Studielink Walkthrough: Applying to Dutch Universities Step by Step
By Muntasir • Published Jan 28, 2025 • Education Planning, Study in Europe, Admissions & Applications
Studielink is the Dutch government portal where you create one enrollment request that routes to your chosen university. Numerus fixus (limited-place) programs close around mid-January, most other bachelor's and master's programs stay open until around May 1 for non-EU applicants.
📩 Create your Studielink account online, use DigiD if you have a Dutch address, ID upload if you don't.
⏱️ Numerus fixus deadline: around mid-January. Regular programs: around May 1 for most non-EU applicants.
🎓 After Studielink, the university takes over with its own portal for documents and selection.
Numerus fixus programs run decentrale selectie, a separate test, motivation task, or interview.
What Studielink is for
Studielink is the national registration system every Dutch university and university of applied sciences uses for enrollment. You do not apply to a specific university through Studielink alone. You submit an enrollment request that Studielink routes to your chosen institution, and the institution takes over the rest of the admission process on its own portal.
Step 1: create your account
Go to Studielink and register with your name, date of birth, and contact details. If you have an official Dutch home address, log in with DigiD. If you live outside the Netherlands and have no DigiD, verify your identity by uploading a scan or photo of your passport instead. Apply for DigiD at least a month before your deadline if you expect to need one, activation takes about five days once approved.
Step 2: add an enrollment request
Search for your program by name or institution, select the correct academic year and start date, and submit your enrollment request. Registering does not commit you financially, but processing can take up to 48 hours, so submit at least two days before any deadline that applies to you.
Step 3: know your deadline type
| Program type | Typical deadline | Selection method |
|---|---|---|
| Numerus fixus (limited places) | Around mid-January | Decentrale selectie: test, motivation task, or interview, results after mid-April |
| Regular bachelor's/master's, non-EU applicant | Around May 1 | Direct admission once entry requirements are met |
Numerus fixus programs cap the number of places and use decentrale selectie, a selection procedure each institution designs itself (Erasmus University Rotterdam ). Universities publish exact numerus fixus dates for each cycle, so confirm the current year's date on the program page rather than assume mid-January every time (Tilburg University ).
Step 4: the university takes over
Once your enrollment request reaches the institution, most universities move you to their own applicant portal for the remaining steps: uploading transcripts and diplomas, English test scores, motivation letters, and reference documents. Nuffic, the Dutch organization for internationalization in education, evaluates whether your foreign diploma matches Dutch entry standards where the university requests this.
Step 5: finish enrollment
After the university confirms admission, you return to Studielink to complete enrollment: confirm your details and arrange tuition fee payment. Dutch institutions typically sponsor the residence permit application for admitted non-EU students, so check with your university's international office about the visa process once you accept your place.
Before you start: check entry requirements
Confirm your diploma meets the program's minimum entry requirements before you register in Studielink. Universities publish a country-specific list showing which foreign diplomas match Dutch pre-university (VWO) level, and some programs need a foundation year or extra subject certificates if your diploma falls short.
Costs
Studielink itself is free to use. You pay statutory tuition fees only after you accept an offer and enroll, EU/EEA students pay the government-set statutory rate while non-EU/EEA students usually pay a higher institutional rate each university sets individually.
Programs that need extra tests
Beyond the standard document upload, some programs add their own entry test regardless of whether they use numerus fixus. Art, design, and some business programs run portfolio reviews or motivation interviews as part of the university-side process after Studielink, not before it. Check your specific program page for these extra steps so you don't miss a deadline that falls outside Studielink itself.
If your first choice doesn't work out
You can submit more than one enrollment request in Studielink if you are still deciding between programs, though most students only use this to compare options rather than confirm two full enrollments. If a numerus fixus program declines you, you still have time before the May deadline to switch to a regular, non-limited program elsewhere.
Switching or ending your enrollment
Studielink also handles the reverse process. If you want to switch programs, defer your start, or withdraw entirely, you manage all of that through the same account rather than contacting the university separately for basic registration changes.
Common mistakes to avoid
Missing the numerus fixus deadline. It falls months earlier than the regular deadline, and institutions do not accept late decentrale selectie registrations.
Waiting to request DigiD or ID verification until the deadline week.
Assuming Studielink registration equals admission. It only creates the request, the university evaluates you separately.
Forgetting that some programs need both a Studielink request and a parallel application directly on the university's own site.