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Dear prospective international students, Deadlines for applications are nearing, so in order for you to make the right choice in relation to what type of university you'll choose, I'd like to explain exactly what the difference between HBO and WO institutions is.
Hbo Bachelor's programmes take four years (240 ECTS). Wo Bachelor's programmes take three years (180 ECTS). The minimum admissions requirement for an hbo Bachelor's programme is a diploma at Dutch mbo level 4 (senior secondary vocational education) or Dutch havo (higher general secondary education).
HBO prepares students for certain professions (hoger Beroeps onderwijs), WO prepares students for an academic/scientific future where they do research ( Wetenschappelijk onderwijs).
HBO has its share of university level subjects, uni has HBO level subjects, but in general uni is a lot harder, and is at a much faster pace. HBO is a nice change of pace if you don't want to walk in your toes all the time, but I do prefer uni overall.
In this dual system, higher professional education (HBO) is offered by universities of applied sciences (hogescholen), while research-oriented education is traditionally offered by research universities, such as Radboud University.
The Dutch educational system in divided in 2 ways. ⇒ According to age: – Elementary school (till the age of 12) – Secondary school (high school), from the age of 12 to 16, 17 or 18. ⇒ Further education after secondary school (high school): according to level: mbo (ROC), hbo (HAN University of Applied Sciences) or university (Radboud University).
HBO or Hogeschool institutes are focused on applied higher education and usually offer 4-year Bachelor programs geared more towards the practical labor market. The academic universities (WO) are the highest possible level of education in the Netherlands.
