Attending University as Spouse

[DreamStudent33]

Hello and thanks for your time.

I am married to an EU National as of January this year. I have permission to live here in Italy due to our marriage.
My hope is to attend university in the Netherlands by this time next year as we will be moving to the Netherlands soon.

We have read that I should be granted the same rate of tuition as an EU National according to EU law. I was wondering if anyone could tell me more about this?

Thank you so much. It’s my dream to attend university at an affordable rate and design a future I can be proud of.

[Zerubbabel]

Hello

I recommend you contact the university.

Your EEA card issued in Italy doesn't allow you to study in other EU countries. You need a local EEA cards.

For the fees, usually the rule is that the conditions cannot be worse that for a national. But even for nationals, some countries have restrictions such as being in the country for a certain time before being eligible for the local price.

[DreamStudent33]

Yes. Ok. That makes sense. Hopefully we will move to the Netherlands soon so I can obtain the correct EEA card. Thank you for your reply.

[ALKB]

Yes. Ok. That makes sense. Hopefully we will move to the Netherlands soon so I can obtain the correct EEA card. Thank you for your reply.

Is your spouse a Dutch citizen or do they hold a different EU nationality?

[DreamStudent33]

He is not a Dutch citizen but we will be moving to the Netherlands for his career.

[ALKB]

He is not a Dutch citizen but we will be moving to the Netherlands for his career.

Excellent, should be easy for you to get a residence card in the Netherlands, then.

Do contact your prospective university regarding fees - you may qualify for a 50% reduction in fees for the first year if you haven't studied before, for instance.

Generally, there also seems to be an age factor under/over 30 years, but I haven't looked through all the angles there.

[DreamStudent33]

He is not a Dutch citizen but we will be moving to the Netherlands for his career.

Excellent, should be easy for you to get a residence card in the Netherlands, then.

Do contact your prospective university regarding fees - you may qualify for a 50% reduction in fees for the first year if you haven't studied before, for instance.

Generally, there also seems to be an age factor under/over 30 years, but I haven't looked through all the angles there.

Ok I will speak with the University about this matter soon.

Could you explain more about the age factor? I am over 30 years old. How does this play into the tuition fees?

Also you have mentioned 50% reduction in fees, only for the first year? I have attended university in the USA for more than 2 years.

[ALKB]

He is not a Dutch citizen but we will be moving to the Netherlands for his career.

Excellent, should be easy for you to get a residence card in the Netherlands, then.

Do contact your prospective university regarding fees - you may qualify for a 50% reduction in fees for the first year if you haven't studied before, for instance.

Generally, there also seems to be an age factor under/over 30 years, but I haven't looked through all the angles there.

Ok I will speak with the University about this matter soon.

Could you explain more about the age factor? I am over 30 years old. How does this play into the tuition fees?

Also you have mentioned 50% reduction in fees, only for the first year? I have attended university in the USA for more than 2 years.

That's why you should contact the university. One of the sources I found just says 'who hasn't studied before' another says 'who has not completed a degree program in the Netherlands' it also says it's for Dutch and EU students and I understand you should also fall into that category but you really need specialised advice from someone who is up to date on freedom of movement and the Dutch university system. Make clear that you are/will be in the Netherlands under EU freedom of movement rules!

Apparently, universities can ask for additional fees if a student is over 30 but again it's not quite clear if this is only for those already with a Degree or if that's over 30 years or Degree. Those additional fees vary from uni to uni.

Will you be moving close to the German border, by any chance?

[DreamStudent33]

Ok very helpful.

The location we will be moving is still unclear.
Do you know a bit about university policies in Germany?

[ALKB]

Ok very helpful.

The location we will be moving is still unclear.
Do you know a bit about university policies in Germany?

If you'd have an easy commute to a German university it would be worth looking into. State universities don't have tuition fees, there may be an admin fee of 500 € or so and that usually includes a semester ticket for public transport (I think in the entire province but that may be Brandenburg-specific) that's worth a lot more than the fee paid.

A few states have started charging tuition for non-EEA students but I don't think any are near the Netherlands.

Programs taught exclusively in English can be competitive to get into. Bilingual programs could be a good option - starting in English with gradual introduction of German later on.

Have a look at the website of German academic exchange services, you can search programs by location, language of instruction, subject, etc.

https://www.daad.de/en/study-and-research-in-germany/