Overview
Quality Assurance System
in Higher Education

The Netherlands
NIAD-UE
National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation© National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation 2011
1-29-1 Gakuen-Nishimachi, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8587 Japan
http://www.niad.ac.jp

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education:
The Netherlands
Introduction
Shin-ichi Hirano, D.Eng., President of National Institution for Academic Degrees andUniversity Evaluation (NIAD-UE)
The National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation(NIAD-UE) works closely with overseas partners to increase internationallythe value of Japanese quality assurance in higher education through close
cooperation with foreign quality assurance organizations as well as our core
activities of university evaluation, awarding of degrees, and research.
For developing international collaborative activities among quality assurance
bodies, it is increasingly necessary to distribute the information on quality
assurance in Japanese higher education and to understand the backgroundinformation and institutional system of the partner country. This will be thekey factor in realizing effective cooperation with the other countries. Thus,
NIAD-UE is working actively for a mechanism to share information towards the enhancement of ‘mutual
understanding’.
In the context, NIAD-UE developed the ‘Information Package’ as a means for publishing basic information on
Japanese higher education and its quality assurance system. On the other hand, NIAD-UE is taking asystematic approach to collect information of higher education and quality assurance systems in othercountries. Presently, NIAD-UE has produced an ‘Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher
Education: The Netherlands’ in both English and Japanese.
Dutch higher education has been earning a worldwide reputation for its high quality. This is achieved througha national system of regulation and quality assurance such as review activities by the higher education
institutions themselves and accreditation by an external accreditation agency. The Netherlands also has
broad experience in the field of international promotion, collaboration and its quality assurance. So far avariety of quality related activities such as quality assessment/evaluation, mutual recognition ofqualifications and disseminating QA information have been undertaken at EU regional, national, and quality
assurance organizational levels to promote various forms of inter-institutional cooperation and institutional
student mobility. This ‘Overview’ document is based on public information concerning Dutch higher
education system, quality assurance system in the European Higher Education Area.
I would like to express my special thanks to the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders(NVAO) and the Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic), whichhave signed Memoranda of Understandings with NIAD-UE, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of theNetherlands in Tokyo, for their great contributions to the production of this document. I would also like tothank the people who gave us useful comments and suggestions to produce the document.
March 2011

Shin-ichi Hirano, D.Eng.
President of NIAD-UE

Index
I. Basic information on the country ·········································· 3
II. The higher education system ············································· 4
1. Introduction ································································ 41-1) A binary system ························································ 41-2) The three tiers························································· 41-3) University governing structure ············································· 41-4) University funding ······················································ 5
2. History and legislation ························································ 62-1) Research university sector ················································ 62-2) The development of the HBO-sector ········································· 62-3) Higher Education and Research Act (WHW)··································· 7

3. Dutch education system······················································· 10
4. Types of institution ·························································· 114-1) Overview ······························································ 114-2) Statistics ······························································· 13
5. Enrolment·································································· 155-1) Requirements for access to higher education ·································· 155-2) Transfers within higher education··········································· 155-3) Admission requirements for international students ····························· 165-4) Ethnic minorities in higher education ········································ 18
6. Courses and qualifications····················································· 196-1) Credit system ··························································· 196-2) Curriculum ····························································· 20
6-3) Degrees································································ 226-4) Diploma Supplement ····················································· 22
7. Responsible authorities and higher education related bodies·························· 23
8. Student organisations ························································ 24
9. Tuition fees and student aid ··················································· 25
9-1) Tuition fees ···························································· 25
9-2) Student finance ························································· 26
9-3) Scholarships for international students······································· 29
10. Legislation ································································· 30
11. Ongoing debates in Dutch higher education ······································· 31

III. The quality assurance system ·················································· 32
1. Summary of the Dutch quality assurance system ··································· 32
2. Historical background ························································ 33
3. Quality assurance system in Dutch higher education ································ 35
3-1) Internal quality assurance ················································· 353-2) External quality assurance framework ········································ 37
3-2-1) Research assessment···················································· 37
3-2-2) Accreditation·························································· 383-3) Quality assurance and internationalisation ···································· 45
3-3-1) National Qualifications Framework········································· 45
3-3-2) Code of Conduct ······················································· 46
3-3-3) Recognition of foreign qualifications ······································· 47
Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

14. Specific legislative framework ·················································· 51
5. New issues about quality assurance ············································· 51
5-1) Ranking and classification ················································· 51
5-2) New accreditation system ················································· 52

IV. An introduction to quality assurance and international cooperation organisations ······55
1. Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO)
1-1) Overview of the organisation ··············································· 55
1-2) Mission and role ························································· 56
1-3) The legal framework······················································ 561-4) Main area of activity······················································ 57
1-4-1) Initial accreditation ····················································· 57
1-4-2) Accreditation·························································· 58
1-4-3) Additional tasks ······················································· 59
1-4-4) Internationalisation····················································· 59
2. Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic)
2-1) Overview of the organisation ··············································· 642-2) Mission ································································ 652-3) Main area of activity······················································ 65
2-3-1) Education promotion ··················································· 65
2-3-2) Scholarships ·························································· 65
2-3-3) Credential evaluation ··················································· 66
2-3-4) Professional recognition ················································· 66
2-3-5) Capacity building ······················································ 67
2-3-6) Consultancy and training ················································ 67
2-3-7) Information services ···················································· 68
2-3-8) International network ··················································· 69

Sources and references ····························································· 71

2

I. Basic information on the country
Name of country

Kingdom of the Netherlands

Capital city

Amsterdam

Seat of government

The Hague

National language

Dutch

Population*

16,530,000 (2009)

Nominal GDP*

79,670,000,000 USD (2009)

Nominal GDP per capita*

48,209 USD (2008)

Public spending on education
as a percentage of the total
government spending**
Public spending on
education as a percentage ofGDP**

All levels of education

12.0%(OECD average 13.3%)
All levels of education(OECD average 5.3%)

HE level

3.3%(OECD average 3.1%) (2006)
5.5%

HE level

1.5%(OECD average 1.3%) (2006)

Spending per student at
higher education level**

15,196 USD (2006)

Public spending on higher
education per student***

10,773 USD (2005)

Tertiary education entry
rates ****

60 % (2007)

Organisation of education
systemPlease refer to II-3. Dutch education system, page 10.
As many bachelor’s programmes are taught in Dutch, sufficientknowledge of the Dutch language is required before students can start
the programmes. In addition to Dutch, students also need to be

Language of instruction*****

proficient in English, as much professional literature is in English anda number of courses are entirely taught in English.
In master’s programmes, a growing number of courses nowadays areoffered in the English language. For complete listings of higher
education courses in English, visit http://www.studyinholland.nl/.

Cycle of academic
year******

In higher education, the academic year begins on 1st September andends on 31st August of the following year.

Source:Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan: Overview of Kingdom of the Netherlands: http://www.mofa.go.jp/
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) (2010): International Comparative
Education: Statistics 2010-2011.
***
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) (2009): International Comparative
Education: Statistics 2009-2010.
**** OECD (2010): Education: Key tables from OECD.
http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/oecd/content/table/20755120-table2;jsessionid=2hmowk2t6qd1h.delta***** Leiden University website: http://www.leidenuniv.nl/en/studyinleiden/****** European Commission: Eurybase – Organisation of the Education System in the Netherlands 2008/09.
http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/eurybase/eurybase_full_reports/NL_EN.pdf***

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands3II. The higher education system
1. Introduction1-1) A binary system
The Netherlands has two main types of higher education. Research universities which are also called
WO institutions (WO-Wetenschappelijk onderwijs in Dutch) focus on the independent practice of
research-oriented work in an academic professional setting. They essentially train students inacademic study and research, although many study programmes also have a professional
component. Universities of applied sciences which are also called HBO institutions (HBO-Hoger
Beroepsonderwijs in Dutch) are more practically oriented, preparing students directly for specificcareers. Their study programmes focus on the practical application of knowledge (please refer todiagram of Dutch education system, page 10).
Overall there are 14 publicly-funded research universities, 42 publicly funded universities ofapplied sciences and various privately funded universities, institutions of higher professional
education as well as several institutes for international education.

1-2) The Three tiers
In 1999, the European Union ministers of education signed the Bologna declaration. The Bologna
process was set up with a view to harmonising national education systems in the member statesand facilitating student and staff mobility. The aim of the Bologna process was to establish a single
European Higher Education Area (EHEA) by 2010, with structural uniformity, transparency andquality assurance as key objectives. One of the ways to establish Europe-wide standardisation
within the higher education system resides in the three-tier bachelor’s, master’s and PhD
academic award system.
The Netherlands is a front-runner as far as the Bologna process is concerned. The Dutch research
universities began introducing the three-cycle structure (bachelor, master and doctorate) alreadyin 2002, and all study programmes have by now been organised accordingly.
The average university bachelor’s programme leading to a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of
Science (BSc) degree takes three years and provides a broad but predominantly in-depth basis forfurther specialisation. University Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MSc) degree courses takeone to two years to complete, depending on the respective discipline.
PhD degree courses leading to the title of doctor are only available from research universities andentail four years of full-time research under the supervision of an academic. The researchemanating from the conventional doctorate degree must be original, accompanied by an extensive
dissertation and publicly defended.

1-3) University governing structure
The governing structure of the Dutch research universities is laid down in the Higher Education and4Research Act (WHW) of 1993. The internal governance reform of 1997 brought about changes ingovernance at all levels of internal governance. One of the tendencies in university governance in
the Netherlands is an increase in institutional autonomy. The Dutch research universities enjoy alarge degree of institutional autonomy from the state. Within universities, departments (faculties)
also possess a certain extent of independence from the central governing bodies.
Each research university is governed by an executive board. The three members of the board areappointed by a board of trustees which in turn is appointed by the Ministry of Education, Culture
and Science (in the case of Wageningen University, by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food
Quality). For historical reasons, the process of appointment of the executive board differs at
Radboud University Nijmegen, Tilburg University and Free University Amsterdam.
All universities consist of a number of departments. These are headed by deans and have their own
executive boards and (faculty) councils.

1-4) University funding
In university funding, three flows of funding are distinguished, defined by their origin. The firstflow concerns direct government funding, the second consists of research project funding awardedby Dutch research councils NWO (The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) and KNAW
(The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences), and the third is money coming from third
parties, both public and private (such as companies, the EU etc.).
The first flow, government funding, is a lump sum payment by the Dutch Ministry of Education,
Culture and Science (in the case of Wageningen University and Research Centre by the Dutch
Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality). The universities are free to decide how to spendthat money. The first flow is divided into a part for teaching and a part for research. The part forteaching is based on the number of diplomas which a university awards per year. The VSNU (theAssociation of Universities in the Netherlands) which represents the interests of the 14 research
universities in the Netherlands in the field of research, education, is currently negotiating with the
Ministry of Education, Culture and Science to base the teaching part of funding not only on thenumber of diplomas, but also on enrolment. The research part of the first flow constitutes thelargest part of research funding – about 60% of all research funding – and its only structural basis.
Money coming in via the second and third flows – together accounting for 40% of university funding
for research, the second flow being about half the size of the third – consists of temporary funds.
Moreover, tuition fees form a small source of teaching-related income of the universities. It is amatter of debate whether tuition fees belong to the first or third flow of funding.
The VSNU estimates that the budget of the Dutch research universities amounts to about 5.7 billion
Euros in 2010. The first flow accounts for 1.7 billion Euros for research and 1.6 billion Euros forteaching and learning. Student fees amount to 0.4 billion Euros, funding by NWO to 0.3 billion Eurosand other sources, including private funding, to 1.7 billion Euros.

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

52. History and legislation
2-1) Research university sector
The history of the Dutch research university sector dates back to 1575, when the University of
Leiden was founded as a reward for its citizens’ persistence in fighting the Spaniards during theeighty-year war with Spain. The establishment of other universities followed in subsequent years,
e.g., in Groningen (1614) and Utrecht (1636). Over the centuries additional universities were
founded, partly as an explicit economic government policy to further activity in somedisadvantaged regions, for example, the University of Twente in 1961 and Maastricht University in
1976. Some institutes of higher education were founded by church people, such as the protestantFree University in Amsterdam or the Roman Catholic Radboud University in Nijmegen. They takepart in the national accreditation system and are funded by the government. At present, theresearch university sector consists of 14 institutions.
Until the 1970s, the university sector was left more or less on its own by the government. It
appeared to function according to its own purposes and little policy attention was directed towards
them. However, this changed rather dramatically and quickly. At the end of the 1970s thecircumstances for higher education were not very bright. The main problems concerning theuniversity sector were the student drop out rate being rather high and the average length of study
being rather long compared to the situation in other countries. In addition, many of the academic
staff appointed during the sharp rise in student numbers lacked the qualities and motivationneeded to cope with the challenges of the coming decade, while institutional management was ingeneral rather powerless, weak and not very professional. As a consequence the universities were
inefficiently run. Major restructuring was believed to be necessary to make higher education more
efficient and more effective. The most important reform and retrenchment operations designed andimplemented from the end of the 1970s were a restructuring of university education through theintroduction of the so-called two tier structure in which research university education is structured
in a first tier of four years, awarded with a bachelor’s degree and a post-graduate second tier leading
to a master’s degree, two retrenchment operations for the research university sector resulting in theclosure of several departments and a reshuffling in terms of programmes offered, and theintroduction of a system of conditional funding of research. These ad hoc restructuring operations
lasted until the mid-1980s when a new approach regarding the steering and functioning of the Dutch
higher education system was introduced.

2-2) The development of the HBO-sector
The sector of the university of applied sciences (the HBO-sector), also can be traced back quite sometime, but developed under very different circumstances. Most of the older institutions have theirroots in the 19th Century and evolved out of the guilds. The first legal framework was provided by
the 1919 Domestic Science and Technical Education Act differentiating, among others, primary,secondary domestic, and technical education. In 1968 higher vocational education was introduced
as a separate type of education with the passing by Parliament of the Secondary Education Act (SEA)
that codified all forms of education between primary and university education. One of the6characteristics of the SEA and the way in which the Ministry of Education and Science used it, was adetailed regulation of institutional affairs, thus severely restricting the further development of the
HBO-sector. A sector that, among other things, was extremely diverse and fragmented in those days.
The period from the late 1960s to the early 1980s can be characterised as one of substantial growthand systemic development. Student numbers rose rapidly in higher education creating the
beginning of budgetary pressures that were to dominate the 1980s. In line with developments inother countries, the Dutch HBO-sector was considered ideal to take care of this increasing student
body, as it (1) was considerably cheaper than the university sector; (2) catered for part-timeeducation; and (3) provided the kind of orientation perceived as beneficial to the growth of the
Dutch economy. Expansion of the HBO-sector, however, also gave rise to discussions about both theinternal structure of the sector and its relationship with the research university sector.
This resulted in a multitude of white papers with different scenarios. Apart from the interesting
rituals, diverging political views, and quite some rhetoric that accompanied these initiatives, theactual results were meagre. The HBO-sector was praised for its values and efforts, but little was done
to take it out of the 1968 SEA.
In 1983 the then Minister of Education and Science proposed in the white paper ‘Scaleenlargement,
Task-reallocation and Concentration’ (STC) a major restructuring of the HBO-sector with far-reachingconsequences for the structure and functioning of the Dutch higher education system. The main
objectives of the STC restructuring were: (1) a considerable increase of institutional size throughinstitutional mergers; (2) an increase in institutional autonomy regarding the use of resources,
personnel policy and the structuring of the educational processes; and (3) an increase ininstitutional efficiency through economies of scale. The Minister envisaged that as a result of theimplementation of the STC-operation, a limited number of multidisciplinary, medium sized
institutions with considerable autonomy would arise. The outcomes of the merger processes,
however, surpassed all expectations. By July 1987 the original 350 plus institutions had merged into
85 institutions of which some 45 were mostly large to very large, multi-purpose institutions. Someof the latter turned out to be larger than most of the existing universities. Thus, in terms of structure,
the Dutch higher education institutional landscape had changed dramatically. In terms of function,
increased autonomy was to be attained through the implementation of the new governmental
steering philosophy as well as through the framework provided by the new HBO-Act (1986) that
finally took HBO out of the realm of secondary education and placed it formally in higher education,
thereby formalising the already existing binary structure.

