Schools & education in the Netherlands
Public school is free and excellent, but tuition and childcare economics split sharply between EU and non-EU families.
Public and international schooling
Dutch public (openbaar) and government-funded special (bijzonder) schools are free for residents, cover ages 4–18 (compulsory from 5–16, part-time compulsory to 18 without a qualification), and rank consistently well in international assessments. Instruction is in Dutch, though many schools — especially in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht — run officially recognized bilingual (tweetalig onderwijs) streams teaching up to 50% in English from age 12. For families not planning to stay long-term or wanting full English-language instruction, international schools are the alternative, but they charge real tuition: expect roughly €10,000–€25,000+/year depending on age and school, with premium options in Amsterdam and The Hague (home to many international-organization families) at the top of that range.
University tuition: EU vs non-EU
EU/EEA/Swiss students (and anyone with a qualifying Dutch residence permit) pay the government-set statutory tuition fee, set at €2,694/year for 2026–2027 for a full-time bachelor’s or master’s program at a government-funded university. Non-EU students without a qualifying residence status instead pay the university’s own institutional fee, which runs roughly €9,000–€20,000+/year for a bachelor’s degree and can exceed €25,000/year for competitive master’s programs (business, medicine) at research universities like the University of Amsterdam or TU Delft. This gap is one of the sharpest cost differences in the entire relocation decision for families with teenagers approaching university age.
Childcare and the kinderopvangtoeslag
Dutch daycare (kinderdagverblijf) is not free, but the kinderopvangtoeslag (childcare benefit) reimburses a large share of the cost for working parents, on a sliding scale by household income: up to 96% of costs for lower-income households, phasing down toward 30–50% for household incomes above roughly €110,000/year combined. The government sets a maximum hourly rate it will subsidize against — €11.23/hour for daycare in 2026 — and reimburses up to 230 hours per child per month; providers charging above that ceiling (common in Amsterdam, where real market rates often run €12–€15/hour) leave you paying the difference out of pocket. Both parents (or the single parent) generally need to be working, studying, or in an integration program to qualify.
| Combined household income | Reimbursement rate |
|---|---|
| Up to ~€56,000 | Up to 96% |
| ~€56,000–€85,000 | ~75–85% |
| ~€85,000–€110,000 | ~50–65% |
| €110,000+ | ~30–50% |
Popular international and bilingual schools in Amsterdam and The Hague have long waitlists — apply the moment you have a signed job offer, not after you land, or you may end up commuting your child to a school outside your target neighborhood for the first year.
Dutch public schools are free and strong, but non-Dutch-speaking families in the big cities often pay €15,000–25,000/year for international or bilingual schooling, and university costs diverge dramatically depending on whether your child qualifies for EU statutory tuition.
Sources & how current this is
Dutch immigration salary thresholds, the 30% ruling percentage, and rent-regulation rules are revised at least once a year (often on 1 January and 1 July) — treat the figures below as a strong 2026 baseline and confirm exact numbers on ind.nl and belastingdienst.nl before you sign anything.