing arts, education/teacher training and social welfare.

WO
There are 14 research universities with around 205,000 students involved in intensive academic studies.

Costs
Fees depend on your nationality and age. There’s an EU fee for EU/EEA nationals, which is set by the Dutch government. Otherwise you pay the institutional fee (three or four times higher). The fees at private institutions can be substantially higher.

How to apply
There are nearly 50,000 international students studying in the Netherlands-Germany is top of the international student list-and information on fees, qualifications and study programmes is widely available in English. Students should first contact the institution offering the course, which will specify what education qualifications are required for admission. A quota system is in place for oversubscribed courses; places are allocated by lottery.

University programmes consist of a Bachelor’s or undergraduate phase lasting three years and a Master’s or graduate phase lasting one to two years. As many Dutch universities have partner institutions in other countries, students can study part of their course abroad.

Qualification Accreditation

Diplomas and Certificates awarded overseas need to be accredited by the Dutch authorities. Often the school where you have applied takes care of this. Non-native English speakers are required to pass an English language test at a specified level, most commonly the TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge Test.

Intakes

February and September of every year.

Required Documents

• • • Mark Sheets, Transcripts, Consolidated Marks Sheets from Class 10 onwards up to Degree
    • English Language Ability: Test Score Card (IELTS or TOEFL )
    • Statement of Purpose
    • Two Letters of Recommendations (one from the university and one you’re your employer (if available)
    • LOR’s should be in sealed Envelope
    • Updated CV with detailing years of education and marks scored
    • Extra Curricular Certificates and Language Certification (German, French, etc) if available
    • GMAT and GRE Score Cards
    • Passport copy
    • Ten passport size photographs

NOTE: All academic documents, IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT and Passport (front and back) should be Notary Attested.

As an International Student wishing to study in Netherlands for a period that is longer than three months you’ll have to get authorisation for temporary stay (MVV – Machtiging tot Voorlopig Verblijf) in case you are not

if you are not a citizen of the EU/EEA or the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada or other nations who are members of the relevant treaty.

The MVV Application Process

• Takes anywhere from three to six months
• The university or educational institution can apply for it on your behalf using the fast track procedure
• The institution signs a guarantee and must provide other documents that are time- and resource-intensive
• Not many institutions in Netherlands are ready t do this, causing you delays or even foregoing your decision to study in Netherlands.

But, SIEC Education can advise on how to get your MVV Application for Netherlands fast-tracked and finished with minimum stress and time wasted. Our teams of immigration experts are there to help you begin your journey to study in Netherlands today.

Documents Required

• College Admission Letter
• Valid passport
• Prof of sufficient funds
• Two Passport Size Photographs
• Previous Educational Certificates
• IELTS or TOEFL score card to prove English language proficiency

• Letter from the institution to which you have been accepted stating the purpose and duration of the stay.