Holders of a high school diploma who wish to enter a university in the Netherlands

The language of degree programmes is Dutch, but for the international programmes and courses it is absolutely essential that students speak, read and write English well. Students must have passed an English language test. TOEFL is commonly accepted, but some institutions may also accept IELTS. The required scores are at least 500-550 for TOEFL or 5.5-6.0 for IELTS.

The Netherlands has two main types of regular higher education: higher professional education and university education. The universities train students for the independent practice of science. The universities of professional education, known in Dutch as hogescholen, are more practically oriented; they prepare students directly for careers. The Netherlands also has International Education Institutes that have traditionally offered programmes designed especially for foreign students.

It requires three years of full-time study to complete the bacheleor's degree awarded by a university. The emphasis in most cases is on academic subjects.

Interested students should directly contact the university of their choice concerning admission. A list of universities in the Netherlands as well as the courses offered by them, can be found at the following website:  www.nuffic.nl.

The Netherlands Fellowship Programme

The Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP) are demand-oriented fellowship programmes designed to foster institutional development. The NFP is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the budget of development cooperation. The NFP target group consists of mid-career professionals who are already in employment and who are nationals of 56 selected countries, among which Iran.

Although fellowships are awarded to individuals, the need for training must occur within the context of the local organization for which the applicant works. The training must help the development of the organization. This means that applicants must be nominated by their employers. In fact, an applicant without the support of an employer will not be considered.

For professionals from organizations in developing countries, the NFP offers the following options:

• fellowships for master's degree programmes
• fellowships for Ph.D. studies
• fellowships for short courses
• tailor-made training
• refresher courses

More information and the appropriate fellowship application forms are available at the NUFFIC website  www.nuffic.nl. General information on studying in the Netherlands is available at  www.studyin.nl and for those who want to study in the Netherlands and are looking for financial aid, visit  www.grantfinder.nl.

For further more specialized questions you can contact the Netherlands Embassy.