The Hague University of Applied Sciences（海牙应用科学大学）European Study Guide: Programs, Entry Requirements, Costs and Student Planning

The Hague University of Applied Sciences at a glance

The Hague University of Applied Sciences（海牙应用科学大学，usually shortened to THUAS) is a Dutch public university of applied sciences (HBO) based in The Hague. Its official pages describe a community of close to 25,000 students from more than 125 countries, and one overview page cites 26,000 students from nearly 150 countries, which makes it one of the larger universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands. The institution’s stated message is “Let’s change. You. Us. The world.” and its three values are Curious, Caring and Connecting. Education is practice-oriented: degree programmes combine classes, projects, work placements and applied research, organised around seven research themes.

For an international applicant, the essentials to understand about THUAS are its English-taught degree portfolio, the entry and English requirements, the fees for 2026–2027 and the deadlines that run from application through visa and payment. All facts below come from the university’s own site (thuas.com), accessed on 5 August 2026; amounts and dates refer to the versions published there at that date.

Bachelor’s programmes at The Hague University of Applied Sciences

The Hague University of Applied Sciences offers English-taught bachelor’s programmes in both three-year and four-year formats. Four-year variants are offered for European Studies, International Business, International Financial Management and Control, International and European Law, International Public Policy and Leadership, Process and Food Technology, and Safety and Security Management Studies. The three-year fast-track variants cover Applied Computer Science, European Studies, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, International Business, International Communication Management, Industrial Design Engineering, International Financial Management and Control, International Sport Management, Process and Food Technology, and User Experience Design.

Most of these programmes are taught in The Hague; the sports programmes are based at the Zuiderpark Sports Campus, while the university’s Delft and Zoetermeer locations host technical and data/AI/IT programmes respectively. Programmes follow the Dutch credit system of 60 credits per academic year. The current full list, together with each programme’s mandatory subjects and start dates, is published on the THUAS programme pages.

Master’s and professional programmes

At master’s level, The Hague University of Applied Sciences runs full-time English-taught programmes that are generally one year in duration, including the MBA (Master of Business Administration), MBA Artificial Intelligence, MBA Finance, Master Financial Management and Control, Data Driven Business, International Communication Management, Master Next Level Engineering and Sustainability Transitions, alongside newer offerings such as Designing Social Impact, Systems Entrepreneurship & Transformation and the Applied Quantum Technology master’s. Several of these programmes also exist in part-time variants designed for working professionals, and THUAS Pro offers post-graduate courses and short professional modules.

Master’s applicants should check the specific programme page, since intake, English requirements and deadlines differ between programmes and between EU and non-EU applicants; the deadlines are summarised in a later section of this guide.

Entry requirements for international students

For bachelor’s admission, The Hague University of Applied Sciences compares international diplomas against the Dutch system: four-year bachelor’s programmes generally require a level comparable to a Dutch HAVO, VWO or MBO-4 diploma, while the three-year programmes require a level comparable to a VWO diploma or a propaedeutic certificate from a Dutch research university (or, under conditions, a related HBO propaedeutic obtained within one year with a minimum GPA of 7). The Enrolment Office assesses each international diploma individually; the university publishes an International Admission Leaflet for Bachelor’s Programmes and an International Admission Guide for Master’s Programmes so applicants can check how their qualifications compare.

The application itself runs through Studielink, the Dutch national registration system for higher education, after which applicants complete their file in THUAS’s own Osiris system. Required documents include a copy of an ID card or passport, a diploma certificate with recent grade list or official transcript (or a signed preliminary statement with predicted grades and expected graduation date if results are still pending), and a valid English language test result. Non-EU residents must also hold a residence permit valid on 1 September of the intake year. Applicants who do not yet meet the academic or English level can take the English Academic Preparation Programme or, for the three-year bachelor’s route, the foundation programme of The Hague Pathway College, which has September and January intakes.

English language requirements

All English-taught programmes at The Hague University of Applied Sciences require proof of English proficiency. For the four-year bachelor’s programmes, the accepted tests and minimum scores include IELTS Academic 6.0 overall, TOEFL iBT 80 total, Pearson PTE Academic 61 overall, LanguageCert Academic 65, Cambridge B2 First at grade B or C with a minimum of 169 in each component, and TOEIC 4-skills total 1200 with minimums of 865 for listening and reading and 335 for speaking and writing. The three-year programmes require the same tests with per-component minimums: IELTS Academic 6.0 in each component, TOEFL iBT at least 20 in each of the four subscores with a total of 80, PTE Academic 61 in each component, LanguageCert Academic 65 in each component, and Cambridge 169 in each component.

Applicants who completed their prior education in the UK, Ireland, the United States, Canada (except Quebec), Australia, New Zealand, South Africa or Malta, or who hold an International or European Baccalaureate with English as an exam subject, may be exempt; THUAS reserves the right to request a language test if the schooling took place in a non-English-speaking country. For Dutch-taught programmes the requirement is instead the NT2-II state exam or a CNaVT certificate.

Tuition fees for 2026–2027

The Hague University of Applied Sciences distinguishes between the statutory tuition fee and the institutional tuition fee. For 2026–2027 the statutory fee is €2,694 and the institutional fee is €10,528 (the 2025–2026 amounts were €2,601 and €10,164). The statutory fee applies to students from EU/EEA countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Suriname or Switzerland, or to students eligible for student finance with a Dutch residence permit, provided they have not previously obtained a degree in the Netherlands at the relevant level; everyone else pays the institutional fee.

