The Hague University of Applied Sciences（海牙应用科学大学）, commonly known as THUAS, is a public university of applied sciences (HBO) based in The Hague, the Netherlands. It is one of the country’s larger HBO institutions: the official About page reports almost 25,000 students from more than 125 countries, and its programmes are taught in English as well as Dutch. This guide collects what the official website (thuas.com) says about its programmes, entry requirements, tuition fees, living costs and application deadlines, as of 5 August 2026.
What kind of institution is The Hague University of Applied Sciences
The Hague University of Applied Sciences is a Dutch HBO institution, which means its degrees sit at the professional higher education level: bachelor’s programmes take three or four years and master’s programmes one to two years, with an emphasis on practice-oriented learning, internships and applied research. The university’s own story page describes a community of around 26,000 students from nearly 150 countries working across 7 research themes, with values summed up as curious, caring and connecting.
The Hague itself is part of the school’s identity. The official site calls it the International City of Peace and Justice, home to the Peace Palace, the International Court of Justice, the Binnenhof (the Dutch parliament), 115 embassies, multinationals such as Shell, Siemens and ING, and many international NGOs. For an international student, THUAS presents itself as a practice-oriented, internationally mixed learning environment rather than a traditional research university.
Programmes at The Hague University of Applied Sciences
The official programme directory lists 50 programmes overall, split between 31 full-time degree programmes and 19 part-time or work-study options. English-taught full-time bachelors include International Business (3-year and 4-year tracks), European Studies (3-year and 4-year), International and European Law, International Financial Management & Control, International Public Policy and Leadership, Industrial Design Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Process & Food Technology, Safety and Security Management Studies, Sport Studies | International Sport Management, User Experience Design, International Communication Management and Applied Computer Science (3-year fast track).
Full-time English-taught master’s programmes run one year in most cases, for example the MBA, MBA Artificial Intelligence, MBA Finance, Master of Financial Management and Control, Data Driven Business, International Communication Management, Next Level Engineering and Sustainability Transitions; the Applied Quantum Technology master is a two-year full-time programme. Several of these masters also have two-year part-time variants for working professionals, alongside post-graduate courses (such as Big Data Analyst and Business Controller) and ten-week professional modules offered through THUAS Pro.
As an example of programme structure, the four-year International Business bachelor at The Hague University of Applied Sciences is described on its programme page as 60 credits per year, with 14–18 hours of classes, 10 hours of project work and 10–12 hours of independent study per week. Year 1 is the introductory (propaedeutic) year, Year 2 deepens international business knowledge, Year 3 adds specialisation and a minor or electives, and Year 4 combines an internship with the graduation project. A 3-year fast-track version of the same programme is also offered.
Entry requirements for international students
For English-taught bachelor programmes, The Hague University of Applied Sciences distinguishes Dutch diplomas from international ones. With a Dutch HAVO, VWO or MBO-4 diploma you generally qualify for four-year bachelors; three-year (fast-track) programmes require a VWO diploma, a propaedeutic certificate from a Dutch research university, or a bachelor’s degree. International diplomas are assessed by the university’s Enrolment Office against the Dutch system, so the relevant question for most applicants is whether their high school qualification is considered equivalent to the HAVO/VWO level; applicants who fall short of the academic entry requirement for a three-year bachelor can look at the separate The Hague Pathway College foundation programme, which has September and January intakes.
English language requirements are stated per programme length. For four-year bachelors the official minimums are: IELTS Academic 6.0 overall, TOEFL iBT 80, Pearson PTE Academic 61, LanguageCert Academic 65, TOEIC 4-Skills 1200 (with at least 865 in Listening + Reading and 335 in Speaking + Writing), or Cambridge B2 First at Grade B or C. Three-year bachelors demand slightly higher component floors: IELTS Academic 6.0 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component, TOEFL iBT 80 with a minimum of 20 in each component, Pearson PTE Academic 61 with a minimum of 61 in each component, and so on. You may be exempt if your prior education was completed in English in the UK, Ireland, the United States, Canada (except Quebec), Australia, New Zealand, South Africa or Malta, or with an English-exam diploma. The Hague University of Applied Sciences also accepts the 21+ Admissions Test for applicants aged 21 or older on 1 September who do not hold a qualifying diploma, and runs an English Academic Preparation Programme for students who need to raise their English before entry.