2-3) Higher Education and Research Act (WHW)The Higher Education and Research Act (WHW) entered into force on 1 August 1993. The WHW
replaced the University Act (WWO), the Higher Professional Education Act (WHBO), the Open
University Act (WOU) and numerous other regulations governing higher education and research. The
Higher Education and Research Act contains general provisions applicable to the entire higher
education sector in the Netherlands. It also includes:

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

7•provisions that apply specifically to research universities, universities of applied sciences andthe Open University. These relate to the structure of courses and institutions;•parameters relating to the organisation of teaching, such as entry requirements with regard toprevious education, and study loads;•

regulations concerning examinations, students, participation in decision-making, staff,
planning and funding;•provisions governing cooperation between institutions.

The Act redefined the administrative relationship between the government and the higher education
and research institutions. Previous legislation provided to a large extent for ex ante regulation andplanning, assigning a central role to government.
The new Act has its origins in the 1985 policy document ‘Autonomy and Quality in Higher
Education’ (HOAK-document), which sets out the philosophy of hands-off government andautonomous educational institutions operating in a flexible way. The underlying principle is to givethe institutions greater freedom of policy within the parameters laid down by government, not as an
end in itself, but as a means of enabling the higher education system to respond more effectively
and decisively to the changing needs of society.
The concept of autonomy is one of the basic ideas of the Higher Education and Research Act.
Detailed ex ante control by the government is replaced by ex post control of a more general nature.
At the same time the Act stressed that despite decentralisation the government remains responsible
for the macro-efficiency of the system. Government is said to apply ‘selective control’, intervening
only when necessary.
The administrative relationship between government and institutions of higher education andresearch, as defined in the Act, is based on the following principles:•the government should intervene to prevent undesirable developments only whereself-management by the institutions is likely to have unacceptable results;•

government intervention should primarily take the form of remedying imperfections in thesystem ex post;•

the instruments at the government’s disposal should be characterised by a minimum of
detailed regulation;•

the institutions must lay down norms to ensure legal certainty, reasonableness and proper
administration.

The Act accords the institutions considerable freedom of programming. They are responsible in thefirst instance for maintaining quality, providing an adequate range of teaching and research
programmes and ensuring access to education. Quality control is exercised by the institutions
themselves, by external experts and, on behalf of the government, by the Inspectorate for Higher
Education. In principle, the government assesses on an ex post basis only whether funds have been
deployed effectively and whether the intended results have been achieved. If major shortcomings
are identified, the institutions will be informed accordingly. If discrepancies between ideal and8reality persist, notably in the field of quality, the government has the option, with due regard to theproper procedures, of using coercive powers backed up by sanctions.
The Higher Education and Research Act 1993 was amended in 2002, and at the beginning of 2009 abill was presented to parliament further amending the Act. The amendments are designed to
improve the quality of higher education and the position of students and professionals. Amongother things, they will address the legal protection of students, student participation, simpler
administrative processes for enrolment and de-registration, a clear separation between governingand supervisory bodies and the role of the examining boards.
Source:Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS) (2007): Higher Education in the Netherlands: Country report.
The Europe World of Learning 2010, Volume 2. Routledge, 2009.
European Commission: Eurybase – Organisation of the Education System in the Netherlands 2008/09.
http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/eurybase/eurybase_full_reports/NL_EN.pdf
Karl Dittrich (NVAO): Internationalisation of Higher Education: Europe’s Vision and the Attitudes of theNetherlands and Flanders (NIAD-UE Seminar presentation material, 17th June 2010, Tokyo, Japan).
VSNU website: http://www.vsnu.nl/Home-english.htm

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

93. Dutch education system
Research universities

Most master’s degrees offered by research universities requirecompletion of 60～90 credits. Those in engineering, mathematics,
natural sciences, and agriculture require 120 credits, in pharmacy,
dentistry, medicine and veterinary medicine 180 credits.
Some research universities offer 2-year professional doctorate
programmes in engineering (PDEng).
Most master’s degrees offered by universities of applied sciences

Doctorate(PhD)

require completion of between 60 and 120 credits. Programmes inarchitecture, urban planning and landscape architecture requirecompletion of 240 credits.
A solid arrow () indicates a right to access.

A dotted arrow () indicates that some formof selection or bridging requirement may be applied.

Medicine, dentistry,veterinary med.,

universities ofapplied sciences (HBO-sector)

pharmacy〔180 credits〕
MA/MSc〔120 credits〕

Master’s degree〔120 credits〕
Master’s degree

MA/MSc〔60～90 credits〕〔60～90 credits〕

Bachelor’s degree
BA/BSchigher（240 credits）〔180 credits〕
Associate’s
degree（120 credits）

Senior secondary
vocational educationand training (MBO)
1～4 years

University
preparatory education

secondary(VWO）
6 years

primary

Senior generalsecondary education(HAVO)(VMBO)

5 years

Primary Education

Preparatory
secondary education

4 years

7～8 years

Source: Nuffic website: http://www.nuffic.nl/international-students/dutch-education/education-system

104. Types of institution4-1) Overview
Research universities
The Dutch research universities are academic centres of excellence in research and teaching. At
Dutch research universities, research and teaching interlock to provide unique experiences for bothstudents and researchers. Traditionally open-minded and cosmopolitan, the Dutch research
universities are internationally well connected and attach great importance to cooperation andinteraction not only with academic institutions abroad but also with society and the private sector.
Within disciplines and across disciplines, Dutch researchers cooperate, benefiting from the small
size of the Netherlands. English as language of instruction and research is widely accepted at Dutch
research universities. Excellent working conditions and career perspectives make them uniquely
attractive for national and international talent.
Today, the Netherlands has 14 research universities including one Open University, all of which
offer high-standard education and research. There are three universities of technology, theuniversities of Delft, Eindhoven and Twente, and one university, the University of Wageningen,which focuses on agriculture and life sciences. The remaining nine research universities arebroad-based. There are also eight university medical centres.
Research universities vary in size, with enrolments ranging from 6,000 to 30,000. Altogether theyenrol some 205,000 students.
Research universities in the Netherlands
Types of universities

Universities of technology

University of agriculture and life sciences
Distance teaching university focusing on
lifelong learning

Universities with broad-based orientation

Names of universities•

Delft University of Technology: http://www.tudelft.nl•

Eindhoven University of Technology: http://www.tue.nl•

University of Twente: http://www.utwente.nl•

Wageningen University and Research Centre :http://www.wur.nl•

Open University in the Netherlands: http://www.ou.nl•

Erasmus University Rotterdam: http://www.eur.nl•

Leiden University: http://www.leidenuniv.nl•

Maastricht University: http://www.unimaas.nl•

Radboud University Nijmegen: http://www.ru.nl•

Tilburg University:
http://www.tilburguniversity.nl•

University of Amsterdam: http://www.uva.nl•

State University of Groningen: http://www.rug.nl•

Utrecht University: http://www.uu.nl•

Free University Amsterdam: http://www.vu.nl

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

11Research excellenceWith its 14 research universities the Netherlands is rightly proud of its present track record.
Talented young researchers are being trained for leading positions in tomorrow’s world. The newgraduate schools are broad-based and facilitate healthy competition. Conscious of their intellectual
capacity and potential, young researchers are adept at seeking out top institutes equipped with themost advanced techniques and run by leading academics. That is why Dutch research universities
are not only exploiting their own unique specialist fields but also their various reciprocal relations
with corresponding universities and centres of excellence abroad.
Universities in the Netherlands are represented in all the major international ranking scales: nearly
all Dutch research universities appear in the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings
and, according to that same ranking system, 11 are among World’s top 200 universities in 2009*. If
one considers the relative impact scores for publications, Dutch universities do extremely well**.
Internationally the impact, especially in the field of science, is remarkable if one takes into accountthe small population (16,5 million inhabitants).
* THE-QS 2009 World University Rankings for the Dutch universities: University of Amsterdam (49), Leiden
University (60), Utrecht University (70), Delft University of Technology (83), Erasmus University Rotterdam (108),
Maastricht University (116), Eindhoven University of Technology (120), State University of Groningen (138),
Wageningen University (155), Free University Amsterdam (165), University of Twente (200).
** 10-year country rankings for the Netherlands (1997-2007):PapersCitationsCites per paper

Total for the Netherlands

214,031

2666,383

12.46

Rank for the Netherlands

12

8

7

Universities of applied sciences (Higher professional education institutions)
The study programmes offered by universities of applied sciences are career-oriented. This type of
institution mainly focuses on education for professionals such as business managers, high school
teachers, nurses as well as for several technical professions. Acquiring practical work experiencethrough internships is an integral part of professional study programmes. Currently, theNetherlands has 42 government-approved universities of applied sciences. The largest enrol 20,000
to 39,000 students. Altogether some 350,000 students are enrolled on this type of higher education
programmes.

Institutes for international education
The Netherlands has been offering another form of higher education for more than 50 years:
advanced courses taught in English in what is known as ‘international education’. These institutes
focus on development-oriented courses, based on working in small, intercultural groups and theexchange of knowledge, facilitated by teachers with extensive work experience in low-income
countries.
In addition, the Netherlands has a large number of private teaching institutes and organisations that12

offer recognised certificates, diplomas and degrees in various professional fields like accountancy,
business administration, etc. Quite often these are structured as ‘external studies’ in the sense ofcorrespondence and or distance learning courses with limited face-to-face interaction.
Source:Nuffic website: http://www.nuffic.nl/
Radboud University Nijmegen (2009): Radboud University Nijmegen: ECTS Information Guide 2009-2010.
VSNU website: http://www.vsnu.nl/Home-english.htm
Times Higher Education website: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/

4-2) Statistics
Number of institutions (2010)
Research universities (incl. Open University)

14

Universities of applied sciences

42

Institutes for international education

11

Total

67

Number of students (2007-2008)
Research universities

211,446

Universities of applied sciences

373,532

Total

584,978

Success rate at the research universities
2004

2006

2008

Science

63%

51%

52%

Engineering and Technology

58%

55%

57%

Health

85%

78%

77%

Economics

62%

59%

61%

Law

56%

51%

55%

Behaviour and Society

64%

59%

59%

Language and Culture

52%

46%

42%

Agriculture and the Natural Environment

83%

80%

80%

Average success rates*

74%

69%

69%

* The success rates for programmes at the research universities overall are higher than the success rates in eachof the sectors, as some students graduate in a sector other than the one they started in.

Number of English-taught programmes (2007-2008)
Degree programmes

956

Non-degree programmes

376

Total

1,332

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

13

Academic staff at higher education institutions (2007)
Research universities

Universities of applied sciences

Total number of staff

370,000

274,000

Academic staff

207,000

149,000

Support staff

163,000

125,000

10.0%

24.5%

Ratio of students to academic staff

International students in the Netherlands (As of November 2009)
Number of foreign students*
EU/EFTA students enrolled**

30,400Non-EU/EFTA students enrolled

17,850Exchange students

7,250

Other credit mobile students***

20,500Total

76,000*Note that this is a general summary and figures are approximate. Enrolment refers to government-sponsoredstudy programmes.

** EFTA (European Free Trade Association): Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.
*** Diploma mobility: to complete a study programme abroad; credit mobility: to gain credits abroad towards
the programme at home.

Number of international students by countries of origin
Germany

19,750

China

5,000

Belgium

2,500

Spain

1,950

France

1,650

Japan

300

Popular degree programmes among international students
Research universities

Universities of applied sciences1

Economics

Economics

2

Behaviour and Society

Language and Culture

3

Technology

Technology

4

Language and Culture

Healthcare

Source:Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science: Key Figures 2004-2008:
http://english.minocw.nl/documenten/key%20figures%202004-2008.pdf
Nuffic: Most people see windmills, Life and Study 2010/2011.
Nuffic: Most people come for the tulips, Life and Study 2009/2010.
European Commission: Eurybase – Organisation of the Education System in the Netherlands 2008/09.

14

5. Enrolment
5-1) Requirements for access to higher education
For access to research-oriented bachelor’s programmes at research universities, students are
required to have a VWO (the university preparatory education) diploma or to have completed thefirst year (60 credits) of a bachelor’s programme at a university of applied sciences.
The minimum access requirement to universities of applied sciences is either a HAVO (the senior
general secondary education) diploma or a diploma of senior secondary vocational education (MBO
diploma), provided certain conditions are met.
The VWO diploma also grants access to universities of applied sciences. For access to both types ofhigher education, pupils are required to have completed at least one of the subject clusters that
fulfils the requirements for the higher education programme in question. A quota, or numerus fixus,
applies for access to certain programmes, primarily in the medical sciences, and places are allocatedmainly using a weighted lottery. Potential students older than 21 years of age who do not possess
one of the qualifications mentioned above can qualify for access to higher education on the basis ofan entrance examination and assessment (recognition of prior learning). For access to certain
programmes, particularly those in the fine arts, students have to demonstrate the required artistic
abilities.
The only access requirement for the Open University is that applicants be at least 18 years of age.
For access to all master’s programmes, a bachelor’s degree in one or more specified disciplines isrequired, in some cases in combination with other requirements. Graduates with a bachelor’s degreein the applied arts and sciences may have to complete additional requirements for access to a
research-oriented master’s degree programme.

5-2) Transfers within higher education
Within higher education, students can transfer to a different level as well as to a different type ofprogramme: after the preparatory year of a bachelor’s programme with a professional orientation(HBO) to a bachelor’s programme with an academic orientation (WO) or from a WO programme to an
HBO programme. Students with an associate degree can transfer to the remaining section of a
related bachelor’s programme with a professional orientation. In principle, bachelor’s degrees
allow access to master’s programmes, while master’s degrees subsequently allow access to a PhD
programme.

5-3) Admission requirements for international students
International students wishing to apply for a programme at a Dutch higher education institution
should first contact the institution that offers the programme. Students should also note several
points relating to admission requirements.
The main requirement for admission to a bachelor’s programmme is a secondary school diploma at
the appropriate level. There are also study programmes, in the arts for example, for which

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

15

institutions set their own additional requirements. All international applicants who are not inpossession of a Dutch VWO diploma (or a HBO diploma) have to apply for admission to have theirforeign diploma evaluated. Students’ diploma will then be evaluated in order to ascertain its level incomparison to the Dutch VWO diploma. For lists of diplomas that are considered to beapproximately equivalent to the Dutch pre-university diploma (VWO), see the following website(Leiden University):
http://prospectivestudents.leiden.edu/programmes/bachelor/admission/ba-bsc-requirements.html (English
and Dutch).
Master’s programme applicants must have at least a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent. In certain
popular fields the number of places is limited and admission quotas are set.
As most programmes for international education are provided in English, it is essential thatinternational students are able to speak, read and write English well. Students must have passed an
English language test. IELTS and TOEFL are commonly accepted, but institutions may accept othertests as well. For the TOEFL the required scores are at least 550 (paper-based); for the IELTS a scoreof at least 6 is required. Language requirements for individual programmes or courses are indicatedin the database of international courses on the following website: http://www.studyin.nl/ (English).