Full-time English-taught master’s programmes at The Hague University of Applied Sciences charge an institutional fee of €14,000 for students starting in 2026–2027, while part-time English-taught master’s programmes and full-time master’s students who started before 2026–2027 pay €10,528. Joint-degree programmes may follow the partner university’s fee instead. Fees can be paid by direct debit through Studielink in one payment or in nine instalments (for SEPA bank accounts) or as a single bank transfer for non-SEPA countries; the deadline is 31 August for a 1 September start and 31 January for a 1 February start, and students who start later pay 1/12 of the fee per month of enrolment.

Living costs and the non-EU package fee

The budget pages of The Hague University of Applied Sciences estimate monthly rent in The Hague at €475–€800, with rooms with shared facilities around €475–€600 and single-occupancy apartments and studios from roughly €600. Other monthly estimates are groceries €190, study materials €50, public transport €70, leisure €120, clothing €70 and mobile phone €20; Dutch health insurance is estimated at €130 per month for EU students with employment in the Netherlands.

Non-EU/EEA students for whom THUAS applies for a residence permit must transfer a package fee of €26,000 before 15 June 2026. The package covers year-one tuition fees, residence permit legal fees and year-one health insurance; the leftover amount serves as proof of sufficient financial means and is refunded after arrival once the student opens a Dutch bank account. Proof of financial means for the next academic year (around €26,000) must be shown every summer to keep the residence permit, and students must pass at least 50% of the study workload (30 of the 60 credits) in each academic year. Non-EU/EEA students may work part-time for a maximum of 16 hours per week during their studies, or full-time in seasonal work for up to three months.

Application deadlines and timeline

For most bachelor’s programmes the main application deadline is 1 May; EU/EER students can still apply until 31 July. For master’s programmes the deadlines are 1 May for non-EU applicants and 31 July for EU applicants. Non-EU nationals must have submitted a complete set of application documents, including the language test, by 15 June, which is also the package fee payment deadline and the THUAS deadline for the student visa and residence permit application. Tuition fee payment to secure a place is due 15 August for EU students and 15 June for non-EU students. The academic year starts on 1 September; EER students can submit a late application up to that date with a motivation letter and faculty approval.

The Hague University of Applied Sciences publishes an important-dates overview on its application pages, and the exact deadlines that apply to an individual applicant depend on nationality, where the prior education was completed and residence permit status. Applicants should treat the programme pages and the deadlines pages on thuas.com as the reference for the current cycle.

Campuses and where programmes are taught

The main campus of The Hague University of Applied Sciences is a modern building at Johanna Westerdijkplein 75, next to Den Haag Hollands Spoor railway station, and houses more than 80 degree programmes. The Poseidon building, at Johanna Westerdijkplein 109 on the same square, hosts service departments and THUAS Pro. The Delft location at Rotterdamseweg 137, on the TU Delft campus, offers technology, engineering and IT programmes; the Zuiderpark Sports Campus at Mr. Droogleever Fortuijnweg 22 hosts the sports degree programmes and a sports centre accommodating 3,500 people; and the Zoetermeer location at Bleiswijkseweg 37, inside the Dutch Innovation Factory, houses the data, AI and IT programmes. The Hague itself is the seat of the Dutch government and home to international courts and organisations, which shapes the university’s law, public policy and international relations teaching.

Housing for international students

Student housing in The Hague is in high demand, and The Hague University of Applied Sciences runs a Housing Service that helps first-year incoming international students who do not yet have a Dutch address; the university states it can assist around half of all incoming students through trusted accommodation partners such as DUWO, with fully furnished rooms including shared apartments and private studios for a fixed rental period. The service costs a non-refundable €275 housing fee payable by Visa or Mastercard only; applications run through the Osiris system after (conditional) acceptance, and for bachelor’s students the Osiris application deadline was 30 March 2026. The university advises starting the housing application early, well before admission offers are confirmed, because availability is limited.

Scholarships

The main scholarship for international students is the NL Scholarship of €5,000, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and Dutch universities, for full-time bachelor’s or master’s students from outside the EEA and Switzerland who are enrolling at The Hague University of Applied Sciences for the first time, have never studied in the Netherlands and pay the institutional tuition fee. For the 2026–2027 round, applicants needed to be conditionally accepted by 1 June 2026 and to submit the scholarship essay by 1 May 2026, with results announced by 12 June 2026 and payment made in November 2026. EU/EEA students may be eligible for Dutch student finance (DUO) under national conditions. The current eligibility details are published on the scholarship page at thuas.com.

Verification and planning your application

All facts in this guide were taken from the official pages of The Hague University of Applied Sciences at thuas.com on 5 August 2026; the tuition fees, English score tables, deadlines, housing figures and package fee are the versions published there at that date, and tuition amounts and deadlines are reviewed annually. Because entry requirements depend on nationality, diploma and residence status, the official site remains the reference for the current cycle. If you would like to check how these requirements and dates apply to your own programme and situation, our advisers can walk you through the details and help you build a realistic application timeline.