Betalen bij Tilburg University

Tuition fees and payment

On this page, we explain the three main rates and the exceptions to the rates.

Statutory rate: EU/EEA nationality without a Dutch degree

Every year, the Minister of Education determines the tuition fees for full-time and part-time programs in higher education.

All students with a EU or EEA* nationality are required to pay these fees, referred to as the statutory fees:

  • Statutory fee 2022-23: € 2,209
  • Statutory fee 2023-24: €2,314

Students who pay the statutory fee and start a Bachelor's program in higher education for the first time in September 2023 will pay € 1,157 for the first twelve consecutive months. This also goes for teacher education program students.

This fee applies to all institutes of higher education throughout the Netherlands and is a one-off payment, regardless of the number of programs or courses you take or the institution where you take them. This applies for as long as you do not yet have a Dutch degree**.

*EU or EEA

Students with a nationality of an EU or EEA nationality (European Economic Area) are entiteld to Dutch study finance. See study finance DUO.

Students who are not citizens of a EU or EEA country are put on a par with students of an EEA country, if they meet the nationality requirements of the Dutch Student Finance Act 2000 (Wet studiefinanciering 2000). Check if you meet the eligibility requirements in terms of nationality.

If you are entitled to student finance (DUO), you are allowed to pay the statutory fee.

If you are entitled to student finance, but won’t get it because you are older than 30 years, you still pay the statutory fee (unless you already have a Dutch degree).

**Dutch degree

Having a Dutch degree means having passed the last examination of the study program.  This means that even if you have completed all course units, but have not yet received a diploma, you will still meet the criterion 'diploma or degree obtained'.

More information

Institutional rate: Non-EU/EEA nationality or already Dutch degree*

The fees for non-EU/EEA nationals** are determined by the institutes (universities) themselves. These fees are referred to as the institutional fees. If you pay the institutional fees, you will be required to pay these fees for each program in which you register.

EU/EEA students also have to pay the institutional fees for a Bachelor’s program if they already have a Dutch Bachelor’s diploma* and for a Master’s program if they already have a Dutch Master’s diploma*.

The rates may be different per program, especially if you are granted a waiver. 

The main institutional rates are:

  • Bachelor's program: €9,100 in 2023-24
  • Master's program: €15,100 in 2023-24

*Diploma or Dutch degree

Having a diploma or Dutch degree means having passed the last examination of the study program.  This means that even if you have completed all course units, but have not yet received a diploma, you will still meet the criterion 'diploma obtained'.

**non-EU/EEA or EU/EEA?

Students who are not citizens of a EU or EEA (European Economic Area) country are put on a par with students of an EEA country, if they meet the nationality requirements of the Dutch Student Finance Act 2000 (Wet studiefinanciering 2000). Check if you meet the eligibility requirements in terms of nationality.

If you are entitled to student finance (DUO), you are allowed to pay the statutory fee.

If you are entitled to student finance, but won’t get it because you are older than 30 years, you still pay the statutory fee (unless you already have a Dutch degree).

More information

Weighted fees: pre-Master’s program

Pre-Master's students follow a bridging program and do not pay tuition fees for this, but pay a weighted fee per course per academic year for the specific program determined by the Examination Board. The total amount therefore depends on the size of the program. If the program is not completed within one year, the student will pay a weighted fee for the remaining courses of the program (determined by the Examination Board) in the following academic year.

The weighted fee is a proportional part of the statutory fee (€ 231 for 6 ec in 2023-24). The maximum weighted fee for a pre-Master’s program is as much as the statutory fee: € 2,314 in 2023-24. 

A student who is enrolled in a pre-Master’s program may not follow subjects other than those determined by the Examination Board. If you still want to take other courses, you have to register as a contract student and for that, you also pay a fee per course. In that case, you pay the same amount as the pre-Master for courses as a contract student, plus an administration fee of €50.

Because you will be enrolled in a bachelor program as a pre-Master student, you will continue to be entitled to study finance from DUO (if you are entitled to it). See study finance.

NOTE: In the event of early deregistration (before the end of the program), a pre-Master's student will NOT receive a refund of (a part of) the weighted fee.

More information

Want to know your tuition fee?

  • In a few questions, find the right amount for your situation
  • Rates for 2023 - 2024
Use the Tuition Fee Roadmap

Frequently Asked Questions on Tuition Fees

Exception Ukrainian students

Students of Ukrainian nationality, first enrolled at Tilburg University in 2022-2023, pay an institutional fee equal to the statutory rate. This applies to the duration of 1 Bachelor's (3 year) and and 1 Master's program (1 or 2 year), with a maximum of 1 run-out year over the total period. 

See also Information and support Ukraine.