Where to find more information for international students
Life and practical matters
Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs: http://www.minbuza.nl/ (English, Dutch, German, Spanish andFrench)The international homepage with address of Dutch embassies abroad.
Immigration and Naturalization Service: http://www.ind.nl/ (English and Dutch)
Information on Dutch immigration laws.
CBS (Statistics Netherlands): http://www.cbs.nl/ (English)
Statistics about the Netherlands.
Expatica: http://www.expatica.com/ (English)
Informative and entertaining website with local and international news and feature articles on avariety of topics.
Holland Handbook: http://www.xpat.nl/ (English)
An informative book on living and working in the Netherlands.
Netherlands Board of Tourism: http://www.holland.com/ (English)
Netherlands Board of Tourism, including a map of the Netherlands.
Preparing your stay: http://www.nuffic.nl/preparingyourstay (English)
Brief description of how to arrange visas and permits, insurance, housing, diploma evaluation, etc.
Staying in Holland: http://www.nuffic.nl/stayinginholland (English)

16

For more information about formalities upon arrival, working while studying, traineeships andworking after completing your studies.

Study1) International higher education-related body
Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science: http://www.minocw.nl/ (English and Dutch)
Information provided by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
DUO (Education Executive Agency, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science):
http://ib-groep.nl/International_visitors/ (English)
DUO (former IB-Groep) is a semi-independent part of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
with responsibility for implementing the Student Finance Act (WSF) and the study costs andallowance schemes. DUO website provides information about student grant, studying in the
Netherlands, Diploma assessment.
NVAO: http://www.nvao.net/ (English and Dutch)
Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders, the body responsible for theaccreditation of existing programmes and assessment of new programmes.
Nuffic: http://www.nuffic.nl/ (English and Dutch)
Nuffic is the Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education.
VSNU (Association of Universities in the Netherlands): http://www.vsnu.nl/ (English and Dutch)
VSNU represents the shared interests of the 14 research universities in the Netherlands in the fieldsof research, education, knowledge transfer, funding, personnel policy and international affairs.
HBO-raad (The Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences):
http://www.hbo-raad.nl/ (English and Dutch)
HBO-raad brings together all government-funded universities of applied sciences and higher
professional education in the Netherlands.
Access (Administrative Committee to Coordinate English-Speaking Services):
http://www.access-nl.org/ (English)
ACCESS is a not-for-profit organization committed to supporting the international expatriate
community in the Netherlands.
PIE (Platform for International Education in the Netherlands): http://www.pieonline.nl/ (English)
PIE promotes activities of the Dutch institutes for post-secondary education in the field ofinstitutional strengthening of education and research capacity in developing countries andcountries in transition, through education, research and consultancy for students, staff andmid-career professionals.
SAIL (Council of Institutes for Postgraduate International Education in the Netherlands):
http://www.sail-international-education.nl/ (English)

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

17

SAIL is the umbrella organisation of five specialised Dutch centres of higher learning, all of which
are geared towards capacity building, education, research, and advisory services particularly inand for developing countries.
IDW: http://www.idw.nl/ (English and Dutch)
Information Centre for Credential Evaluation.

2) International higher education-related website
Internationalstudy: http://www.internationalstudy.nl/ (English)
Code of conduct and a list of higher education institutions in the Netherlands that have singed the
Code.
Studychoice: http://www.studychoice.nl/ (English and Dutch)
A website providing information about higher education study in the Netherlands.
Study in Holland: http://www.studyinholland.nl/ (English)
Everything you need to know about studying in the Netherlands. Database of English-taught study
programmes.
Qrossroads: http://www.qrossroads.eu/ (English)
An overview of all accredited programmes and institutions in a number of European countries.
Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), Studie in Nederland (Study in the Netherlands):
http://www.jasso.go.jp/study_a/oversea_info_ne.html (Japanese)
This site provides useful information for Japanese students who wish to study in the Netherlands.

Scholarships
Grantfinder: http://www.grantfinder.nl/ (English)
Online search engine which brings together a range of Dutch scholarships for international
students.
Scholarships: http://www.nuffic.nl/scholarships (English and Dutch)
Nuffic information about scholarships for international students.
Source:Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science:
http://english.minocw.nl/documenten/OCW-NVAO%20Folder%20ENG%20def.pdf
Nuffic: Most people come for the tulips, Life and Study 2009/2010.
Nuffic: Most students prepare for a study, International Degree Programmes 2009/2010.

5-4) Ethnic minorities in higher education
The Netherlands is increasingly becoming a multi-cultural society. The country is home to many
immigrants from the former overseas territories of Indonesia, Surinam, Aruba and the Netherlands
Antilles*, as well as from Turkey, Morocco and other countries. Of the current population, about18

18 % are of recent foreign descent. Over the period from 2003 to 2007, the proportion of (Westernand non-Western) ethnic minority students entering the Dutch tertiary education rose to nearly 30
per cent of the total number of first-year students.
* Both Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles are island countries in the Caribbean Sea that form the Kingdom of theNetherlands. Since 1954, the federation of the Netherlands Antilles, which is a constituent part of the Kingdom of
the Netherlands, has been semi-autonomous in most internal affairs. Aruba was part of this federation until 1st
January 1986, when it gained a separate status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Aruban citizens hold
Dutch passports

Intake of ethnic minorities (2008)
Country

Rates
Research university

University of applied sciences

Surinam

5%

10%Morocco2%

9%Turkey4%10%Netherlands Antilles

3%6%

Other non-Western countries

24%

20%

Western countries

62%

45%

Source:Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Sciences: Key Figures 2004-2008
http://english.minocw.nl/documenten/key%20figures%202004-2008.pdf
Radboud University Nijmegen (2009): Radboud University Nijmegen: ECTS Guide 2009-2010.
Nuffic website: http://www.nuffic.nl/
U.S. Department of State website: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/index.htm

6. Courses and qualifications
Since the signing of the Bologna declaration in 1999, a number of changes have occurred in higher
education in the Netherlands and throughout Europe. The idea of the Bologna declaration was tocreate a European Higher Education Area in which easily understandable and comparable degrees
were developed. A bachelor/master structure and a system of credits were introduced in order topromote national and international mobility, as well as European cooperation in assuring quality.

6-1) Credit system
ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System)
In accordance with the Bologna declaration, the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System(ECTS)* was further developed by the European Commission of the EU in order to provide common
procedures to guarantee academic recognition of studies abroad. The EU introduced thisstandardised system for measuring study load as a way to facilitate international mobility. The
Netherlands higher education institutions adopted the ECTS system officially in 2002. It provides away of measuring and comparing learning achievements, and transferring them from one institution
Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

19to another. ECTS is a decentralised system based upon the principle of mutual trust between
participating institutions. The few rules of ECTS, which concern information (on courses available),
agreement (between the home and host institution), and the use of credits (to indicate student
workload), are intended to as reinforcements of this mutual trust.
One ECTS credit represents 28 hours of full-time study (including contact hours, reading,
independent study, presentation for exams etc.). The study programme for every academic year
consists of 60 ECTS (1,680 hours).
* ECTS is used today as part of the curricular design but it is useful to recall that this European credit system
was developed long before the Bologna declaration, namely in 1988 in the context of the Erasmus exchange
programme to facilitate recognition of study abroad periods. In addition, many countries had a long history ofusing credits, for example, the Baltic States, Hungary, Ireland, the Nordic countries, the UK and Turkey. It was
only with the launch of the Bologna reforms that ECTS was further developed as a credit accumulation systemat national level and gradually mainstreamed as a generalised credit system for the European Higher EducationArea.

6-2) Curriculum
Study load
Dutch law (Higher Education and Research Act: WHW) defines the bachelor’s degree programme interms of the number of ECTS credits a student must obtain before the degree can be awarded. It
makes a clear distinction between the bachelor’s degree awarded by traditional research
universities and those awarded by universities of applied sciences (HBO). In research universities abachelor’s degree is awarded to students who obtain 180 ECTS credits, while in universities ofapplied sciences 240 ECTS credits are required. This is because there is a difference in thesecondary education stage. For research universities this is at a higher level and therefore a
student at university of applied sciences needs to obtain more ECTS credits in order to achieve an
equivalent level. The emphasis in universities of applied sciences education, however, is on
training for profession. The minimum number of ECTS credits needed to obtain a master’s degree
is prescribed by law as well: 60 ECTS credits are needed for most master’s degree programmes(usually in the field of the humanities, economics, social sciences and law); 120 ECTS credits are
required for some programmes (mainly in the field of natural sciences); whereas other programmes
vary from 180 ECTS (as in medical sciences) to 240 ECTS credits.

Organisation of education
Lectures
A lecture is a broad introduction to the subject matter under consideration, where one lecturer
speaks to a large group of students. Sometimes there is an opportunity to ask questions at the endof the session, which normally lasts for one hour and 45 minutes, including a 15-minites break. The
lecturer will offer suggestions for further reading.

20

Seminars
A seminar is an interactive, in-depth discussion of the subject matter. A member of the teaching
staff meets with a small group of 10 to 30 students. Active participation of the students is required.
Sometimes students do an oral presentation for the group, the aims of which are to acquire
knowledge and understanding of the topic under consideration as well as to gain confidence,
assertiveness, and poise.
Tutorials
A small group of students studies and discusses selected topics with a member of the teaching
staff. The discussions may be based on essential reading or on prepared written work. The topic isanalysed in depth. Tutorials are normally only held when the number of students is too small tojustify offering a lecture or a seminar.
PapersPapers or essays can vary in length from a few hundred to a few thousand words. Students areusually instructed on the maximum length of the paper well in advance. In a paper, students mustshow their insight into the topic under consideration and show that they have studied the essential
literature; that they are able to analyse the topic, and that they can express themselves clearly andconcisely. The lecturer usually set a deadline for the paper to be handed in.
Course work
During the semester, students are expected to participate actively in any course they take. Thismeans preparing for lectures and seminars, doing the necessary homework and carrying out theappropriate assignments. All of this is referred to as course work.
Assessment
Courses may be assessed in various ways, for instance by means of papers, or written or oral exams.
These are meant to assess the student’s comprehension of the subject matter discussed in lectures,
seminars or tutorials. An oral exam normally lasts 30 minutes to 1 hour. Written exams normallylast 2 to 3 hours. During a written exam, students have to answer open, multiple choice, and/or
essay-type questions.
Grading scale
Most Dutch higher education institutions use the traditional Dutch grading scale which runs from10 (highest mark) to 1 (lowest mark) instead of the ECTS grading scale but there is compatibility
between the two systems (see table below). In traditional Dutch grading scale, the lowest passgrade is 6, while grades 9 and 10 are rarely given. Grades between 5 and 6 are usually rounded up
from 5.5, which means that 5.4 is a fail and 5.5 a pass. However, whether a grade signifies a pass or
not is the prerogative of the board of examiners of the department.
The ECTS grading scale has been developed in order to help institutions translate the grades
awarded by host institutions to ECTS students. It provides information on the student’s
performance in addition to that provided by the institution’s grade; it does not replace the local
grade.

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

21

The ECTS grading scale and Dutch grading scale
ECTS grade

Dutch grade

Definition

A

10

EXCELLENT: outstanding performance with only minor errors

B

9

VERY GOOD: above the average standard but with some errors

C

8

GOOD: generally sound work with a number of notable errors

D

7

SATISFACTORY: fair but with significant shortcomings

E

6

SUFFICIENT: performance meets the minimum criteria

FX

FAIL (FX): some more work required before the credit can be
5-1

awardedF

FAIL (F): considerable further work is required

6-3) Degrees
As a result of the Bologna Process, the higher education system in the Netherlands is currently
organised around a three-cycle degree system, consisting of bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees.
Students who have successfully completed the first phase will receive a bachelor’s degree. A
master’s degree will be awarded after successful completion of the second phase. The Dutch
equivalent of these titles, doctorandus (drs.), ingenieur (ir.), meester (mr.), may still be used.
Students who have completed their graduate studies are eligible to progress to a doctorate.
Table of degrees
Research universities
PhD

Universities ofInstitutes forapplied sciencesinternational education

4 years

Master (M)

1-2 years(60-120 ECTS)

Master of Arts (MA)

1-2 years

1-2 years(60-120 ECTS)
Master of Science (MSc)

1-2 years

1-2 years(60-120 ECTS)
Bachelor (B)

4 years(240 ECTS)

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

3 years (180 ECTS)

Bachelor of Science (BSc)

3 years (180 ECTS)

6-4) Diploma Supplement
The Diploma Supplement (DS) is a document based on European model that accompanies a person’s
higher education certificate. It provides a description of the nature, level, context and status of themodules that were followed and successfully completed. It also provides a transcript of records anda description of the national educational framework within which the qualification in question was

22

awarded. The Diploma Supplement is intended to provide international transparency and facilitate
fair academic and professional recognition of qualifications (diplomas, degrees, certificates)
awarded in Europe. The Diploma Supplement is produced by the higher education institutions
themselves. They do this according to a template that has been developed by jointly by theEuropean Union’s Commission, the Council of Europe and UNESCO. It is composed of the following
eight sections:•

Information identifying the holder of the qualification,•

Information identifying the qualification,•

Information on the level of the qualification,•

Information on the contents and results gained,•

Information on the function of the qualification,•

Additional information,•

Certification of the Supplement,•

Information on the national higher education system.

Officially, the Diploma Supplement was introduced in all Dutch institutions of higher education asof 1st January 2006.
Source:State University of Groningen (2009): Welcome to the State University of Groningen: A Handbook forInternational Students 2009-2010.
Radboud University Nijmegen (2009): Radboud University Nijmegen: ECTS Information Guide 2009-2010.
Nuffic website: http://www.nuffic.nl/
State University of Groningen website: http://www.rug.nl/
Leiden Univesity website: http://www.leiden.edu/
Qrossroads website: http://www.qrossroads.eu/
European University Association (2010): Trends 2010: A Decade of Change in European Higher Education.

7. Responsible authorities and higher education related bodies
Government departments
Government departments are responsible for overall public policy for higher education. They are
the source of the public funds that support higher education institutions.
•

Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science: http://www.minocw.nl/•

DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs: The Education Executive Agency, the Ministry of Education,
Culture and Science): http://ib-groep.nl/International_visitors/default.asp

Research councils•

NWO (The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research): http://www.nwo.nl/•

KNAW (The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences): http://www.knaw.nl/

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

23

Representative organisations•

VSNU (Association of Universities in the Netherlands): http://www.vsnu.nl/•

HBO-raad (Association of Universities of Applied Sciences): http://www.hbo-raad.nl/

Quality assurance and international cooperation organisations•

NVAO (Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders): http://www.nvao.net/•

QANU (Quality Assurance Netherlands Universities): http://www.qanu.nl/•

Certiked VBI bv (Lloyd’s Register Nederland B.V.): http://www.certiked-vbi.nl/•

EAPAA (European Association for Public Administration Accreditation): http://www.eapaa.org/•

Hobéon (Hobéon Certificering bv): http://www.hobeon.nl/•

NQA (Netherlands Quality Agency): http://www.nqa.nl/•

Nuffic (Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education):
http://www.nuffic.nl/•

CROHO (Central Register of Higher Education Programmes):
http://www.ib-groep.nl/zakelijk/ho/croho/croho.asp•

ENIC/NARIC Netherlands (Centre for International Recognition and Certification: CIRC):
http://www.nuffic.nl/•

ASIIN (Akkreditierungsagentur für Studiengänge der Ingenieurwissenschaften, der Informatik,
der Naturwissenschaften und der Mathematik e.V.): http://www.asiin-ev.de/ (NVAO-accreditedquality assessment agency)•

FIBAA (Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation):
http://www.fibaa.de/ (NVAO-accredited quality assessment agency)

8. Student organisations
The Dutch National Union of Students (LSVb): http://www.lsvb.nl/ (English and Dutch)
LSVb (The Dutch National Union of Students) which was established in 1983 is a federation which
consists of twelve local students’ unions in the Netherlands. These local unions safeguard therights of students in their own town and at their own university. The LSVb has been ensuring thatnational and local governments, universities and the DUO (Education Executive Agency) take theinterests of the students into account. By talking with members of the Parliament, the Minister ofeducation and other higher-education stakeholders, LSVb makes sure that the voice of the students
is being heard. By carrying out these works, LSVb keeps higher education available for all students,
maintains and improves the quality of education and gets the rents for student housing at an
acceptable rate. LSVb also supports students by providing trainings and by giving them free legal
support.

