My daughter has been accepted at both UC Maastricht and UC Groningen. She is interested in International Studies from a more cultural perspective. She loves interdisciplinary classes and intellectual debate. She’s looking forward to close student community and opportunities to travel while living in the Netherlands. Any thoughts?
One of my favorite YouTubers is Lilia Kazakova her channel is Lilylikecom she is Dutch and attended U Groningen where she studied for a Research Master in Law (LLM) & a Philosophy of a Scientific Field (BA). She just graduated from George Washington University Law School with a Philosophy of Law LLM.
Comparing Maastricht and Groningen is like comparing Nashville to New York; both are great but completely different. I don’t know how the UCs are (ranked) but overall Groningen is the better university. Both have a large variety of classes and research fields. Groningen has better student life with lots cafes and a strong student culture, although it’s harder to get in as an international student (in both cities). Both are in remote parts of the country so traveling to the big cities (R’dam, A’dam, Den Haag etc.) will take at least 2-3 h one-way by train. If her main goal is traveling Europe, go for Maastricht since it’s right on the border of Belgium, Luxemburg and an hour from Germany as well as being close to Maastricht-Aachen Airport which provides cheap European flights. Is housing included? Finding housing has become a real problem the past few years in the Netherlands. A lot of student houses don’t accept foreign roommates so finding housing from across the Atlantic can be very difficult. If either one provides housing, go with that one because your daughter will end up with bad/expensive/no housing otherwise.
Thank you for sharing your insights! How would you characterize the unique character of each university?
I did know that Groningen is an overall better ranked university, however, their UC program is newer than that at Maastricht (UCG established. 2014 vs.UCM 2002) and the UC Maastricht has regularly been recognized by Elsevier and Kreuzeguids (sp?). Would you know what areas each University College may be strongest in? Would you think that the curricular areas that the parent universities are strong indicate their UC strengths. if yes, what faculties would you say are the at each university?
She has been accepted at UC Groningen and has passed the first admission round at UC Maastricht and has to pass the interview which is scheduled via Skype this week. I’ve read that housing has become hard to find in Groningen but I had not realized that it was also very difficult to find in Maastricht. Can you explain why Dutch students do not want to share a student flat with an American? Are landlords equally reluctant to renting to American students? UC Groningen both requires and provides suite style shared dorms for first year students but housing is not assured thereafter.
I look forward to leaning more from you!!!
I haven’t visited the universities myself since I did not have any interest in attending either so I don’t know the atmosphere in class. Both are extremely international schools with some of the highest percentages of foreigners. Coincidentally, today one of my friends told me UM is really big on group work, much more than the average Dutch university so keep this in mind. Also keep in mind that the Keuzegids is on student contentment, not necessarily the highest quality of education.
In any case, the UC is a relatively new format in the Netherlands and not many Dutch people choose to take it. From what I know (one of my friends went to UC in Enschede) it is a lot like the US system in terms of classes etc. The biggest difference will probably not the quality of education (the quality is quite even in the Netherlands unlike the US, where I’m assuming you’re from) but what area is highlighted since every university likes to give its own twist/outlook on a certain field of study. You can email professors/coordinators of the UC program or a program your daughter is interested in since they will most likely know how their programs differ. In my experience they reply very swiftly, even if you are not a current student there.
Housing is a problem everywhere in the Netherlands although admittedly Groningen is one of the worst cities for it, yes. Dutch students are not keen to share their houses with internationals due to the language barrier and logistics mostly. While everyone speaks good English, students have to/are forced to communicate in English on campus due to the rapid internationalization of the Dutch university ecosystem. Thus, they like speaking in Dutch at home as this is easier because it is their first language. Some teachers speak English poorly (although always understandable) and in a lot of places, the college life, education and housing market have worsened due to the excessive admittance of international students. This is probably why they are not too keen on international students. The fact that university-organized housing is mostly given to international students (who have distance priority) does not help. Also, foreign students often do not stay for a very long time (as opposed to a Dutch student who might stay for 5+ years) and contracts have to be translated (+ Dutch bank accounts, person registration, etc.) causes extra hassle when choosing a foreign house mate, which is unnecessary when bringing a Dutch student into your home. Landlords usually have little to do with this, selection (hospiteren) is done by the current inhabitants. Usually this means applying to a housing website/Facebook message (first selection round) and then a ‘hospiteeravond’ which is like a get to know you night (second selection round). Keep in mind that there could be 50+ applicants for one room when looking for September. Not everyone is like this, of course, but be prepared the majority of rooms are advertised as ‘Dutch only’.
The above paragraph might sound like Dutch students are extremely xenophobic but this hardly the case. The problem is not international students, whom most of the student body welcome with open arms, but the system in which universities admit too many international students and leave Dutch students (a lot of whom also have to travel 2+ h from home) to fend for themselves. They are also slightly bitter because the internationalization is due to university income (non-EU students pay about 8 times as much tuition) and the universities are starting to prioritize this (for research funding) above quality education and liveable conditions for students from their own country.