Tuition fees and living costs at THUAS
The official tuition fee page applies to all bachelor, associate degree and state-funded master programmes at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. For the 2026-27 academic year, the statutory fee (EU/EEA nationals and certain residence-permit holders) is €2,694, and the institutional fee (everyone else) is €10,528; the 2025-26 equivalents were €2,601 and €10,164. A separate rule covers full-time English-taught master’s programmes: new students paying the institutional fee pay €14,000, while part-time English-taught masters stay at the regular €10,528. Tuition must normally be arranged by 31 August for a 1 September start or 31 January for a 1 February start, and a late start is charged proportionally at 1/12 per month.
Living costs are itemised on the budget page of the official site. Housing is the largest item, roughly €475–800 per month (shared rooms €475–600, studios and single-occupancy apartments from about €600). Other monthly estimates: groceries €190, study materials €50, public transport €70, leisure €120, clothing and shoes €70, mobile phone €20, and Dutch health insurance around €130 for EU students working in the Netherlands.
Non-EU/EEA students who need THUAS to apply for their residence permit must transfer a package fee of €26,000 before 15 June (for the 2026-27 intake). Year-one tuition, residence permit legal fees and year-one health insurance are deducted from it; the remainder, which serves as proof of sufficient financial means, is refunded after arrival once you open a Dutch bank account. The budget page’s slightly older wording estimates the living-expenses component at around €14,615 per academic year, so the two pages differ in framing — the €26,000 figure on the immigration page is the one that governs the 2026-27 application round.
How to apply and key deadlines
Applications at The Hague University of Applied Sciences run through Studielink (the national registration system) and then the university’s own Osiris system. The main application deadline for most programmes is 1 May for non-EU nationals; EU/EEA students can generally apply until 31 July (and until 15 August for master’s programmes). Most non-EU applicants must have a complete set of documents, including the language test, plus the package fee, in by 15 June. Everyone must meet the admission requirements and arrange tuition payment by 31 August to start on 1 September, which is the official start of the academic year. There is also a study choice check: most programmes invite applicants to a personal meeting from January onwards.
For non-EU/EEA students, the immigration rules matter as much as the academic ones. Nationals of Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea, the UK, the USA and Vatican City do not need an entry visa (MVV) but still need a study residence permit, which THUAS applies for on their behalf; nationals of most other countries (including China, which additionally requires a CSSD verification report) need both the permit and possibly an MVV. To keep the residence permit, you must pass at least 50% of the study workload each year — that is 30 of the 60 credits of an academic year. Non-EU students may work a maximum of 16 hours per week during study time, or full-time for seasonal work up to three months; EU/EEA students face no such limit.
Scholarships are limited but exist: the NL Scholarship pays €5,000 to non-EEA students starting a bachelor’s programme at THUAS, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science together with Dutch universities, with application rounds tied to the intake (February 2027 starters apply in the 2026 round). Beyond that, the official site points to home-country scholarships and grant databases.
Campuses and student life
The main campus of The Hague University of Applied Sciences sits at Johanna Westerdijkplein 75 in The Hague, close to Den Haag Hollands Spoor railway station, and houses more than 80 degree programmes. The Delft campus (Rotterdamseweg 137) is located on the TU Delft campus and focuses on technology, engineering and IT; the Zoetermeer campus is in the Dutch Innovation Factory (Bleiswijkseweg 37) and hosts data, AI and IT programmes. There are also a sports campus in Zuiderpark and the Poseidon building in The Hague. For first-year international students without a Dutch address, THUAS cooperates with accommodation providers and says it can help roughly half of each incoming cohort find housing.
If you are weighing whether THUAS fits your own academic background, budget and timeline, the figures above give you the official picture as of August 2026 — always re-check the programme pages, since intake details can change. For a personal assessment of your own situation, our study advisers are happy to help.