24

AIESEC: http://www.aiesec.nl/ (English)
AIESEC (Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales) which
was founded in 1948 is an international student organisation active in over 100 countries and atover 1,100 universities. AIESEC focuses on increasing the intercultural understanding and personal
development of its members. AIESEC in the Netherlands organises several programmes such as theinternational internship programme in which Dutch students go abroad and foreign students cometo the Netherlands; the Ambassadors Programme, an exchange programme that offers first andsecond-year students the opportunity to spend two months in an AIESEC country during thesummer.

AEGEE: http://www.aegee.org/ (English)
AEGEE (Association des États Généraux des Étudiants de l’Europe) established in 1985 is a
non-political, European student club. At present, the AEGEE network consists of approximately
13,000 students, and extends to more than 180 localities in and outside Europe. The aim of AEGEE
is to promote peace and stability, intercultural exchange, higher education and active citizenship.
Many events are organised within the network, for instance, conference, Summer Universities,
exchange programmes, European Schools and European member meetings.
Source:The Dutch National Union of Students (LSVb) website: http://www.lsvb.nl/
AIESEC the Netherlands website: http://www.aiesec.nl/
AEGEE website: http://www.aegee.org/
State University of Groningen (2009): Welcome to the State University of Groningen: A Handbook forInternational Students 2009-2010.
Radboud University Nijmegen (2009): Radboud University Nijmegen: ECTS Information Guide 2009-2010.

9. Tuition fees and student aid
9-1) Tuition fees
The Dutch research universities charge tuition fees for both bachelor’s and master’s programmes,
varying according to university and academic discipline. The height of the tuition fees applying tostudents younger than 30, of Dutch or EU nationality and enrolled on a full-time study programmeis determined by government. For other students, the universities themselves determine theamount to be paid. These include full time students older than 30 years, non EU students or otherforeign students not eligible for student support, and part time students. The annual tuition feesfor enrolment on a degree programmes or course at a Dutch higher education institution start at
approximately 1,600 Euro for EU students. Generally tuition fees are higher for non-EU students
than for Dutch and EU students, and Dutch and EU students are charged higher fees if they areolder than 30 years.

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

259-2) Student finance
The Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science guarantees the accessibility of higher
education and the government is responsible for financial support for students. Students can takeout a grant or loan from the Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (Education Executive Agency), abbreviatedto DUO, the Dutch Government institution that deals with financial issues for students in the
Netherlands.
Dutch students studying at a research university or a university of applied sciences are generally
entitled to student finance from the Dutch government under certain conditions. This is laid downin the Student Finance Act (WSF 2000). DUO implements the Act on behalf of the Ministry of
Education, Culture and Science (DUO exists since 1st January 2010. Until then, DUO was theInformatie Beeheer Groep: IB-Groep).
Monthly student finance amounts vary according to whether the student lives at home or not, with abasic grant for all students and a supplementary grant which depends on parents’ income. Student
grants are available for students who are younger than 30 years at the point of enrolment andenrolled in full-time or dual education. Non-Dutch students with certain types of residence permits
are also eligible for the student grants.
EU/EEA* students who do not meet the criteria for a student grant can apply for loans covering
tuition fees which have to be repaid after graduation. Dutch students receiving a student grant may
also apply for those loans.
* The EU/EEA countries are: Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Finland,
France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Norway,
Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.

Conditions attached to student financeStudents at research universities or universities of applied sciences are entitled to student financefor education when they meet the following conditions:•Students who are younger than 30 the moment they apply for student finance and the moment
they are entitled to it for the first time•

Students who follow a full-time course or work-study programme in a higher education
institution (a research university or a university of applied sciences)•

Students who possess Dutch nationality.

Performance-based grantStudents pursuing university education at a research university on higher professional education ata university of applied sciences receive a performance-based grant. Students initially receive theirperformance-based grant in the form of a loan. When students obtain their diploma within ten years,
this loan is forgiven; if they do not do so, then they must repay their performance-related grant. The
performance-related grant is composed of a basic grant, a supplementary grant and a student travel
product, or student travel grant.

26

Types of student financeStudent finance is comprised of:1.

Basic grant2.

Supplementary grant3.

Student travel product

4.

Loans

5.

Tuition fees loan (solely for research university or university of applied sciences education).

1. Basic grant
Everyone entitled to student finance receives a basic grant. The basic grant awarded to most
students is part of the performance-related grant. When students live away from home they receivea higher basic grant than when they live with parents, which is only logical, since their costs related
to studying will be higher. Students who look after a child are entitled to a supplement to their basic
grant.

2. Supplementary grant
In addition to applying for a basic grant, students can also apply for a supplementary grant. The
supplementary grant awarded to most students is, in common with the basic grant, part of theperformance-related grant. The amount of their supplementary grant depends on their parents’income.

3. Student travel product
The student travel product is part of student finance. Students are entitled to the student travel
product for the entire period they are entitled to student finance. The student travel product can beused for travel by train, bus, metro and tram free of charge or at a reduced rate. Students can choosea season ticket for travelling during the week or at weekends. For most students the student travel
product, like the basic grant and the supplementary grant, is part of the performance-related grant.

4. LoansStudents can take out a loan from DUO in addition to their basic grant and supplementary grant.
They can borrow the maximum amount, or less. However, when deciding whether to take out a loan,
students should bear in mind that a loan is independent of their student study results and they needto repay only once they have finished their study. In addition, they must pay interest on the loan: in2010 the interest rate is 2.39 percent per annum.
When students are no longer entitled to a performance-related grant but are still registered as afull-time student then they can continue to borrow from DUO for a period of three years, a period
which is referred to as the ’lending phase’. Students may borrow a maximum amount of 853.16 Europer month during the lending phase (2010): self-evidently, students can also decide on a lower loan.
They can also decide not to borrow during the lending phase (a zero loan).

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

27

5. Tuition fees loan
In addition to an ‘ordinary’ loan, students at a research university or a university of applied sciences(HBO-sector) can also apply for a loan to pay their tuition fees. This loan, referred to as a ‘tuition
fees loan’ is part of student finance. Students can apply for this tuition fees loan at the same time astheir performance-related grant and, where applicable, ordinary loan. In principle, the repayment
phase of a loan is of a fifteen-year duration. The tuition fees loan is paid in monthly instalments.
DUO determines the amount of the monthly instalment by dividing students’ total debt by 180
months (fifteen years). This results in the monthly instalment, with a minimum of 45.41 Euro permonth. If students have difficulty paying the specified monthly instalment then they can submit arequest to have their monthly instalment reduced. DUO then calculates the amount they could repay
on the basis of their income two years ago.

Amounts of student finance
The tables below show the amounts students can receive. All amounts listed in the tables are
maximum amounts.
Higher education, average monthly amounts (2010)
Types of student finance

Living at your parents’ home

Away

Basic grant

95.61

266.23

Supplementary grant

220.08240.00Loans

288.46288.46

Tuition fees loan (Institutional tuition fees)

137.17137.17(Unit: Euro)

Additional income limit
In 2010 students are permitted to earn an additional annual income of up to 13,215.83 Euro
alongside their student finance. Even when they have a ‘zero loan’ they still make use of student
finance, and consequently the additional income limit is also applicable to them. This relates totheir aggregate income or taxable wage.

Student finance outside the Netherlands
Since 2007, student grants have also been available for Dutch students studying abroad. This is thecase not only for students who remain registered at a Dutch research university or a university of
applied sciences while spending a limited period studying abroad, but also for those who are notregistered at a Dutch research university or a university of applied sciences and follow a degree
programme abroad. Apart from the conditions applicable to all student grants, three moreconditions apply to student grants for studying abroad:•

Three years in the Netherlands: Out of the six years preceding enrolment abroad, the student
needs to have spent at least three years in the Netherlands.

•

No other grant: The student must not receive any student allowance by a foreign government.
Students must choose between either student finance from the Netherlands or a grant from thecountry in which they are studying. They cannot receive both.

28

•Quality of degree programmes abroad: The study programme abroad needs to meet certain
standards. There is a special body, Nuffic (Netherlands organization for international
cooperation in higher education), which checks on DUO’s behalf whether the degree
programme they want to follow abroad satisfies the Dutch requirements for higher education.

Student finance for non-Dutch citizens
One of the general conditions to be met for an entitlement to student finance is the possession of
Dutch nationality. However, in certain situations students who do not have Dutch nationality arestill entitled to student finance. More information about the details of student finance for non-Dutch
citizens can be found on the DUO website:
http://www.ib-groep.nl/International_visitors/default.asp (English)9-3) Scholarships for international students
Scholarships coordinated by Nuffic
Huygens Scholarship Programme: http://www.nuffic.nl/hsp (English and Dutch)
The Huygens Scholarship Programme (HSP) is open to students from all countries of the world.
It is intended for students who have an excellent academic record and want to study in the
Netherlands during the final phase of their bachelor’s studies or during their master’s studies.
PhD applications are accepted from students from a limited number of countries.

Erasmus Mundus: http://ec.europa.eu/education/external-relation-programmes/doc72_en.htm(English, German and French)
Erasmus Mundus is a programme of the European Commission. The aim is to enhance quality
in higher education through scholarships and academic cooperation between Europe and therest of the world. The Erasmus Mundus programme offers financial support for institutions
and scholarships for individuals. Funding is available for:•

Action 1 - European joint programmes;•

Action 2 - Partnerships with non-European higher education institutions andscholarships for students and academics;•

Action 3 - Projects to promote European higher education worldwide.

Erasmus Mundus joint programmes are comprised of Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses(EMMCs), Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorates (EMJDs). European Commission provides
full-study scholarships for students and researchers of exceptional quality, and scholarships
for academics to teach on EMMCs.

Tempus: http://www.ec.europa.eu/tempus (English, German and French)
The Tempus programme allows universities in a number of countries in Eastern Europe,
Central Asia, the Western Balkans and the Mediterranean region to establish partnership withinstitutions in the European Union as a means to help them restructure their higher education
systems.

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

29

Netherlands Fellowship Programmes: http://www.nuffic.nl/nfp (English)
The Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP) are demand-driven fellowship progrmmes
designed to foster capacity building within organisations in 57 developing countries by
providing training and education to mid-career employees. The NFP are funded by the
Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs development cooperation budget.
Apart from the scholarships coordinated by Nuffic, a number of Dutch higher education
institutions also offer their own scholarships. These scholarships are often related to a specificfield of study and/or degree programme at a specific institution. Students are strongly
recommended to find out whether scholarships are available in their particular field of study.
Reference:•

The Dutch Embassy or Consulate: http://www.mfa.nl/ (English and Dutch)•

The international office at your home institution•

The Neso Office (Nuffic overseas office), consult the list on http://www.nuffic.nl/neso(English)•

The Dutch higher education institution of your choice, to which you are applying in the
Netherlands; they can inform you about scholarships offered•

Website Grantfinder to get an overview of all current scholarships:
http://www.grantfinder.nl/ (English)

Source:Nuffic website: http://www.nuffic.nl/
Nuffic: Most people come for the tulips, Life and Study 2009/2010.
Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS) (2007): Higher Education in the Netherlands: Country
report.
VSNU website: http://www.vsnu.nl/Home-english.htm
DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs) (2009): Everything about student finance for students and graduates:
http://www.ib-groep.nl/International_visitors/
European Commission Education & Training website: http://ec.europa.eu/education/
European Commission (2010): Erasmus Mundus: International Quality Assurance - the Erasmus Mundus
Experience (NIAD-UE Seminar presentation material, 17th June 2010, Tokyo, Japan).

10. Legislation•

The Higher Education and Research Act (WHW) 1993 (amended 2002)•

The Adult and Vocational Education Act (WEB) 1996•

The Student Finance Act (WSF) 2000

30

11. Ongoing debates in Dutch higher education
The basis of a sound knowledge society is a well-educated working population. If one wishes toensure prosperity and well-being for the future, as many people as possible must be able toperform work at a higher knowledge level. However, it has been widely discussed that theNetherlands lacks well-trained personnel. The percentage of people with a higher level of
education is increasing in the Netherlands, but in order to meet the demands of the labour market,
more students will have to participate in research university and university of applied sciences
education. There is also concern expressed, for instance, by OECD regarding the opportunities for
progression within the education system for pupils from low socio-economic backgrounds. In
addition to satisfactory progression within the education system, reducing the drop-out rate inhigher education (there is a concern that the student drop-out rate in the Dutch universities isexcessive: approximately 30 to 40 % have no final diploma) will increase the percentage of people
with a higher level of education.

Strategic agenda for higher education
Many of those involved in Dutch higher education and science are enthusiastic about improving
higher education. In 2007, Dutch Government drew up and published a strategic agenda for higher
education, research and science policy after close consultations with research universities,
universities of applied sciences and students. The intended approach regarding Government extra
investment is as follows:•

Greater academic success for students
Government aims to greatly reduce the student drop-out rate in the bachelor phase. This aim
is not related to students who switch to another course, but to those who drop out of higher
education and do not return. An interim assessment will be made in 2011, when the drop-out
reduction must be 30%. The success rates of immigrant students must also be improved.

•

Greater quality and excellence
The basic quality must be maintained, but Government wishes to challenge research
universities and universities of applied sciences to provide more than that basic quality. In
addition, more students should study more than just the basic programme. Differentiation in
education and intensive supervision are very important in this respect. An importantconsideration in the case of quality improvement is the training level of tutors.

•

The link between education, research and the labour market
Proper interaction between courses, research and employers improves the quality ofeducation and professional practice.

Source:Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (2008): Strategic Agenda for Higher Education, Researchand Science Policy.
Studentnews.eu website: http://tertiary-education.studentnews.eu/

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands31III. The quality assurance system
1. Summary of the Dutch quality assurance system
Higher education in the Netherlands enjoys a worldwide reputation for its high quality. This isachieved through a national system of regulation and quality assurance. Quality assurance at Dutch
universities concerns research groups as well as degree programmes. Research groups are subject toa research assessment scheme, degree programmes are monitored in an accreditation scheme.

Research assessment
Many research universities make use of the national evaluation system for publicly funded researchin the Netherlands. In 2003, the way that academic research in the Netherlands was assessedchanged radically. Previously, research assessments were conducted once every five years
nationally and per discipline, and were organised by the Association of Universities in the
Netherlands (VSNU). In the new system the responsibility for assessing research lies with theinstitutions themselves. This means that the Board of each university is responsible for organisingadequate, thorough, independent assessments of all research conducted at the institution.
In the new evaluation system all publicly funded research is evaluated once every six years. Once
every three years research units will produce a self-evaluation, alternating between preparations forthe external evaluation and serving as an internal mid-term evaluation. The evaluation system aims
at three objectives:•

Improvement of the quality of research•

Improvement of research management•

Accountability to higher levels of the research organisations and funding agencies,
government, and society at large.

