Dual Study Programs in Europe: Countries Where You Can Work and Study Simultaneously
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Jul 11, 2025 • Education Planning, Study in Europe
Several European countries let you combine paid work with a degree, though the models differ in structure, pay, and who counts as eligible. Germany's duales Studium, France's alternance, the Netherlands' duaal programs, and the UK's degree apprenticeships are the four most established routes.
🇩🇪 Germany: the company pays a training wage for the full degree, apply to the company first
🇫🇷 France: an apprenticeship contract funds tuition and pays a percentage of minimum wage
🇳🇱 Netherlands: part time paid work built into a hogeschool degree
🇬🇧 UK: degree apprenticeships combine a full Bachelor's with no tuition fee for the student
What counts as a dual or work-study program
A dual study program combines a recognized degree with structured paid work at an employer, run under one combined enrolment rather than as a separate internship added onto a normal degree. Work-based higher education routes like these exist across several EU member states, since demand for graduates who already have work experience keeps growing among employers.
The four most established national models sit in Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, though each country structures pay, contract length, and eligibility differently.
Germany: duales Studium
Germany runs the most developed system, with dual-study places attached to a specific company from day one. You apply directly to a company, sign a training contract, and alternate between company work blocks and study blocks at a partner university or Duale Hochschule. The company pays you a training wage for the full length of the degree, and many programs combine the Bachelor's with a parallel vocational qualification.
France: alternance contracts
France runs work-study degrees through two contract types, contrat d'apprentissage and contrat de professionnalisation, known together as alternance. Your employer pays a percentage of the legal minimum wage that rises with your age and year of study, and the employer or a training fund covers your course fees directly, so you do not pay tuition out of pocket. Alternance places exist at business schools, engineering schools, and public universities, covering fields from commerce to IT to engineering.
Netherlands: duaal onderwijs
Dutch universities of applied sciences (hogescholen) offer duaal tracks where you hold a part time employment contract in your field alongside your coursework, spending part of the week at your employer and part at the institution. Pay and hours depend on the individual employer agreement, and duaal programs run in fields such as engineering, health care, and business.
United Kingdom: degree apprenticeships
UK degree apprenticeships combine a full Bachelor's or Master's with employment from the start, funded through the employer's apprenticeship levy contribution, so you pay no tuition fee and earn a salary while you study. You apply directly to an employer's apprenticeship vacancy, and the employer partners with a university to deliver the academic side, similar in structure to Germany's model but administered through the UK apprenticeship funding system rather than a training-wage contract.
Austria and other emerging models
Austria runs a smaller number of duales Studium programs modeled closely on Germany's system, mainly through Fachhochschulen that partner with regional employers. Several other European countries are expanding work-based higher education under national skills strategies, though provision outside Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the UK stays limited, and program numbers change from year to year, so check national program databases directly for the country you are targeting.
Eligibility if you are not an EU citizen
If you hold EU or EEA citizenship, you can take up any of these four programs without a separate work permit, since free movement rules cover both the study and the employment side. If you are a non-EU citizen, each country runs its own visa route for combined study and work, and the employer contract is normally a required part of the application, since it proves both income and a fixed program end date.
Contact the specific employer or program coordinator about visa sponsorship before you apply, since not every company or apprenticeship scheme accepts international candidates, and rules on this change by country and by sector.
Comparing the four models
| Country | Program name | Who pays tuition | Application route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Duales Studium | Company covers most or all fees | Apply to company first |
| France | Alternance | Employer or training fund | Apply to school and employer together |
| Netherlands | Duaal onderwijs | Standard tuition, employer pays wage | Apply to hogeschool, arrange employer separately |
| United Kingdom | Degree apprenticeship | Employer levy, no fee to you | Apply to employer vacancy |
Which route to pick
Pick Germany's or the UK's model if you want the clearest financial setup, since both tie tuition costs directly to the employer and pay you throughout. Pick France's alternance if you want access at a wide range of institution types, from vocational schools to business schools. Pick the Netherlands if you already have a target employer willing to build a part time contract around your studies.
Check the language requirement for each country before you apply, since work blocks in Germany, France, and the Netherlands run mostly in the national language, while UK degree apprenticeships run in English.