New students from Ukraine (starting September 2023 and later) pay the institutional fee for non-EEA students, see the tables of fees for Bachelor's programs and Master's programs.

Why do different tuition fees exist and what are they based upon?

The Dutch Higher Education and Research Act (Wet op het Hoger Onderwijs en Wetenschappelijk onderzoek) stipulates that a student enrolled in an initial graduate program has to pay either the statutory tuition fees or the institutional fees. Most students will pay the statutory fees set by the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science.

Students who enroll in a second BA or MA program – having finished their first BA or MA program – and students from outside the European Economic Area have to pay the institutional tuition fees. These fees are set by the University’s Executive Board after consultation with the University Council.

In principle, Tilburg University’s institutional fees are based on the total costs for initial / first degree BA and MA programs. Marketing considerations may lead some programs to set a different fee. In addition, Schools can offer a waiver (discount) to potentially promising students. The institutional fees cannot be lower than the statutory fees. The income position of students is not taken into account when setting the institutional fees or waiver. There are various organizations and institutions that provide grants to students.

Students who enroll in a pre-Master’s program, pay a weighted fee, depending on the size of their program in credits (see also above under 'weighted fees').

After obtaining their MA degree, students receive Tilburg University knowledge vouchers. These vouchers give graduates the right to take courses from the regular curriculum for free up to five years after graduation to a maximum of 12 EC.

Will my tuition fees be refunded when I de-enroll?

Bachelor or (Research) Master's students

If you terminate your enrollment via Studielink during the academic year, you are entitled to a refund for any remaining tuition fees that you already paid. If you are enrolled in several programs, you will only receive a refund if you terminate your enrollment in all programs.

If your de-enrollment date is July 1, or August 1, then you are not entitled to a refund. In this case, you may remain enrolled in the program, giving you the added advantage of remaining registered as a student with all associated entitlements such as a student travel pass. From the beginning of July, you can indicate that you do not wish to re-enroll for the next academic year.

Please note!  You are only deregistered from the first day of the month following your termination. So if you terminate your enrollment in Studielink on May 31, you will be deregistered on June 1 and you will no longer pay tuition fees for June, July and August -or you will get a refund if you had already paid.

If you terminate your enrollment in Studielink on June 1, you won't be deregistered until July 1 and you'll pay tuition through August (and get no refund).

Pre-Master's students

Pre-Master's student do not get a refund due to the fact that the weighted fee is not considered to be tuition by Dutch Law. Therefore, different rules apply.

What are the consequences of Brexit?

The United Kingdom left the EEA and the transition period ended on December 31, 2020. British nationals living in the Netherlands on or before this date fall under the withdrawal agreement, which means that their entitlement to pay the statutory tuition fee did not change (see government website).  Current British students whom nevertheless lose their entitlement to pay the statutory tuition fee due to Brexit can appeal to a transitional provision from Tilburg University.

Current students in this situation refers to British students registered at Tilburg University in the academic year 2020-2021 and started before December 31, 2020. These students will be entitled to pay an institutional tuition fee equal to the statutory tuition fee for the remainder of the nominal curriculum. Of course, this provision will only apply as far as possible within the applicable Dutch laws and regulations.

See also FAQ UK Citizens living in  the Netherlands.

For an overview of what you need to do to arrange your residency, for living and studying in the Netherlands after Brexit, go to: Living in the Netherlands after Brexit.

What fee applies for 2023-24 if I enroll in two programs?

You can find the tuition fee rules for multiple enrollments in article 16 of the Registration and Tuition Fee Regulations.

In brief:

  1. Enrollment for bachelor and master: if you are eligible for the statutory fee, you pay only once €2,314 for 2023-24. If you have to pay the institutional fee (e.g. non-EEA students), you pay the specified fee per program for the bachelor and master.
  2. Enrollment for pre-Master and master: you only pay the tuition fee for the master, see article 10.2, if you pay statutory rate. If you pay institutional rate, you pay both the pre-Master weighted fee and the master fee.
  3. If you are enrolling in multiple programs at different institutions (e.g., hbo bachelor and wo bachelor or pre-Master), pay at one institution and request a Proof of Tuition fee payment (BBC) there, which will allow you to be enrolled at the other institution.
Am I still entitled to DUO study finance because I am not paying tuition fees as a pre-Master's student?

Because you are enrolled as a pre-Master 's student in a bachelor program, you remain entitled to study financing from DUO, insofar as your rights have not yet been used up during previous enrolments in higher education.

You inform DUO of the Bachelor's program in which you will be enrolled as a new student.

This only applies to EU/EEA students who are entiteld to Dutch study finance. (For non European students, your eligibility depends on your residence permit, see eligibility)