Accreditation
All university degree courses are permanently subjected to internal quality control and external
assessment. According to the Higher Education and Accreditation Act, all degree programmes
offered by research universities and universities of applied sciences must be evaluated according to
the established criteria. The current system of external quality assurance started in 2002/3 with theintroduction of the bachelor/master structure in the Netherlands. All degree programmes have to beaccredited by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) to be eligible
for government funding of bachelor’s and master’s degree programme, for the right to award
recognised diplomas and to grant financial assistance to students. Accredited programmes arelisted in the Central Register of Higher Education Programmes (CROHO). In the context of theinternationalisation of education and the labour market, accreditation provides for an equivalenceof quality assurance in higher education.
Accreditation is granted on the basis of an evaluation report produced once every six years by an
external quality assessment agency. The assessment panel of the agency judges the self-evaluation
report of the programme under review and carries out the site-visit. Protocols ensure a transparent,

32systematic and reliable assessment of programmes in accordance with national and international
benchmarks. Failure either to comply with or to meet the standards laid down in these protocols
amounting to a negative accreditation decision leads to the sanctions mentioned above (nogovernment recognition and funding, no student grants and loans). Within the framework of the
Bologna process European countries are working towards the mutual recognition of theiraccreditation decisions.
Source:Nuffic: Higher Education in the Netherlands
Nuffic website: http://www.nuffic.nl/
VSNU website: http://www.vsnu.nl/Home-english.htm
State University of Groningen website: http://www.rug.nl/corporate/index
Radboud University Nijmegen (2009): Radboud University Nijmegen: ECTS Information Guide 2009-2010.
Delft University of Technology website: http://home.tudelft.nl/en/

2. Historical background
Since the early 1980s, Dutch education policy has been geared to assign educational institutions
more and more responsibility for setting and raising standards in education.
In higher education, as well as internal evaluation by institutions themselves, external quality
assessments were also carried out. Since the 1990s, Dutch universities have had an external checkon the quality of teaching in the form of assessments by the Association of Universities in the
Netherlands (VSNU). Over a five-year cycle all university programmes in the Netherlands were
scrutinised by an experts committee installed by VSNU, which assessed the quality of the
programmes and presented its findings in a public report. When the bachelor/master system wasintroduced in 2002 this external quality assurance was modified.
The existing quality assessment system is now linked to the accreditation of programmes. A specialorganisation has been set up to award accreditations, the NVAO (the Accreditation Organisation of
the Netherlands and Flanders). The NVAO decides whether a programme can be accredited, based on
the data supplied by a quality assessment agency. In the case of new programmes (initialaccreditation) NVAO carries out the assessment itself.

Before 1980•

No systematic quality assurance system•

Strong government regulations through legal measures and Academic Statute

During the 1980s•

More students, more focus on efficiency (less budget), less trust in academic self control•

France, UK and the Netherlands were the pioneers on external quality assurance (European
Quality Networks)

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

33

1985 - Universities in the Netherlands agree on external peer review of all degree programmes•

During the 1990s•

1993 - Higher Education and Research Act (WHW)•

Since 1988 system of an external check on the quality of university teaching in the form of
quality assessments under supervision of the VSNU (Association of Universities in the
Netherlands)•

Selection of external peers by VSNU•

Every 6 year, every programme (economics, etc) was reviewed by the committee of ‘colleagues’(peer reviews), focusing on quality enhancement but with publication of the reports(accountability)
Monitoring role for the inspection of higher education (meta-evaluation) when the VSNU•

reports indicated insufficient quality. In the worst case the Minister of Education could close a
programme although in practice this never happened.
1999 - Bologna declaration•

2002-2010•

2002 - Amendment of Higher Education and Research Act•

2002 - Introduction of bachelor – master – doctorate structure•

2002 - Introduction of the Dutch Law on accreditation (Higher Education and Accreditation Act
2002)
2002 and 2005 - Establishment of the Netherlands Accreditation Organisation in 2002 (NAO)•

and the NVAO (Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders) in 2003 (formallyestablished by ratification of the Accreditation Treaty by the Dutch and Flemish governments
in 2005)•

2003 - Introduction of programme accreditation by NVAO•

2003 - Introduction of new system of research assessment

2011 2nd phase of accreditation - Introduction of new accreditation system•−

Institutional audit by NVAO, in which the internal quality assurance system of the higher
education institutions will be checked and evaluated−Programme accreditation, in which the “ambition and objectives” (the intended learning
outcomes), the content and the results (the achieved learning outcomes) are evaluated bypeers. Limited programme assessment when the institutional audit is positive andcomprehensive programme assessment otherwise.

Source:Karl Dittrich (NVAO): Reforming Quality Assurance and Accreditation in the Netherlands (NIAD-UE Seminarmaterial, 16th June 2010, Tokyo, Japan).
European Commission: Eurybase – Organisation of the Education System in the Netherlands 2008/09.
http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/eurybase/eurybase_full_reports/NL_EN.pdf

34

VSNU: Quality assurance and accreditation in the Netherlands.
NVAO (2009): 2nd Phase of Accreditation – the Netherlands and Flanders.
State University of Groningen (2005): Integrated Quality Assurance for Education at the State University ofGroningen.

3. Quality assurance system in Dutch higher education
3-1) Internal quality assurance
Higher education institutions are responsible for the quality of their teaching and for the systemthey use to guarantee that quality. Such a system may have five distinct elements:•

Clearly formulated course objectives•

A monitoring system, from which it is possible to see whether the objectives are indeed being
achieved. This includes a properly functioning system for recording students’ progress andthe keeping of records on success rates and the number of students who drop out•

Internal evaluation by the staff concerned•

Student evaluations of each course•

Surveys among graduates and employers.

Internal evaluations may look, among others, at the following areas:•

Teaching•

Exit qualifications•

Content•

Teaching process•

Success rate and parameters•

Services to the community•

The institution’s policy.

Research is subject to a separate quality assurance system (please refer to 3-2-1) Researchassessment, page 37). Self-evaluation is the instrument used for internal evaluations. The board ofeach research university and university of applied sciences is responsible for internal evaluation(self-evaluation).

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

35

Example of internal quality assurance at research university
Below are the summaries of internal quality assurance system at the University of Amsterdam.
◇ Organisation for internal quality assurance
University Board (3 members)

Faculty (dean)College

Graduate School

Research Institute(dirctor)(director)(director)

Bachelor programmes

Master/PhD programmes(director)(director)◇ Other participants for internal quality assurance•

Students− Written or oral assessments of course− Bachelor and master survey− Programme Committee− Student council (faculty level, central level)− Student association

•

Staff
− Programme director− Oral assessment of courses− Programme committee*− Examination Board− Works council•

External− Alumni− Professional field* Programme committee is composed of 50% students and 50% lecturers and undertakes assessment of thequality of all educational activities (courses, internships, facilities, student counselling, etc.).
Source:European Commission: Eurybase – Organisation of the Education System in the Netherlands 2008/09.
http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/eurybase/eurybase_full_reports/NL_EN.pdf
University of Amsterdam (2010): Quality Assurance at the University of Amsterdam.

363-2) External quality assurance framework
3-2-1) Research assessment
Every six years the quality of research institutes and research groups at Dutch research universities
is systematically assessed. Universities organise the assessment themselves and appoint an
independent international peer-review committee. Next to an overall assessment of an institute, thequality, productivity, viability and relevance of all research groups are evaluated. PhD programmes
are also included in this process. In addition to the external evaluation, an internal evaluation of theinstitutes takes place every three years.
The present research quality assurance system has been in use since the 1990s. Up until 2003, the
VSNU (Association of Universities in the Netherlands) had been responsible for organisingnation-wide evaluations on discipline level. Since 2003 the universities themselves have organised
the research assessments based on the Standard Evaluation Protocol (SEP). In this protocol,
established by the VSNU, the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and the Royal
Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), the three main Dutch organisations responsible
for publicly funded research, emphasis is placed on the international position of institutes andresearch groups. The protocol is periodically reviewed by an independent expert committee.
The external evaluation of scientific research applies at two levels: the research institute as a wholeand its research programmes. Three main tasks of the research institute and its research
programmes are to be assessed: the production of results relevant to the scientific community, theproduction of results relevant to society, and the training of PhD students.

Objectives of research assessment
The Standard Evaluation Protocol (SEP) provides common guidelines for the evaluation andimprovement of research and research policy, based on expert assessment. It has two main
objectives:•

To improve the research quality based on external peer review, including scientific andsocietal relevance of research, research policy and research management;•

To ensure accountability to the board of the research organisation, and towards funding
agencies, government and society at large.

Assessment criteria
The main criteria to be used in the evaluation are:•Quality (including international academic reputation and PhD training)•

Productivity (the relationship between reputation and output)•

Societal relevance (scientific and socio-economic impact)•

Vitality and feasibility (the ability to react adequately to important changes in theenvironment).

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

37

Planning and procedures
1.

Overall planning

2.

Providing planning document

3.

Selection and composition of the external evaluation committee

4.

Self-evaluation

5.

Site visit and evaluation report

6.

Follow-up

Source:
VSNU, KNAW and NWO (2009): Standard Evaluation Protocol 2009-2015, Protocol for Research Assessmentin the Netherlands.
VSNU website: http://www.vsnu.nl/Home-english.htm
KNAW website: http://www.knaw.nl/english/

3-2-2) Accreditation
Since the 1990s, Dutch universities have had an external check on the quality of teaching in theform of quality assessments. Over a five-year cycle all university programmes in the Netherlands
were scrutinised by committee installed by VSNU, which assessed the quality of the programmes
and presents its findings in a public assessment report. When the bachelor/master system wasintroduced in 2002, the national quality assurance system has been modified from theseassessments to accreditation. A special organisation has been set up to award accreditations, the
NVAO (the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders).
The system of accreditation in higher education aims to guarantee that study programmes meet thehighest standards. Accreditation procedures have become an important method for external quality
assurance not only in the Netherlands but in many other European countries. Accreditation isdefined as every formalised decision by an appropriately recognised authority as to whether an
institution of higher education or a programme conforms to certain standards. According toEuropean Consortium for Accreditation (ECA), accreditation is defined as “a formal and independent
decision, indicating that an institution of higher education and/or programmes meet certain
predefined standards.”
Accreditation is achieved through a multi-step process:1.

self-evaluation or documentation submitted by the unit undergoing accreditation;

2.

external assessment by independent experts; and,3.

the accreditation decision.

The accreditation decision is based on the external assessment. The accreditation decision itself isauthoritative in nature and results in a “yes” (with or without conditions) or “no” judgment with alimited validity.
In the Netherlands, the law, Higher Education and Accreditation Act 2002, requires that all degree
programmes offered by research universities and universities of applied sciences be evaluatedagainst a specific set of criteria. Programmes that meet the criteria are accredited (i.e. officially38

recognised). Degree programmes accredited by NVAO will be listed in the Central Register of Higher
Education Programmes (CROHO). Students will be awarded recognised degrees only after
completing an accredited degree programme.
The current Dutch accreditation system is comprised of 1) initial accreditation (assessment of‘new’ programmes that want to offer a recognised bachelor and master’s degree) and 2) cyclicalaccreditation (assessment of programmes with all bachelor and master’s degrees that are alreadyrecognised). Accreditation is mandatory for programmes to award recognised bachelor and master
degrees; to make their students eligible for study grants and loans; to receive state funding (forpublic higher education institutions only). Below are an outline of cyclical accreditation system
carried out by NVAO (please refer to page 57 for the summary of NVAO’s initial accreditation).

Double-layered accreditation system
In the Netherlands and Flanders, assessment and accreditation of new programmes is carried out by
NVAO (initial accreditation).
In the Netherlands and Flanders, accreditation of existing programmes is double layered,
implemented by VBIs and NVAO. VBIs refer to ‘quality assessment agencies’. VBI is an organisation
recognised by NVAO as a quality assessment agency. There are 7 VBIs in the Netherlands and 2 in
Flanders. Based on a critical self-analysis and internal evaluation by the programmes, VBI
undertakes external assessment (a site visit by an expert-team of at least 4 persons, amongst which
always is a student) and prepares an assessment report. NVAO carries out accreditation and decides
whether a programme can be accredited, based on the data supplied by a quality assessment agency.
If the quality assessment agency gives an unfavourable verdict on one or more accreditation criteria,
the NVAO does not award accreditation, and this has direct consequences for the continued
existence of programmes. Also if the report of the agency is positive NVAO has the legal obligation
to make an independent accreditation decision. In some cases this led to additional questions by
NVAO or a verification committee installed by NVAO to re-assess the programme on certain
standards or criteria. In some cases the report of the agency has been rejected by NVAO because it
did not follow NVAO’s rules regarding the composition of the panel or the report was notmethodologically sound.
In the Netherlands, the legislative opted for a free market of quality assessment agencies. NVAO has
been given the legal task to annually draw up a list of quality assessment agencies that areconsidered capable of producing assessment reports that meet NVAO requirements. To be eligible
for inclusion on the list, quality assessment agencies annually submit a programme dossier to NVAO
in which they point out how they meet the requirements of the ‘Protocol for Quality Assessment
Agencies’ in order to be inserted on the list. Departure points are: the quality assessment agency
should be an independent organisation, its assessment panels should be of good quality and its
assessment reports should enable NVAO to make independent judgements whether an assessed
programmes offer sufficient generic quality.
In addition, in accordance with the system implemented by NVAO, quality assessment agencies

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

39

should undergo an audit every two years. The audits select and examine applications on a randombasis and they examine the organisational aspects of the quality assessment agencies.
NVAO-accredited quality assessment agencies (the Netherlands)•

QANU: Quality Assurance Netherlands Universities•

Certiked VBI bv: Lloyd’s Register Nederland B.V.

•

EAPAA: European Association for Public Administration Accreditation•

Hobéon: Hobéon Certificering bv•

NQA: Netherlands Quality Agency•

ASIIN: Akkreditierungsagentur für Studiengänge der Ingenieurwissenschaften, der Informatik,
der Naturwissenschaften und der Mathematik e.V. (NVAO-accredited agency based inGermany)•

FIBAA: Internationale Agentur zur Qualitätssicherung und Akkreditierung von Studiengängen
und Institutionen; Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation(NVAO-accredited agency based in Germany)

NVAO-accredited quality assessment agencies (Flanders)•

VLIR: Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad (Flemish Interuniversity Council)•

VLHORA: Vlaamse Hohescholenraad (Flemish College Council)

Each quality assessment agency has a different approach to quality assessment stemming from their
origin. The approach applied by NQA and QANU (which have their origin in the umbrellaorganisations of the universities of professional education and research universities, respectively)
has developed from a content-oriented ‘peer review’ system. The approach of Hobéon and Certiked(originally certification agencies and/or consultancy agencies) is more focused on a process-based
audit. Institutions can choose the quality assessment agency that applies the working method thatbest accords with their vision for their programme. Whichever approach is used, NVAO ensures thatsufficient attention is given to the content and the achieved learning outcomes of the programmes
in its decision-making process.

Accreditation cycle
The accreditation cycle is as follows:1.

Thirty-six months before the accreditation expires the institution offering the programme
selects a quality assessment agency (VBI), with which it enters into a formal agreement on
how the assessment is to be carried out.

2.

