Find out about the qualifications and language requirements you need to enrol on your chosen degree at THUAS.

Entry requirements for each programme

You may need particular subjects in your high school or pre-university results, depending on your chosen degree. Part-time degrees (all taught in Dutch) might also ask for relevant work experience. Find out more about our programmes.

Do you have a Dutch diploma?

Do you wish to enrol for our four-year bachelor’s programmes? In general, you need to have a Dutch senior general secondary education (HAVO), pre-university education (VWO), vocational education (MBO-4) diploma.

For our three-year degree programmes you need a VWO-diploma, a propaedeutic certificate from a Dutch research university or a bachelor’s degree. A propaedeutic certificate from a Dutch university of applied sciences may also qualify you for admission, if this was the same (CROHO) programme or a related programme and if it was obtained within one year with a minimum GPA of 7.

HAVO or VWO diplomas from Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatius or St. Maarten are treated as Dutch diplomas. In most cases this also applies to vocational education diploma’s (if at MBO-4 level), with the exception of diplomas issued by EPI on Aruba. 

Please also check our programmes for specific information on mandatory subjects.

If you want to apply with your Dutch HAVO or MBO-4 for a 3-year programme taught in English, you must also meet the English language requirement after passing the 21+ Admissions Test.

This can be done with a:

  • VWO certificate for English with a pass;
  • IELTS academic, TOEFL iBT, TOEIC or Cambridge certificate (you can find the minimum scores per test on the bottom of this page)

Do you have an international/non-Dutch diploma?

Our Enrolment Office will decide how your international diploma compares to a Dutch diploma. Be sure to check if your diploma is mentioned in the International Admission Leaflet if you want to find out which programmes you could consider. Please note that we cannot give admission statements via email – we will always need you to submit an enrolment request via Studielink. You must also be proficient in the English language if the programme is taught in English, or in Dutch if the programme is taught in Dutch.

Language requirements 

English language requirements

To enrol on a degree taught in English you must have sufficient command of the language. The Hague University of Applied Sciences only accepts the following language tests:

  • ELTS Academic. We do not accept IELTS online tests results. 
    Additionally, IELTS retakes are not accepted as well.
  • TOEFL iBT (not the ITP). We only accept single test day results
    Note: We do not accept any language test home editions
  • TOEIC 
  • Cambridge English B2 First (FCE) / C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE)

The test date may not be older than two years on 1 September 2025. Language tests must be taken at a test centre.

Requirements for a 4-year bachelor programme

•European Studies (4 years)
•International Business (4 years)
•International Financial Management and Control (4 years)
•International Public Management
•International and European Law
•Process and Food Technology (4 years)
•Safety and Security Management Studies

The minimum language test results are:
•IELTS Academic: a minimum score of 6.0 overall
•TOEFL internet based test: a minimum score of 80 in Writing, Speaking, Listening and Reading Components
TOEIC: a minimum score of 865 (listening and reading), a minimum score of 335 (speaking and writing) and a total score of 1200 
•Cambridge English: a minimum overall score of 169 in Reading, Use of English, Writing, Listening, and Speaking components (grade A, B or C) with a minimum of 169 for each sub score.

Requirements for a 3-year bachelor programme and the master programme Next Level Engineering

•European Studies (3 years)
•International Business (3 years)
•International Communication Management
•Industrial Design Engineering
•International Financial Management and Control (3 years)
•International Sport Management
•Process and Food Technology (3 years)
•User Experience Design

The minimum language test results are:
•IELTS Academic: a minimum of 6.0 overall and minimum of 6.0 for each sub score
•TOEFL internet based test: a minimum score of 80 and 20 for each sub score in Writing, Speaking, Listening and Reading Components
TOEIC: a minimum score of 865 for listening and reading, a minimum score of 335 for speaking and writing and a total score of 1200 
•Cambridge English: : a minimum overall score of 169 in Reading, Use of English, Writing, Listening, and Speaking components (grade A, B or C) with a minimum of 169 for each sub score.

Please ask your TOEFL test centre to let us know your scores. Our institution code is 7042.

You won’t need to prove your command of the English language if you’ve been educated in the UK, Ireland, United States, Canada (except for Quebec), Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, or Malta and if you have one of these diplomas with English as an exam subject.

If you completed your prior education in a country other than those listed above, or your diploma is not mentioned in the list mentioned above, you might still qualify for an exemption. For example, if you have an American or International High School Diploma or a European (L1 or L2 level) or International Baccalaureate. Please note that if your diploma was issued within one of these education systems, but schooling took place in a non-English speaking country, we reserve the right to ask you to submit a language test. 


