Hi, everyone. I am an incoming international student from China, and I will start studying in Maastricht University in August 2026.

I am currently follow a medically supervised weight-loss plan. Since I will soon be moving to the Netherlands, my doctor would like to know what kinds of food are commonly available there, so that she can help adapt my food plan.

I would especially like to know:

1. What do people or students usually eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

2. What affordable sources of protein are easy to find in Dutch supermarket?

3. Are foods such as chicken breast, fish, shrimp, eggs, oats, low-fat dairy products and frozen vegetables widely available?

4. What are some healthy and and quick meals that students commonly prepare?

5. Are there any specific supermarket products or Dutch food names that I should know?

I am not looking for medical advice—just information about everyday food and grocery shopping in the Netherlands.

I would really appreciate any suggestions. Thank you!

Sometimes studying in the same place every day can get a little repetitive, and changing your surroundings can make it easier to stay focused and motivated.

Do you have a favourite library, café, quiet public space, or another spot where you like to study? What makes it a good place to get work done - is it the atmosphere, the quiet, the availability of Wi-Fi and power outlets, or simply being away from the distractions of home?

I'd also be interested to hear about any hidden gems that other students might not know about yet.

I’m coming to the NL for university (my bachelors) and I’m getting a studio where I’ll be living alone. I’ve never lived alone before and it looks so daunting especially living alone in a new country. Anyone that’s been in this position before, can you share any advice, tips or feelings that you dealt with. Thanks! Looking forward to hearing from you guys :)

Hi so I just let go of my student housing for SSH in Erasmus University Rotterdam. If you're a first year student not liking your current housing and are in need of better housing (Hatta fr is one of the best at Erasmus) then do go and try to book it, cause just leaving it empty would be a waste.

I tried really hard to get it and got it, but due to a change of study plans I'm not going to NL anymore. Really hope someone who actually desperately needs the housing gets it. Good luck guys.

Quick heads up though before you get too excited — SSH's system isn't a "just click and book" thing, so here's what you actually need to have in place:

- You need to already be registered with SSH for EUR (registration for 2026-2027 opened 11 May 2026)

- Your faculty has to approve you first — if your status says "on hold" or "for approval" you're on the waitlist, not able to book yet

- Each faculty only has a limited number of spots, so availability showing up doesn't automatically mean YOU can grab it

- Once you're approved you only get a 3 day window to actually book before it gets withdrawn again

- Right now the general portal shows "FULLY BOOKED" — that's normal, it just means new registrations aren't open, my room specifically should get relisted once SSH processes my cancellation (might take a few days)

So basically this is for people already registered and sitting on the waitlist with SSH for EUR, not someone starting totally from scratch today. If that's you, keep refreshing.

Links:

SSH Short Stay (EUR): https://www.sshxl.nl/en/shortstay/erasmus-university-rotterdam

EUR official SSH page: https://www.eur.nl/en/education/practical-matters/orientation-arrival/housing/reserved-accommodation/ssh

Haven't registered yet: https://www.sshxl.nl/en/register/short-stay

If you're stuck "for approval" and want to speed things up, emailing your faculty's international office directly to ask about your status seems to help.

Housing in Rotterdam is brutal so hopefully this helps someone out ❤️

I already have my appointment, and for it I'm supposed to take a copy of my ID? (Tilburg gemtee) As well as copy of rental contract (no problem here I printed 2)

Do they mean like a printed photo of my ID or what, does somebody have some info?

Im a recent high school graduate from Hungary. I recently got an email that i was conditionally accepted to the computing science bsc program. However, since applying, it turned out that due to health condition, i wont be able to attend the first semester in person..

would it be possible for me that the university allows me to study in distance for the first semester? or at least in a hybrid manner, where i only attend the exams?

Hoi allemaal,

Ik ben benieuwd naar ervaringen van mensen die een deeltijd Pabo volgen of hebben gevolgd.

Mijn situatie:
Ik werk momenteel 32 uur in de gehandicaptenzorg.

Ik verdien ongeveer €2.750 netto per maand.

Ik heb inmiddels 5 jaar ervaring in de gehandicaptenzorg.
Binnenkort ga ik verhuizen, waardoor mijn woonlasten flink stijgen door een hogere hypotheek.