During the next twelve months the department being assessed carries out an internal
evaluation and sets out the findings in an internal evaluation report. Meanwhile the VBI
appoints an assessment committee with the appropriate expertise.

3.

Based on the internal evaluation and a visit to the department, the assessment committee
produces an assessment and reports its findings to the department and the institution.

4.

The institution offering the programme has to submit this report along with its application
for reaccreditation at least one year before the current accreditation expires.

40

5.

Before the current accreditation expires the NVAO indicates whether it accepts the findings of
the VBI and intends to reaccredit the programme.

The assessment of the programme
In order for the quality assessment agency to give a positive final assessment, each theme must be
marked satisfactory. A positive accreditation decision can only be based on positive judgements ofthe themes in the assessment framework. The assessment of a theme in the assessment frameworkis done on the basis of the assessments of the separate standards of that theme. The assessment
report has to make clear how the assessment of the different standards led to the conclusion
concerning that theme. In other words, the panel has to clarify how the assessment of a theme isbased on the assessments of the underlying standards. In its accreditation decision NVAO will makeclear how its decision is based on the findings of the panel, on an analysis of these findings and on
the assessment of the programme based on this accreditation framework. In order to arrive at a
positive accreditation decision concerning a programme, it must be demonstrated in the assessmentthat quality is ensured for each of the modes of study (fulltime, part-time and/or work-based), basedon the criteria laid out in this assessment framework.
If a proposed programme is to be provided at various locations under one denomination in the
Government’s Central Register (CROHO), the accreditation can only have a positive result if theassessment shows that each location will meet the criteria for quality listed in this accreditation
framework.

Focus on learning outcomes
Education in the Netherlands and Flanders has been developing towards a competence-based
education system since the beginning of the 1990s. The focus of education has moved from theteaching process to the learning process. Before this development, education used to be seen as an
input-based process expressed in workload and length of studies (hours, semesters and years).
In a competence-based system, education is seen as an output-based process expressed in thecompetences achieved by the learner. As a result, the degrees awarded in higher education are nolonger seen as proof of participation and successful completion of a programme but as therecognition of having achieved certain predefined learning outcomes.
Learning outcomes are therefore the crux of NVAO’s learning outcomes-oriented accreditation
system. The overarching qualifications framework of the European Higher Education Area has
defined the generic learning outcomes of programmes at different levels, the so-called Dublin
descriptors*. These are essential to identify the level of a programme, e.g. bachelor or master’s level.
Next to these, subject-specific learning outcomes are defined. These are essential to identify the
subject of the programme, such as engineering or social work.
In the NVAO’s accreditation system, learning outcomes are made use of at three levels.
A programme is expected to explicitly define its intended learning outcomes. These are theOverview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

41competences a graduate should acquire during his studies. An assessment panel first judges
whether a programme’s intended learning outcomes are in line with the required level and thesubject of the programme. The level is evaluated by matching the intended learning outcomes to the
Dublin descriptors. Additionally, the assessment panel assesses whether these intended learning
outcomes are in line with what is (inter)nationally expected of a programme in that subject.
NVAO secondly judges the potential learning outcomes. These are the competences a student canachieve in the programme as it is offered. This is mainly done by corresponding the content of thecurriculum with the intended learning outcomes. An example probably clarifies this better. If a
programme defines laboratory skills as an intended learning outcome, the curriculum of the
programme should explicitly cover this and give students the possibility to do laboratory work. If
this isn’t the case, there is of course no correspondence between the content of the curriculum andthe intended learning outcomes.
Certain input elements such as the facilities and the quantity and quality of the staff also contributeto the possible achievement of learning outcomes. These are therefore additionally assessed.
Thirdly, NVAO assesses the achieved learning outcomes. These are the competences a graduate has
actually acquired during his or her studies. An assessment panel needs to read the students’ work
(such as essays, end of term papers and theses) to be able to judge the achieved learning outcomes
and then match those with the required learning outcomes. The required learning outcomes are ofcourse the level-specific and intended subject-specific learning outcomes as defined by the
programme and (positively) assessed by the panel.
Additionally, NVAO judges the internal quality assurance system. When a programme is deemed tohave the required generic quality, it receives accreditation for several years. A well-functioning
internal quality assurance system should then ensure that a programme retains its quality duringthat period.
By combining intended, potential and achieved learning outcomes, NVAO intends to assess whether
a programme delivers what it promises to deliver (to students and the rest of the society).
* The Dublin descriptors: The Dublin descriptors are the general statements of typical expectations ofachievements and abilities associated with awards. They have been developed by an international group of
experts, which has named itself the Joint Quality Initiative (JQI) following its meeting which took place in
Dublin in March 2004. General level descriptors have been developed for the first (bachelor), second (master)and third (doctoral) cycle. The descriptors consist of a set of criteria, phased in terms of competence levels,
which enables to distinguish in a broad and general manner between the different cycles. The following fivesets of criteria are distinguished: Acquiring knowledge and understanding; Applying knowledge andunderstanding; Making informed judgements and choices; Communicating knowledge and understanding;
Capacities to continue learning.

42

Assessment criteria
The standards used in accreditation procedures are organised into six themes.
1.

Aims and objectives of programme

2.

Curriculum

3.

Staff and personnel policy

4.

Services

5.

Internal quality assurance

6.

Results (achieved learning outcomes and study progress)

Assessment rules
The assessment agency uses the four scales (‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘satisfactory’, ‘unsatisfactory’) for
their assessment of standards listed in the assessment framework.

The accreditation procedure
NVAO’s accreditation procedure consists of three consecutive steps: the self-evaluation, theexternal assessment and the accreditation.
1. Self-evaluation
The first step in the accreditation procedure is the self-evaluation. The institution and/or the
programme is responsible for carrying out a self-evaluation of the programme(s) concerned. This
process is concluded with a self-evaluation report. The self-evaluation report contains a description
and evaluation of the programme. The institution sends the self-evaluation report to a quality
assessment agency.
2. External assessment
The second step in the accreditation procedure is the external assessment by a quality assessment
agency. At the request of an institution, a quality assessment agency organises an external
assessment. An assessment panel is responsible for the external assessment of the programme. The
composition of the assessment panel should be in line with NVAO requirements.
The assessment panel assesses the quality of the self-evaluation (including the methodology used torealise it) and whether the programme fulfils the criteria of the NVAO’s assessment framework. The
external assessment focuses on learning outcomes. The panel writes down their findings,
considerations and conclusions in their assessment report.
3. Accreditation
The third step in the accreditation framework is accreditation itself. NVAO evaluates the assessment
report, the overall conclusions expressed in it, the panel composition and the methodology used.
The institution submits an application to NVAO for accreditation of the programme. This application
has to provide the following details of the programme:- Level (bachelor or master’s level)- Orientation (professional or academic orientation)- Mode of study (fulltime, part-time and/or work-based)

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

43

- Undergraduate or postgraduate- Locations where the programme is offered.
The assessment report is attached to this application. This report must be of a recent enough date:
the assessment must refer to the situation of no more than one year before the date of application.
NVAO assesses the report and its overall assessment, and checks whether it is compatible with theaccreditation framework. In some cases NVAO may request additional information. NVAO’s decision
about granting accreditation is made available within three months. The institution is notified inwriting about the intended decision first, and it is given the opportunity to react within a period of
two weeks within the three months’ period during which NVAO must take its decision.
Subsequently, NVAO takes an accreditation decision and lays down its findings in an accreditation
report. If the programme meets the criteria listed in the accreditation framework, it is accredited fora period of six (the Netherlands) or eight (Flanders) years. If NVAO considers the information givenin the assessment report insufficient to make a decision, the decision may be postponed. In suchcases the existing accreditation of the programme will remain in place until NVAO has taken its
decision. The institution has the legal right to lodge an appeal against NVAO’s decision.
Finally, the panel’s assessment report and NVAO’s accreditation report (including the accreditation
decision) are published by NVAO.

Temporary recognition
In Flanders, after a negative accreditation decision, the institution can submit an application to theFlemish government for a temporary recognition. This has to be done within one month after the
notification of the negative decision. A detailed plan for improvement shall be put forward together
with the application. Following advice from the Recognition Commission, the Flemish government
takes a decision within three months of the application. Temporary recognition may have a validityof one to three years. In the Netherlands, there is also a possibility for an improvement period. Thisis seen as a recovery period. This period lasts two years.
Source:Karl Dittrich (NVAO): Reforming Quality Assurance and Accreditation in the Netherlands (NIAD-UE Seminarmaterial, 16th June 2010, Tokyo, Japan).
NVAO (2003): Accreditation Framework – The Netherlands
NVAO website: http://www.nvao.net/
Ineke Ganzeveld (State University of Groningen): Quality assurance at the State University of Groningen,2009.
State University of Groningen (2005): Integrated Quality Assurance for Education at the State University ofGroningen.
Nuffic website: http://www.nuffic.nl/
Qrossroads website: http://www.qrossroads.eu/about-qrossroads

443-3) Quality assurance and internationalisation
Quality assurance is steadily growing in importance in the field of internationalisation. There iscurrently a widespread belief that internationalisation should not be regarded as a goal in itself, butrather as a means to improve the quality of education.
Many national and institutional policy documents set down quality as one of the major goals ofinternationalisation. At the same time, there is a definite lack of systematic monitoring andevaluation of the impact of internationalisation on quality. Hence, there is only limited proof of any
direct connection between internationalisation and the quality of education.
Quality assurance and internationalisation are actually two very different things. The former isconcerned with the quality assurance of internationalisation, while the latter focuses on theinternationalisation of quality assurance and elements of international programmes. In the latter
case, centre stage is occupied by quality assurance itself and it is looked at within the international
context.

3-3-1) National Qualifications Framework
Transparency in European higher education
Higher education of an outstanding quality constitutes the basis of a knowledge society. Theinternational mobility of students and teachers is an essential component in this. Over the past ten
years, the education ministers of, currently, 46 European countries have made numerous
agreements on the development of a system of internationally comparable qualifications to makehigher education systems more transparent and to bring them into better harmony with one
another.
With the signing of the Bologna declaration in 1999, the education ministers laid the foundations
for the establishment of the European Higher Education Area. Every country observes a comparable
structure of qualifications uses the same credits system (ECTS) and awards graduates a Diploma
Supplement in accordance with a European model.

The role of qualifications frameworks
For the mutual recognition of qualifications, modular certificates and credits, proper comparabilityof the higher education systems of the different countries is essential. Each country participatingin the Bologna process is therefore developing a national qualifications framework that is alignedwith the overarching European framework, the European Qualifications Framework for theEuropean Higher Education Area. The starting point is that the level of the programmes meets thegeneric competencies requirements as agreed for bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees and PhDs(the three cycles of higher education). These generic competencies are written down in the Dublin
descriptors. When programmes are accredited, an investigation is conducted into whether or not
the required level is being met.

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

45

The Dutch Qualifications Framework
The Netherlands has also developed a national qualifications framework. This Dutch Qualifications
Framework (NQF) describes the structure of the higher education system in the country. It indicateswhat prior education is required of students entering higher education, what types of higher
education there are, how long the programmes at the various levels take to complete and how
students can transfer to higher levels.
Summary of Dutch National Qualifications Framework
Admission from

MBO/HAVO/VWO*

First cycle

Second cycle

Third cycle
Level 8

Level 5

Level 6

Level 7

Associate

Bachelor’s

Master’s

DesignDoctorate

degreedegreedegreeengineer(standard:

120 ECTS

240 ECTS

60-120 ECTS

(standard:

4 years)

professionally

2 years)

oriented
VWO

180 ECTS

180 ECTS

Medical specialist

academically oriented

240 ECTS(standard: 3-6 years)* MBO: Senior secondary vocational education and training
HAVO: Senior general secondary education
VWO: University preparatory education
Source:Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science：
http://english.minocw.nl/documenten/OCW-NVAO%20Folder%20ENG%20def.pdf
European Commission, the Directorate-General for Education and Culture (2008): Tuning – Universities’
Contribution to the Bologna Process: An Introduction (2nd Edition).

3-3-2) Code of Conduct
On 1st May 2006, the Code of Conduct with respect to international students in Dutch higher
education came into effect. This Code sets out standards for Dutch higher education institutions intheir dealings with international students. By signing the Code of Conduct, the institutions areoffering international students a guarantee of the quality of their programmes, student
recruitment, selection and counselling procedures. Only institutions that have signed up to theCode are allowed to recruit international students. This Code of Conduct is an initiative of the
Dutch institutions.

Providing information to international students
The Code of Conduct requires educational institutions to provide timely, reliable and easily
accessible information to international students about their study programmes. Specifically, thisincludes information such as accreditation status, quality, admission requirements as well as many
more important rules and procedures for international students.
The information provided by the educational institutions to international students on the basis of46

the Code of Conduct must be in English, in the language used for the study programme, or in thenative language of the international student. The educational institution must make clear what
services it provides to international students, such as help with obtaining a visa and a residence
permit, housing, introduction sessions and student counselling. In their information materials,
educational institutions must specify clearly what the associated costs for the services are.
Students from outside the EU seeking a course at an institution of higher education that has not
signed the Code of Conduct will not be able to obtain visas.
The full version of the Code of Conduct can be found on the Nuffic website, Internationalstudy.nl(English). This website provides a list of the institutions that have signed the Code and also
provides information on what to do if you feel that your institution is not meeting the terms of theCode of Conduct.
Source: Nuffic website： http://www.nuffic.nl/home

3-3-3) Recognition of foreign qualifications
Every country in Europe can be considered a qualifications area. This means that qualifications (alsoreferred to as diplomas) from institutions and/or programmes recognised by the competent(national) authorities are automatically nationally recognised. In contrast, foreign qualifications, i.e.
qualifications from outside, are not automatically accepted. These foreign qualifications have to berecognised.
Recognition might for example be required when students have studied in country X and want towork in country Y. This procedure is called the credential evaluation in order to recognise a foreign
qualification. It is used to check if a foreign qualification can be accepted into the national
qualifications area.
The recognition of foreign qualifications is the responsibility of the recognition bodies. Every
European country has at least one these bodies. Most commonly we refer to these bodies
as ENIC/NARICs: a combination of European Network of Information Centre (ENIC) and National
Academic Recognition Information Centre (NARIC).

Academic versus professional recognition
There are two types of "international" recognition of qualifications: academic recognition andprofessional recognition.
Academic recognition refers to recognition decisions that either•

allow a person to pursue or continue higher education; or•confer the right to use a national title or degree (e.g. PhD) from the host country on the basis ofa title or degree acquired in the country of origin.

Professional recognition relates to the methodologies and procedures for evaluating credentials forwork purposes and is a more intricate matter.
The system of professional qualifications reflects both the national system of education and theOverview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

47organisation of professions, industries and professionals themselves. In some countries, such as
Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, most academic qualifications also serve as professional
qualifications without additional requirements. In other countries, like the UK, professional
qualifications are usually acquired upon completion of specific professional training that takes
place outside and after university.
Academic recognition and professional recognition have different objectives and require different
approaches and instruments. They do however share a methodology for evaluating the educational
component of the credential or qualification.