Note: If you apply for a 3-year bachelor programme and the level of your foreign diploma is equivalent to the Dutch HAVO or MBO-4 level, you will also need to fulfil the language test requirement for the 3-year bachelor programme. Below you will find the minimum scores per test.

Dutch language requirements

If you’re enrolling on a Dutch-taught programme with your foreign diploma, you’ll need to show us that your Dutch is up to scratch. Take the Dutch as a Second Language, Programme II (NT2-II) state exam, which includes reading, speaking, writing and listening.

THUAS also accepts CNaVT certificates ‘Educatief startbekwaam’ en ‘Educatief professioneel’. The CNaVT certificate may not be older than 2 years on 1 September 2025. More information can be found on the CNaVT website.

Options if you don’t qualify for direct admission 

English Academic Preparation Programme
Need help with your English? If you haven’t quite reached the right level of English for your chosen Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programme, you can enrol for the English Academic Preparation Programme. After the successful completion of this programme, you’ll be ready to start your degree at THUAS and you will already have a good taste of studying and living in The Hague.

The Hague Pathway College
If you’d like to apply for a 3-year bachelor programme but don’t meet the academic entry requirements, you might be interested in joining The Hague Pathway College. This foundation programme has two intakes, one in September and one in January. It offers you the chance to bring your academic level up to the required level and work on your English at an academic level at the same time. Please check www.thehaguepathway.nl for more information 

Don’t have the right exam subjects?

Unfortunately, options to make up for a lacking mandatory subject are limited. We do accept some certificates, but most of these can only be obtained after sitting an exam in the Netherlands. 

Beta subjects by Boswell Beta or CCVX

The subjects Physics, Math, Chemistry and Biology can be taken at HAVO or VWO level via Boswell Beta. The subjects Physics, Math, Chemistry and Biology can be taken at HAVO or VWO level via CCVX

Please check on which level you need to make up these mandatory subject(s). Whether you need Mathematics A or B depends on the chosen programme. You need to take this exam in the same language as the programme you have applied for.

21 or older and no diploma that grants access?

If you’re 21 or older 1 September 2025 but don’t have a diploma or a qualification that meets the entry requirements, you can take the 21+ Admissions Test. The 21+ Admissions Test will be offered on several dates between January and August 2025 and consists of a general capacity test. More information on the 21+ Admissions Test can be found here.

Please note that you can only participate if you have an EU/EEA nationality or residence permit for the Netherlands that is valid on the test date. If you’re sitting the 21+ Admissions Test in the summer months, please check that you haven’t missed the general deadlines for application with THUAS.

Dates and location

The 21+ Admissions Test of The Hague University of Applied Sciences is offered every year between March and August. During this period you may only sit the 21+ Admissions Test once. There is no possibility or right to resit. 

For September 2025 enrolments, you can take the test on the following dates: 

  • Wednesday December 11th 2024
  • Wednesday January 22nd 2025
  • March 2025 (the exact date will follow)
  • May 2025 (the exact date will follow)
  • July 2025 (the exact date will follow)
  • August 2025 (the exact date will follow)
Apply and costs

First submit your enrolment request for a bachelor's programme via Studielink. You will automatically receive an e-mail about the 21+ Admissions Test that includes a link to the registration form.

Participation costs € 100 and payment must be completed at the time of registration via iDEAL or Creditcard.

If you have not received this e-mail about the 21+ Admissions Test, please inform team Special Admission immediately on bit@hhs.nl so we can send you this information manually. 

Asylum status holder and/or adapted facilities?

If you are an asylum status holder and/or do you need adapted facilities during the exam? Please read in the brochure what THUAS can do for you. 

 

The exam

The exam is a digital aptitude test, which consist of 8 sub-tests. This exam will measure your intellectual capacities to determine whether you generally have the required level for a higher vocational education. To give you an impression of the type of questions you can expect, look in this practice environment. You will sit the 21+ admissions test in the language of the course you want to follow, in Dutch or in English. 

Find out more about entry requirements

Any questions about admissions, entry exams and language requirements? Check out our FAQs, or contact the Enrolment Office.

Please note: All admissions to degree programmes at THUAS are at the Enrolment Office’s discretion. And their decision is the one that counts. No rights may be derived from information obtained through any other source.