In order to be accepted to an university programme, international students must meet the admission criteria of an university where they want to follow Bachelor of Master programme.
Depending on the language in which the study programme is taught, one of the admission criteria is usually a certain level of competence in English or Dutch.
If you have not yet achieved the required level, you may be granted conditional admission to the programme. In this case, Dutch immigration law allows you to come to Holland 1 year before starting your chosen university programme in order to gain the required competence(s) and pass certain examinations set by the university in the Netherlands.
A preparatory year is a customized programme that prepares you for a study programme at an Univerisity in Holland. In most cases a preparatory year will consist of language courses, but may also include classes related to your chosen discipline.
For example, if you are applying to an engineering programme, you might need to improve your knowledge of mathematics. Holland has various language schools that offer specific training for international students in their preparatory year. Most of these are affiliated with a university.
If you need to take preparatory courses, the Dutch higher education institution to which you have applied will most likely refer you to a school in the same geographic region.
You expected to have a basic knowledge of the language or other preparatory subjects after following the preparatory programme. Dutch immigration law allows international students exactly 12 months of preparation. This means that you must be able to meet the criteria set by the Dutch higher education institution within those 12 months.
A preparatory year cannot be extended under any circumstances and, if you fail to meet the requirements, you will not get a chance to try again. This means that you should only start a preparatory year programme if you can reasonably expect to qualify for the obligatory final exam. If you have no prior knowledge of the language or other relevant subjects at all, this will probably be very difficult to achieve.
Whether you need a visa or a residence permit depends on your nationality. Consult the websites listed below to find out which immigration procedures apply to you. In most cases, international students need a ‘provisional residence permit’ before coming to Holland (known in Dutch as a machtiging tot voorlopig verblijf or MVV).
This information leaflet is intended for international students who would like to enrol in a degree programme at a Dutch higher education institution (a research university or a university of applied sciences (hogeschool)), but who are not yet eligible for admission to the programme of their choice. // Source: Nuffic.nl
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Very often international students need extra support in order to enter and complete their Bachelor or Master’s degree programme in the university. This can be in the form of a preparatory course in English which if completed successfully improves a student’s chances of being selected during the admission process at a Dutch university. In this situation it is important to enrol at an educational institution that offers an English preparation programme.