Credential evaluation methodology
From the early 1950s to the mid-1970s the purpose of credential evaluation was to establish
equivalence. Qualifications were evaluated on a course-by-course basis and every component of theforeign programme had to be matched with every component in the receiving country’s programme.
In the 1980s many countries replaced the concept of equivalence by that of recognition: therecognition of a qualification or a diploma for a specific purpose. In this sense, recognition meansthat a qualification which is not completely equivalent is recognised for a certain purpose (e.g. entry
to a doctoral programme) if it fits that purpose. The idea was that a foreign qualification did nothave to be identical or even alike in order to be recognised. The foreign degree just needed to havea comparable level and a comparable function and status.
In the 1990s, the concept of acceptance has gained ground among most ENIC/NARICs that have long
been familiar with recognition. Acceptance means that a foreign qualification of which the level,
content and/or function are not recognisably similar to the nearest comparable degree in thereceiving country, will be accepted at that level even if there are slight differences. The principle isacceptance with respect for the differences. Only when the differences are too substantial
recognition is denied. And although the debate concerning the precise meaning of the term‘substantial differences’ will always be a lively one, this was a big leap forward.

48

Nuffic
The body responsible for the recognition of foreign qualifications regarding secondary and higher
education in the Netherlands is Nuffic (Netherlands organization for international cooperation inhigher education). Nuffic is a private body and independently organised. Nuffic’s Communication
Directorate, International Recognition Department works as Dutch ENIC/NARIC.
Nuffic has the following types of recognition regarding the following qualifications and types ofrecognition:
Types of qualification

Types of recognition•

informative and advisory academic recognition giving accessto higher education programmes

School-leaving certificate•

Short cycle education (e.g. Associate

an academic title•

degree)First cycle education (e.g. Bachelor)
Second cycle education (e.g. Master)

informative and advisory academic recognition for the use of

informative and advisory recognition giving access to thelabour market•

informative and advisory professional recognition in line with
EU directives•

informative and advisory professional recognition•

advisory academic recognition for the use of an academic
title

Third cycle education (e.g. Doctor)•

informative and advisory recognition giving access to thelabour market•

informative and advisory professional recognition

The body responsible for the recognition of foreign qualifications concerning senior secondary
vocational education and adult education is Colo (Association of Centres of Expertise on Vocational
Education, Training and the Labour Market). There are 18 centres of expertise representing thevarious industrial sectors and Colo is their united voice. For details about recognition of vocational
and training qualifications, please refer to the following website: http://www.colo.nl/ (English andDutch)The recognition procedure(s)A fee of 111 Euro is charged for the Nuffic’s recognition procedure. A fee is not charged for higher
education institutions and government agencies.
Step 1: Application•

All holders of foreign qualifications have access to an assessment of their qualifications•

Informal advice is available about the possibilities and procedures taking into account thecompetence of the recognition authority•

Applicants fill in standardised application forms•

The receipt of the application is acknowledged•

Check whether there are any bilateral/international agreements applicable•

The time normally required to process recognition applications is specified to the applicants

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

49

Step 2: Verification•

A checklist is used regarding required documents•

The authenticity of the documents is verified•

Previous cases (i.e. precedents) are referred to in light of the current recognition decisions•

The status, type and accreditation of the awarding higher education institution and theprogramme leading to the qualification is verified•

The recognition networks/bodies (e.g. ENIC/NARICs) are consulted

Step 3: Assessment•

By checking certain predefined criteria differences are detected•

Detected differences are checked to see whether they are considered substantial taking into
account the purpose for which recognition is sought

Step 4: Decision-making•

If there are no substantial differences: full recognition•

In case there are substantial differences:•−

All the reasons why the differences are substantial will be clearly stated−An alternative or partial recognition is suggested−

Information is given on possibilities for appeal

The decision is added to an Inventory of typical recognition cases

In 2009, Nuffic worked on six international projects on improving recognition in the Netherlands
and Europe. Competencies in education and Recognition (CoRe2) is a two-year project of theEuropean Commission which aims to draw up practical and clear instructions on describing the
education results of higher education programmes. These play an important role in recognition if
written consistently and transparently. Nuffic has produced the first version of a manual for
drawing up meaningful degree profiles.

Prior Learning Assessment Recognition (PLAR)
People with qualifications may have more knowledge and skills than their diplomas show. For
example, they will most likely have acquired additional competencies through work experience andinformal learning. This experience may be important for the career that they wish to follow inanother country. Nuffic wants to encourage the recognition of this prior learning, and has therefore
developed an assessment method for this purpose.
Nuffic designs portfolio instruments to order. When Nuffic is asked to design a portfolio, it makes
one that matches the client’s objectives. Nuffic does this for anyone who, directly or indirectly, isinvolved in getting people with foreign qualifications into work or study.
Using a portfolio format, highly skilled migrants are able to provide a clear description of their priorlearning. Organisations that deal with people with foreign qualifications are then able to get a more
complete picture of a person’s competencies. A university, for example, is better equipped to judge
the right point of entry for a student, and a company looking to recruit a foreign employee can see

50whether the candidate’s skills match the company’s requirements.
Source:Nuffic: Knowledge without boarders – Credential evaluation and Recognition.
Nuffic (2010): Annual Overview 2009.
Qrossroads website: http://www.qrossroads.eu/about-qrossroads

4. Specific legislative framework•

The Higher Education and Research Act (WHW) 1993 (amended 2002)•

The Higher Education and Accreditation Act 2002•

The Education Inspection Act (WOT) 2002

5. New issues about quality assurance5-1) Ranking and classification
When Dutch students decide on where they want to study, they do not think in terms of ‘the best
institution’. Instead, they look for any particular features that may distinguish one research
university or university of applied sciences from another, such as specialisation or academic
tradition. In Netherlands, there is no official university ranking system, however, an issue which hasreceived more attention is the development of a classification system of institutional types andprofiles and a ranking system in terms of performance of institutions.
These topics provoke much discussion and resistance, particularly the ranking of performances
which may reinforce the role of the prestige of institutions. There is a general belief that if rankings
are unavoidable this should be done well and based on the purpose it should serve, namely foradequate information for stakeholders. It is said that their main purpose is to inform students andprospective students as part of the study information systems. Particularly for those candidates
abroad with limited access to information such a system could be very helpful. The general view isthat such ranking should be multidimensional, and should avoid a situation where institutions areranked as a whole. Ranking should pay attention to both teaching and research, performance, basedon objective criteria and have an international scope.
Currently the Ministry supports a project by Center for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS)
which explores the possibility of applying the ranking system as developed by the Centre for Higher
Education Development (CHE) to Dutch higher education. With this initiative the Netherlands
follows Austria and Switzerland, thereby contributing to a European initiative on ranking.
Examples of current rankings related to higher education:•

Times Higher Education World University Rankings (UK) – World university rankings:
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/ (English)

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

51

•

Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the Academic Ranking of World Universities (China) – World
university rankings: http://www.arwu.org/aboutARWU.jsp (English and Chinese)•

The Leiden Ranking, Leiden University’s Centre for Science and Technology Studies (theNetherlands) – Comparison of research institutions in Europe and around the world with
impact measures:
http://www.socialsciences.leiden.edu/cwts/products-services/leiden-ranking-2010-cwts.htm
l#introduction (English)•

Elsevier Thema Studeren (the Netherlands) – University programmes rated by Dutch students
and academics (professors and senior lecturers):
http://www.elsevier.nl/web/Weekblad/Onderzoeken/De-beste-studies-2010-1.htm (Dutch)

5-2) New accreditation system
The current Dutch-Flemish accreditation system is robust, has a strong political legitimacy and isinternationally seen as tough. However, it also has some serious disadvantages: it istime-consuming, leads to fear and this causes an overload of less relevant information, has atendency to be directed more to procedures and processes instead of the content, and alienates theteachers. Besides that, the information laid down in the experts’ report and the NVAO decisions areformal and difficult to read.
That is the reason for a change in the system, which will start in January 2011. The new system willconsist of two parts: an institutional audit, in which the internal quality assurance system of thehigher education institutions will be checked and evaluated, and a programme accreditation, in
which the “ambition and objectives” (the intended learning outcomes), the “content and the results”(the achieved learning outcomes) are evaluated by peers.
The main aim of new accreditation system is to diminish the “accreditation burden”, provide betterand more adequate information for students and the labour market, balance accountability andenhancement by introducing an institutional audit, and commit professional and increase academic
ownership by introducing the limited programme assessment which focuses on content, not on
procedures and assesses learning outcomes, not quantitative elements.

52

Overview of the new accreditation system
1. Institutional audit
Focus

Focus on the functioning of the internal quality assurance system of higher
education institutions with respect to teaching and learning.
Standard 1: Vision of the quality of the education provided- The institution has a broad vision of the quality of the education it provides andof the development of a quality culture.
Standard 2: Policy- The institution has an appropriate policy for the realisation of its vision
regarding the quality of the education it provides. This will at least include:
policy regarding teaching, staff, facilities, the anchoring of research in the
education provided as well as the inter-relationship between the education
provided and the (international) occupational field and the discipline.
Standard 3: Results

Standards- The institution has insight into the degree to which its vision regarding thequality of the education it provides is being realised and it regularly measuresand monitors the quality of its programmes by gauging the views of students,
staff, alumni and representatives from the occupational field.
Standard 4: Improvement policy- The institution can demonstrate that it systematically improves the quality of
its programmes when necessary.
Standard 5: Organisation and decision-making structure- The institution has an effective organisation and decision-making structure
regarding the quality of its programmes, in which duties, authorities andresponsibilities are clearly delineated and of which the input of students andstaff constitutes a part.

Decision

General decision is made either positive, negative, or conditionally positive.

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands53

2. Programme assessment
Limited programme assessment, whenComprehensive programme assessment, when thethe institutional audit is positive

institutional audit is negative

Assessment of

Detailed assessment of•content of the programme•

content•

focus on performance•policy•procedures

3 standards

16 standards divided in 6 themes

1.

Intended learning outcomes1.

Intended learning outcomes2.

Programme and staff quality

2.

Programme

3.

Achieved learning outcomes and

3.

Staff

Learning assessment

4.

Services

5.

Quality assurance system

6.

Achieved learning outcomes and Learningassessment

Decision: unsatisfactory, satisfactory, good, excellent quality
Source:Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS) (2007): Higher Education in the Netherlands: Country report.
Karl Dittrich (NVAO): Reforming Quality Assurance and Accreditation in the Netherlands (NIAD-UE Seminarmaterial, 16th June 2010, Tokyo, Japan).
Times Higher Education website: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the Academic Ranking of World Universities website:
http://www.arwu.org/aboutARWU.jsp
Centre for Higher Education Development website: http://www.che.de/cms/?getObject=302&getLang=en
Elsevier Thema website: http://www.elsevier.nl/web/Weekblad/Onderzoeken/De-beste-studies-2009.htm
Leiden University website: http://www.leiden.edu/

54

IV. An introduction to quality assurance and international cooperation
organisations

1. Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO)
1-1) Overview of the organisation
Name of the organisation

NVAO (Nederlands-Vlaamse Accreditatieorganisatie)〔Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders〕
NVAO was set up in the framework of the Bologna Process andCharacter of theestablished by international treaty between the Netherlands and Flandersorganisation

as an independent quality assurance agency. NVAO is independent inprocedures, methodologies and decision-making.

Year of establishment

2003 (formally established in 2005 when all legal formalities regarding
the establishment of NVAO had been concluded)

Location

Parkstraat 28, 2514 JK The Hague, The Netherlands

Representative

Dr. Karl Dittrich, Chairman
NVAO has an annual budget of 5.6 million Euro. The Dutch and Flemish
governments fund the NVAO with a 60 % - 40 % distribution.
The government allocations do not fully cover the costs of accreditations.

Finance

Institutions also need to contribute. The NVAO charges a maximum of
10,000 Euro per request for initial accreditations (new programmes) and
500 Euro for accreditation requests (existing programmes).

Organisation•

Advisory Council (12)•Board (11)•

Executive Board (4)•Managing director (1)•International Affairs (4)•Policy Advisors (General and International) (23)•Staff services (Legal affairs, Public relations, Finances andpersonnel) (7)•Support services (14)Source:NVAO website: http://www.nvao.net/
INQAAHE website: http://www.inqaahe.org/
Axel Aerden (NVAO) (2009): General introduction to accreditation in the Netherlands and Flanders.
Karl Dittrich (NVAO): Reforming Quality Assurance and Accreditation in the Netherlands (NIAD-UE Seminarmaterial, 16th June 2010, Tokyo, Japan).

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

551-2) Mission and role
Mission
NVAO independently ensures the quality of higher education in the Netherlands and Flanders byassessing and accrediting programmes and contributes to enhancing this quality. In addition,
NVAO contributes to the increase of quality awareness within higher education and improving theposition of higher education in the Netherlands and Flanders in the national and international
context.

NVAO’s role in higher education
NVAO wishes to be a proactive partner in higher education in the Netherlands and Flanders. The
organisation also intends to fulfil a pioneering role in the development of quality assurance andaccreditation in Europe.
In both the Netherlands and Flanders, NVAO engages in intensive consultation with institutions ofhigher education, experts, umbrella and professional organisations, students, employer’sorganisations and labour unions. NVAO endeavours to be proactive, to engage in dialogue withinstitutions, students and the labour market. Together with other accreditation organisations,
NVAO verifies to what extent their policies are based on the same approach and procedures as
those laid down in the Dutch and Flemish accreditation frameworks.
Source: NVAO website: http://www.nvao.net/

1-3) The legal framework
Treaty between the Netherlands and Flanders
In 2000, the Netherlands and Flanders expressed the intention to establish a joint accreditation
organisation. This organisation would be charged with the accreditation of higher education
programmes in both the Netherlands and Flanders. Both parties were endeavouring to implement
the Bologna declaration and deemed a well-functioning and internationally acceptable accreditation
system a precondition for furthering international comparability of higher education programmes.
Accreditation would be the keystone of the already existing external review system.
In 2001, tentative talks took place between the competent Dutch and Flemish ministers about theestablishment of an international accreditation organisation. In April 2003, the then Dutch andFlemish Education ministers initiated talks on the content of what was to become the Treaty bywhich NVAO would be established as a bi-national organisation. On 3rd September 2003, the Treaty
for the establishment of a bi-national accreditation organisation was signed by the competent
ministers of the Netherlands and Flanders. Hence, the NVAO (in formation) was a fact. The Treaty
assigns the tasks of NVAO, its form of administration and its supervision. On 1st February 2005, alllegal formalities regarding the establishment of NVAO had been concluded and NVAO was formallyestablished.
Source: NVAO website: http://www.nvao.net/

561-4) Main area of activity
1-4-1) Initial accreditation
The starting point for initial accreditation is the initial accreditation framework. The required
procedure, the quality standards and the assessment rules are laid down in this framework. Initialaccreditation concerns proposals for new programmes. Programmes are considered new
programmes if they are not registered in the official register of the relevant country (i.e. the
CROHO in the Netherlands or the Higher Education Register in Flanders). Initial accreditation
relates to the assessment of the potential quality of the programme including, when possible, afocus on achieved quality. Since a positive initial accreditation decision leads to the inclusion of the
programme in the official register (either CROHO or Higher Education Register), initial accreditationis considered the gatekeeper to the regular accreditation system. The initial accreditation procedure
consists of three consecutive steps: the programme proposal, the external assessment and theinitial accreditation.

Programme proposal
The first step in the initial accreditation procedure is the programme proposals. The institution is
responsible for the proposal and therefore assembles a collection of documents regarding the
proposed programme. The programme proposal contains a full description of the programme. Thisis done according to at least the themes, the standards and the criteria of the relevant initialaccreditation framework. In addition, the proposal indicates and substantiates the level andorientation of the programme. The institution submits an application for accreditation of aprogramme to NVAO by sending in the programme proposal.

