study in Amsterdam
The Netherlands' most international city, with two strong research universities — and a student housing shortage that universities themselves warn admitted students about.
Amsterdam is the easiest European city on this site to arrive in without the local language. English is functionally universal, the international population is enormous, and both universities teach extensively in English at master's level.
The city is compact and organised around cycling, which makes daily transport nearly free once you own a bicycle. Its academic strengths are business, economics, law, the humanities and social sciences, with medicine at the VU.
The housing situation is the reason to read carefully rather than enthusiastically. Amsterdam gained thousands of international students in recent years while adding a fraction of that in student rooms, and the universities are explicit that they cannot house everyone who is admitted.
Two research universities and a large university of applied sciences, all teaching substantially in English.
University of Amsterdam (UvA)
The largest Dutch university; economics, business, law, humanities, communication and data science.Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)
Medicine, health sciences, earth sciences, business and theology, on a single southern campus.Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Applied and professional; business, engineering, health and digital media.Amsterdam is the most expensive Dutch city, driven almost entirely by rent. Tuition at the public universities is set nationally by category and is far below the UK or Australia, so housing is the variable that actually decides your budget.
Against the other cities we cover in the Netherlands, Amsterdam is one of the more expensive. That is our reading of this country’s own spread, not a published index.
The living costs your university applies for the residence permit are roughly €1,100–1,300 a month of living costs.
The practical texture of the place — what a week actually looks like.
Climate
Mild, wet and windy. Grey winters with short days, cool summers. Rarely extreme in either direction.
Getting around
Cycling, above all — the city is built for it, and a second-hand bicycle is the single best purchase you will make. Trams and metro on an OV-chipkaart beyond that.
Housing
The hardest in the Netherlands. Apply for university housing the moment you are admitted, and treat a confirmed room as a precondition for accepting.
Working
Non-EU students may work limited hours with a work permit their employer arranges, or full-time during June, July and August. Confirm the current limits with your university.
Language
You can study, work and live here in English more easily than almost anywhere in Europe. Dutch still helps for part-time work.
Scams
Housing scarcity has produced widespread rental fraud aimed at international students. Never transfer money for a room nobody you trust has seen.
The University of Amsterdam states that it cannot guarantee housing for incoming international students, and advises applicants to weigh the housing situation before committing to study here.
This is the university's own advice, not our caution. Act on it in a specific order: apply for university-brokered housing the day your admission is confirmed; if you do not get it, secure a private room in writing before you accept the offer; and if neither is possible, look seriously at Rotterdam or Eindhoven, where the same degree quality comes with a survivable rental market.
Amsterdam is one of 3 cities we cover in the Netherlands. Tap any pin to compare — the city you pick moves your total cost more than almost any other choice you make.