We do actually like international students as long as they are social and willing to somewhat integrate. Especially the organized food culture nights are great. I personally love studying in the Netherlands and all my friends do too (I’m Dutch though so I am probably biased). Although this might not paint the fairest picture (it can be many times better, do not focus too much on these cons since there are much more pros to attending uni in the Netherlands) this does illustrate current topics of debate in the Netherlands on university education.
Thank you AnotherIntntnlKid for your very thorough and candid reply regarding challenges posed to the Dutch students as they compete with international students for university and housing spots and the mixed emotions this engenders. As Americans, our children (who commonly travel more than 2 hours from home) certainly face the many of the same challenges as our universities, both public and private, increasingly encourage student attendance from other nations and out-of-state applicants who can pay higher tuitions. In fact, the Dutch tuition is way more affordable for Americans than most colleges in the United States! Furthermore, I can certainly understand why Dutch students may want to unwind with housemates that speak their native tongue after being expected to communicate in English all day on campus. Thank you also for explaining the bureaucratic hassles international students face in securing housing. I have not checked out Facebook but I have looked at Kamernet to determine what the cost of student housing in both Groningen and Maastricht and did notice that some listings were in English and others were in Dutch and wondered if the selected language was a way to encourage international vs. Dutch applicants to apply.
While I did know that UM utilizes a Problem Based Learning curriculum model that requires more collaborative group work than a traditional more lecture based curriculum (UCG utilizes a Project Based Learning Model also requiring group collaboration)), I look forward to learning more about what distinguishes the two models. My daughter seems to be leaning towards UCG as it promotes its curriculum as being very inter/multi-disciplinary yet UCM also uses this term to describe their curriculum albeit not as frequently. Both are also recognized as Kreuzeguid top programs, so I guess students who in both are pretty happy. I look forward to learning more about what distinguishes UCM and UCG!
Out of curiosity, AnotherIntntnlKid, where are you attending university and what are you studying. Why were you not interested in either UG or UM? Thanks again!
I reckon housing prices in Groningen and Maastricht do not differ much, perhaps at 400 Euros/month. Dutch listings are probably to defer international students, yes, although if not explicitly stated, I would give it a go anyway.
I study biotechnology in Wageningen. This is the only university in the Netherlands offering this major so it was an easy choice since I did not want to go to Belgium (much more theory than practical/lab work) or Germany (my German is not proficient enough to follow the Bachelor) and I also really like the atmosphere here. Moreover, Wageningen University has excellent academics and is ranked extremely high in the Netherlands/worldwide (for life sciences and agriculture). Can’t go wrong, really. The only downside is the small-town vibe since I prefer large cities but that’s something personal.
I wasn’t interested in RUG or UM due to the distance mostly. I come from the other side of the country so it would take me several hours to go to either, not so easy to visit family/friends back home. Keep in mind that distances here seem much larger than in the States. A 5 h ride might get you from the Bay to LA but here it will get you from the Netherlands to France. The west of the country has similar excellent universities like Leiden, Utrecht, Erasmus, etc. who also offer almost all of the programs RUG or UM offer. When regarding only academics, there is not really a wrong university. Unlike in the States, the playing field is pretty even due to government funding so your daughter will get good education either way, although every university has its own specialities, of course. E.g. for law, go to Leiden/Radboud; for economics, go to Erasmus; for environmental-related majors, go to Wageningen. I simply had no need or interest to go to either RUG or UM. In the Netherlands you are usually admitted if you apply by May 1, no hassle with essays, GPAs, SATs, low acceptance rates, etc., so you usually apply to one university instead of 5-10 in the States. If you apply before May 1, the university cannot reject you.
Yes, indeed US tuition fees are crazy. Luckily we have a lot of government funding although the government abolished grants a few years ago so students are racking up debt rapidly compared to previous years. Compared to most of our fellow EU countries except GB and Ireland, tuition is actually quite expensive in the Netherlands for EU citizens.
Another Intlntnl Kid, thank you for explaining how you based you decision. Best wishes to you in your bio-tech studies at Wapinenigen University!!!
No problem, send me a message if you want to know more. Best of luck to your daughter on her decision.
Thanks for all this helpful information. My S20 is considering applying to University in the Netherlands, primarily because he heard of a friend who loved Utrecht, and because it is so much more affordable than school here in the USA. Can you recommend any sources so that we could learn more about the schools and/or process? Did you visit before applying? Thanks.
Hi, yeah, the Netherlands is a small country and I was only interested in universities relatively close to my hometown, so yeah, I did visit them all. Each uni has it’s own vibe. You have to feel at home if you are to spend the next 3-5 years there. All together I went to Leiden, Utrecht, Delft, Wageningen and Antwerp, I think. The university websites should provide a lot of info although they are not the most user-friendly ones out there. What uni’s and study programs is he considering? You could also check duo.nl, the education exec of the Netherlands. I think the application process varies per uni so checking their website is probably the best thing to do for that. Not sure how the application process works for international students but I think it is more or less the same in the States (where I am applying now for exchange) but without the thousand essays. Best of luck!