How Much Non-EU Tuition Actually Costs Canadian Students at Dutch Universities
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 19, 2026 • Money & Budgeting, Canadian Universities & Colleges, Canadians Studying Abroad
Canadian students pay Dutch institutional tuition, not the EEA statutory rate. For 2025-26 the statutory fee is 2,601 euros a year, but non-EEA students at Erasmus University Rotterdam pay 11,400 to 30,900 euros for a bachelor's and 19,950 to 33,200 euros for a master's, depending on the faculty.
| Fee type | 2025-26 amount | Who pays it |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory fee | 2,601 euros/year | EEA, Swiss, Surinamese nationals |
| Institutional bachelor's | 11,400-30,900 euros/year | Non-EEA, including Canadians |
| Institutional master's | 19,950-33,200 euros/year | Non-EEA, including Canadians |
Two tuition systems, and Canadians pay the higher one
Dutch public universities run two separate tuition tracks. The statutory fee is set nationally and applies only to students with EEA, Swiss or Surinamese nationality. For the 2025-26 academic year that statutory fee is 2,601 euros, according to Erasmus University Rotterdam .
As a Canadian, you do not qualify for the statutory rate. You pay the institutional fee instead, which each university sets on its own and which varies by faculty and degree level. This is the number that actually shapes your budget, and it is several times higher than the statutory rate.
What institutional tuition looks like at one university
Erasmus University Rotterdam publishes a detailed institutional fee schedule for non-EEA students that shows how much the amount swings by faculty, even within the same institution. For the 2025-26 year, bachelor's programs in social sciences, philosophy, health policy and management, law, and economics cost 11,400 euros a year. The Rotterdam School of Management bachelor's costs 12,700 euros, and Erasmus Medical Center's bachelor's program costs 30,900 euros, according to Erasmus University Rotterdam .
Master's programs cost more across the board. Most Erasmus faculties charge 19,950 euros for a non-EEA master's, the business school charges 24,600 euros, and the medical school charges 33,200 euros for the same academic year.
Why your quote will differ by university and city
Every Dutch university sets its own institutional rates, so the same degree can cost a different amount depending on where you study. Nuffic, the Dutch government's international education agency, and individual university tuition pages are the two places to get a binding number for your specific program rather than relying on an average.
Broader market ranges you will see quoted put non-EEA bachelor's tuition roughly between 9,000 and 20,000 euros a year and non-EEA master's tuition roughly between 12,000 and 30,000 euros a year across Dutch institutions, though these ranges shift year to year and program to program. Treat any range as a starting estimate only, and pull the exact figure from the university's own tuition fee page for the intake year you plan to start.
Budgeting around institutional tuition
Because institutional fees run well above the statutory rate, factor tuition into your study permit financial planning early. Dutch universities publish their non-EEA institutional fee tables on their own admissions or registration pages, usually alongside the academic year the rate applies to, so check the specific year before you commit.
Tuition also tends to rise year over year, so a rate you see for entry in one academic year is not guaranteed to hold for your second or third year of study. Ask your chosen university directly whether it fixes your rate at entry or adjusts it annually for continuing students.