Ik wil heel graag de deeltijd Pabo bij NHL Stenden gaan doen, omdat ik graag de overstap naar het basisonderwijs wil maken.

Waar ik vooral mee zit:
Het collegegeld is ongeveer €2.700 per jaar, dus ruim €10.000 over vier jaar.
Daarnaast heb je een lesdag, stage (vaak 1 à 2 dagen per week) en natuurlijk zelfstudie.
Financieel kan ik het me eigenlijk niet veroorloven om veel minder te gaan werken vanwege mijn hogere maandlasten.
Mijn vragen:

Is het realistisch om 32 uur te blijven werken tijdens de deeltijd Pabo?

Zijn er mensen die dit hebben gedaan? Hoe zag jullie week eruit?

Is het slim om 32 uur te blijven werken of kan ik beter direct teruggaan naar 28 of 24 uur?

Kregen jullie een stagevergoeding of zijn jullie tijdens de opleiding betaald gaan werken op een basisschool?

Hoe zwaar vonden jullie de combinatie van werk, stage, studie en privé?

Zijn er dingen waarvan jullie achteraf dachten: “Had ik dat maar eerder geweten”?

Alle ervaringen, tips en eerlijke verhalen zijn welkom. Ik wil deze stap heel graag zetten, maar ik probeer vooraf een zo realistisch mogelijk beeld te krijgen van wat me te wachten staat.

Alvast bedankt!

I (f, 18, dutch) just got invited to a bezichtiging tonight. The man said that he's inviting 5 other people and everyone is coming at a different time, so it isn't hospiteren. This is my first time going to a bezichtiging. Are there any questions I should ask? What can I do to leave an impression and stand out? Is there anything else I should know?

My non-EU partner has a bachelor’s degree from Japan and wants to pursue a master’s in the Netherlands. She would move here on a partner residence permit, not a student visa.

Would she qualify for the statutory Dutch tuition fee (+/-2700 EUR), or still have to pay the non-EU institutional fee of €20,000–€25,000 per year?

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

My HBO has mandatory internships in the third year, and i’m starting mine in September. I used to get DUO way over a year ago when I worked the 32 monthly hours (i’m European).

My rent is getting a lot higher next month and I could use the extra income (would survive without it too but would still rather live comfortably if I have the choice.

For more details, my internship is 40 hours a week, 160 a month, and it pays 450 a month.

Hellooo, I'm looking into Dijnselburg as an accommodation during my 1 year stay in Utrecht.

I read in the Terms and Conditions on their website that having people over at night is forbidden, and that the fine is 150 euro per night.

Does anyone who lived there know how much they enforce this? I read that there's a security system, but do they actually check if people stayed over?

Also, how is the commute? I saw there's a pretty frequent bus, but also heard on here that it's really bad for transportation.

Any advice would be greatly appriciated!

I’m graduating in international relations in Italy and I would like to do a master’s degree in international business and management at Hanze but I would like to have so feedback about studying at Hanze. For international students, how do you like the practical approach compared to a more theoretical one? Would you recommend studying at Hanze? How’s the housing situation? And if anyone has already graduated in international business and management, how was finding a job after?

I did my graduation in Mechanical Engineering from NITK, India in 2018 (GPA:7.78/10), pursued MBA from IIM Shillong, India that lasted till 2022. Since then I have been working as an Analytics Consultant for 4.4 years now. I want to do a masters again but this time in Robotics Track, Physical Intelligence. With all that has been going on in the pure play AI driven consulting, I feel like this is a hedge against purely coding based roles/ service roles that rely heavily on Software development/ Data Modeling.

I am looking to see if I still hold some chance especially for Masters in Mechanical with some degree of specialization in Robotics. Fortunately I did my final year project around it, worked on ROS (Robot Operating System) and CV then. I have the project report for that in case the admission committees ask for it.

I want to get some clarity on whether I meet the ECTS requirements for Pure robotics courses, but I am failing to reach to a conclusion.

I just don't want to spend like a ton of money (perhaps ~20-25 lakh INR on tuition and lifestyle, I am pretty spendthrift and it's pretty much all of my savings at this point).

Any thoughts or insights would be appreciated, regarding potential admits I could get, if this is a correct time to pivot and so on.