External assessment
The second step in the initial accreditation procedure is the external assessment. NVAO convenes anassessment panel that will be responsible for the external assessment of the programme. The
assessment panel assesses the potential quality of the proposed programme and whether the
programme fulfils the criteria of the initial accreditation framework. The panel follows theassessment framework (which contains all the standards) and the assessment rules as laid down in
the initial accreditation framework. The external assessment focuses on learning outcomes. The
panel writes down their (objective) findings, (subjective) considerations and conclusions in theirassessment report. The report contains an explicit proposal to NVAO to take either a positive or anegative initial accreditation decision.

Initial accreditation
The third step in the initial accreditation procedure is initial accreditation itself. NVAO evaluates theassessment report and the overall conclusions expressed in it. This means that NVAO verifies
whether the programme has the potential to offer generic quality. Subsequently, NVAO takes aninitial accreditation decision and lays down its findings in an initial accreditation report. Finally, thepanel’s assessment report and NVAO’s initial accreditation report (including the initial accreditation

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

57decision) are published by NVAO.
If the initial accreditation decision is positive, the programme is initially accredited. This meansthat the programme is included in the relevant official register (i.e. CROHO or Higher Education
Register). This registration means that the degree awarded by the programme is recognised by thenational authorities. In addition, initially accredited programmes can receive public funding (butonly when granted a positive macro-efficiency check) and the students enrolled in these
programmes can receive study finance (e.g. grants). However, public funding and study finance arenormally not available for programmes offered by private institutions. If the initial accreditation
decision is negative, it will not be possible to offer the programme.

1-4-2) Accreditation
The replacement of the traditional system of university degrees in the Netherlands and Flanders by
one based on bachelor’s and master’s degrees such as are common in the Anglo-Saxon educational
world has led to the setting up of an accreditation system allowing degree programmes to bechecked for compliance with certain quality criteria. Accreditation is a precondition for government
funding of a degree programme, for the right to issue officially recognised degree certificates andfor the approval of grants or loans to students following the programme.
A degree programme is granted accreditation by the NVAO on the basis of a report produced by an
external assessment panel acting under the authority of a quality assessment agency (VBI) such as
QANU (Quality Assurance Netherlands Universities) and involving on-the-spot inspection of the
programme under review. VBI is an organisation accredited by NVAO as a recognised quality
assessment agency. There are 7 VBIs in the Netherlands and 2 in Flanders (please refer to page 40 for
the names of NVAO-accredited quality assessment agencies). Based on a critical self-analysis andinternal evaluation by the programmes, VBI undertakes external assessment (a site visit by anexpert-team of at least 4 persons, amongst which always is a student) and prepares an assessment
report. NVAO carries out accreditation and makes the final decision on the basis of this report.
Quality assessment agency’s staff have years of experience of such assessments, and can offer
support for the self-evaluation of a programme which must precede the assessment by the review
panel and the writing of the self-evaluation report which must be submitted to the panel. Quality
assessment agency can also help a programme in the submission of the application for
accreditation.
For details of NVAO’s accreditation, please refer to page 38.

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1-4-3) Additional tasks
Apart from its primary responsibilities (i.e. accreditation), NVAO is charged with some additionaltasks. NVAO’s most important additional tasks at this moment are the following:(1) Higher Education Register
NVAO has been entrusted the task to publish all the officially recognised higher education
institutions and bachelor and master’s programmes in Flanders. This is done by managing theHigher Education Register. Through the online development and database administration, NVAO
offers the Register both in Dutch and in English.

(2) Recognition of private higher education institutions
The Dutch State Secretary of Education, Culture and Science has stipulated the policy regulation
concerning recognition of private higher education institutions and has requested NVAO to play arole in the recognition procedure. For this purpose, NVAO has developed the ‘Protocol Recognition
Procedure’ including the criteria that programmes have to meet to be eligible for recognition.
Recognition means that, in the Netherlands a higher education institution, with the exception of theright to public funding, enjoys the same rights as a publicly funded institution.

1-4-4) Internationalisation
One of the NVAO’s objectives concerning its international activities is to pro-actively monitor,
influence and implement international developments in quality assurance and higher education. In
the past, NVAO participated in the following international activities: the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) / Organisation for Economic Co-operation andDevelopment (OECD) Guidelines for Quality Provision in Cross-border Higher Education, theEuropean Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Higher Education and the European
Qualification Framework proposed by the European Commission.
NVAO maintains excellent contacts with the appropriate government officials in the Dutch andFlemish ministries and with the appropriate members of the international network organisations.
The current key areas of awareness are the progress of the Bologna Process and the development of
the Dutch and Flemish national qualification frameworks. NVAO played a major role in the
introduction of the Erasmus Mundus programme by facilitating the assessment of these joint
master’s programmes and by providing information to the institutions involved in these
programmes.

(1) International networks
NVAO takes a leading role in international developments in standards and quality, enjoying a close
relationship with quality assurance agencies in the European region. Three of these have a European
significance: ENQA (the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education), ECA (theEuropean Consortium for Accreditation) and EQAR (the European Quality Assurance Register forHigher Education).

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

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ENQA is the network of European quality assurance agencies from countries partly to the Bologna
Process. It was established in 2000 to promote European cooperation in the field of quality
assurance. It plays a political role and stimulates cooperation in procedures and methods. NVAO
participates in the annual General Assembly and as a rule is always present at ENQA Workshops. In
the last few years NVAO has participated in the Transnational European Evaluation Project II (TEEPII).
ECA is membership which consists of 17 accreditation organisations from 11 different European
countries. ECA was established in 2003 with the aim to achieve the mutual recognition ofaccreditation decisions among the participants. As ECA partner institution, NVAO participates invarious projects in the field of accreditation carried out by ECA.
EQAR is a list of trustworthy European agencies which perform their activities according to theEuropean Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance.

(2) Involvement with international developments in quality assurance
Mutual recognition of accreditation decisions
Mutual recognition of accreditation decisions is one of NVAO’s main objectives. If accreditation
decisions taken by NVAO would be automatically recognised by international accreditation
organisations and recognition bodies, it would increase mobility of Flemish and Dutch students andalumni. In reverse, it would also make it easier for foreign students and alumni to continue theirstudies or find a job in the Netherlands and Flanders. Currently, NVAO has mutual recognition
agreements with Austrian Accreditation Council (AAC), Austria; Fachhochschulrat (FH Council),
Austria; Commision des Titres d’Ingénieurs (CTI), France; Nasjonalt organ for kvalitet i utdanningen(NOKUT), Norway; the Polish State Accreditation Committee (PKA), Poland; and Organ fürAkkreditierung und Qualitätssicherung der Schweizerischen Hochschulen (OAQ), Switzerland.
At present, institutions that offer international programmes are confronted with different
accreditation procedures and regulations in the countries involved. These institutions would
equally benefit from mutual recognition of accreditation decisions. As mutual recognition ofaccreditation decisions is one of the major objectives of ECA’s member organisations, NVAO invests
a lot of its resources in the membership of ECA.
Transparent European Accreditation decisions and Mutual recognition agreements (TEAM)TEAM was a project conducted by ECA partners in the period from October 2006 till September 2008.
TEAM stands for Transparent European Accreditation decisions and Mutual recognition agreements.
The project was funded with support from the European Commission, but was coordinated by NVAO.
The most important objective of the TEAM project was the development of an online European
information tool for students, recognition bodies, higher education institutions and employers inwhich they can look up which institutions and programmes have been accredited within Europe. 10
European countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spainand Switzerland) participated in TEAM project.

60

Website Qrossroads
TEAM projects resulted in website Qrossroads (‘Q’ of ‘Quality’ and ‘Qualifications’ is used as the first
letter of Qrossroads). This site is a source of information for everyone interested in accredited
programmes in Europe. The main aim of Qrossroads is to present the qualifications awarded byprogrammes and institutions that were quality assured and accredited. The information on
Qrossroads is provided by quality assurance and accreditation agencies and specifically concerns
qualifications from quality assured and accredited programmes and institutions. Qrossroads isaimed at different target groups like students, employers and institutions themselves. The site
currently has information on programmes in eight countries: Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Denmark,France, Germany, Poland, Switzerland and the Netherlands (this will be expanded in the years ahead).
As one of the partners of Qrossroads, NVAO provides information regarding quality-assured
institutions and programmes in the Netherlands and Flanders.
TEAM II
ECA is presently conducting the TEAM II project. The main aims of TEAM II are to explore recognitionof qualifications from joint programmes* and facilitate accreditation of these programmes.
In order to achieve the aim of the project a variety of activities are being carried out. For example, (1)by developing a European methodology for single accreditation (quality assessment) procedures
regarding joint programmes, instead of the multiple procedures that currently have to be carriedout separately in each country where the joint programme is provided; (2) by facilitating
ENIC/NARICs for sharing good practices regarding the recognition of qualifications from joint
programmes, and (3) by offering transparent information on the quality assessment and learning
outcomes of joint programmes (mainly via Qrossroads). Including NVAO, 18 quality assuranceorganisations for 12 European countries are involved in TEAM II project. Currently five pilot
accreditation procedures** are being carried out by the partner organisations in order to develop amethodology for single accreditation procedures of joint programmes.
* According to ECA Principle for accreditation procedures regarding joint programmes, a joint programme isdefied as ‘a programme offered jointly by different higher education institutions irrespective of the degree (joint,
multiple and double) awarded’, whereas a joint degree is ‘a joint diploma issued by the institutions offering a
joint programme in place of all the national diplomas, attesting the successful completion of this joint
programme’ (ENQA TEEP II project).
** The 5 pilot procedures are: Erasmus Mundus Masters – Journalism and Media within Globalisation (EMMA),
European Teacher Education for Primary Schools (ETEPS), Joint European Master in Comparative Local
Development (CoDe), Joint European Master in International Humanitarian Assistance (NOHA), European Masterof Science in Geosciences of Basins and Lithosphere. NVAO is involved in quality assurance of EMMA, ETEPS,NOHA and European Master of Science in Geosciences of Basins and Lithosphere.

Automatic recognition of qualifications
In the period 2005-2006, organisations responsible for recognition of foreign qualifications and theaccreditation organisations from the Netherlands and Flanders, Norway, Austria, Poland andOverview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

61Switzerland signed the Joint Declaration concerning the automatic recognition of qualifications. Morecountries are expected to sign this declaration in the near future.
The declaration is based on mutual recognition of accreditation decisions and on theimplementation of compatible national qualification frameworks in order to come to automatic
recognition of qualifications. This cooperation between accreditation organisations and recognition
bodies is considered to be the start of the development of a cross-border qualifications area.
This Joint Declaration was a major advance towards NVAO’s eventual aim, i.e. the realisation of aEuropean Qualifications Area where qualifications from accredited programmes and institutions areautomatically recognised.

European Certificate for Internationalisation
NVAO and the Dutch and Flemish higher education institutions are convinced of the importance ofinternationalisation for education. They view it as an additional contribution to the development ofboth regions. The Netherlands and Flanders are both indeed very dependent on trade and services
and both small regions here depend on good international relations. Internationalisation istherefore self-evident for nearly all professions and disciplines and education would fail terribly if
this was not taken into account. Within Dutch and Flemish accreditation frameworks this is referred
to as a distinctive (quality) feature.
To underline the importance of internationalisation NVAO intends to develop a certificate. Goals
and objectives of a European certificate for internationalisation are: stimulate the level ofinternationalisation in different countries; enhance the level of internationalisation in higher
education institutions; deliver a tool for forming alliances between higher education institutions;give an incentive to those concerned with internationalisation; and reward good and excellent forms
of internationalisation.
The NVAO therefore proposes the following principles:1.

The certificate is based on the ambition level of the programme as defined in a policy
statement;

2.

The certificate is assessed and awarded at the level of the programme;

3.

The programme’s desired internationalisation must have a significant impact on the overall
quality of the programme;

4.

The internationalisation of the programme is reflected in the intended and achieved learning
outcomes;

5.

The operation of internationalisation should be reflected in standards that relate to teaching
and learning, staff, services and students;

6.

The assessment of internationalisation should be undertaken by a panel that has theappropriate expertise;7.

The assessment takes place on a four-point scale: unsatisfactory - satisfactory - good excellent.

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The framework for the assessment of internationalisation as a distinctive feature consists of 6
standards and each of these standards has at least one criterion.
1.

Vision or policy on internationalisation

2.

Learning outcomes3.

Teaching and learning

4.

Staff

5.

Services

6.

Students

For more information about Certificate for Internationalisation, please refer to NVAO website:
http://www.nvao.net/

Source:NVAO website: http://www.nvao.net/
Karl Dittrich (NVAO): Reforming Quality Assurance and Accreditation in the Netherlands (NIAD-UE Seminarmaterial, 16th June 2010, Tokyo, Japan).
Mark Frederiks (NVAO): Approaches Regarding Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes andInternationalisation (NIAD-UE Seminar material, 16th June 2010, Tokyo, Japan).
Karl Dittrich (NVAO): Introduction to the TEAM II project (ECA Seminar material, 10th June 2010, Graz, Austria).
Mark Frederiks (NVAO): Accreditation of Joint Programmes (ECA Seminar material, 26th March 2010, Warsaw, Poland).
ECA website: http://www.ecaconsortium.net/
Karl Dittrich (NVAO): Toward a (European) certificate for internationalisation? : A NVAO proposal (NVAO-ECA
Seminar material, 10th December 2009, The Hague, The Netherlands).
NVAO: Programme accreditation and internationalisation – A distinctive (quality) feature forinternationalization - : http://www.nvao.net/
Qrossroads website: http://www.qrossroads.eu/about-qrossroads

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands63

2. Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education(Nuffic)

2-1) Overview of the organisation
Name of the organisation
Character of theorganisation

Nuffic (Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher
education)
An independent, non-profit organisation

Year of establishment

1952

Location

Head office: Kortenaerkade 11, 2518 AX, The Hague, The Netherlands
Nuffic Netherlands Education Support Offices (Nuffic Nesos):

Overseas officeBrazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, Taipei,
Thailand and Vietnam

Representative
Number of staff

Sander van den Eijnden, Director-General
Nuffic employs around 276 people, 216 of whom work at the head officein The Hague Head office.
The total sum of programme funding Nuffic spends in 2009 is
132,021,000 Euro.
Nuffic’s total operating expenses in 2009 are estimated at 24,254,000Euro.
Nuffic’s programmes by donor

Finance

Source90,755,000 Euro

European Commission

25,134,000 Euro

Ministry of Education, Culture and Science

12,957,000 Euro

Other

3,175,000 Euro•

Nuffic Board of Trustees•

Nuffic Board of Directors•

Nuffic Directorates

1. Capacity building & scholarships Directorate•

Capacity Building Programmes Department•

National Agency for Lifelong Learning•

Scholarship Programmes Department

2. Communication Directorate

64

AmountMinistry of Foreign Affairs

Organisational structure

Organisation(FY2009)•

Education Promotion Department•

International Recognition Department•

Public Information Services Department

3. Knowledge & Innovation Directorate•

Consultation Platforms & Knowledge Department•

National Commission for UNESCO Secretariat

4. Business Support Directorate•

Internal Services Department•

Planning & Control Department

Source:Nuffic website: http://www.nuffic.nl/
Nuffic (2010): Nuffic Annual Overview 2009.
Sander van den Eijnden (Nuffic): View on Internationalization (NIAD-UE Seminar material, 17th June 2010, Tokyo, Japan).
Marijke Blom-Westrik (Nuffic): Bologna Process – Mutual Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education(NIAD-UE Seminar material, 16th June 2010, Tokyo, Japan).
Marijke Blom-Westrik (Nuffic): Credential Evaluation in the Netherlands (NIAD-UE Seminar material, 16th June
2010, Tokyo, Japan).

2-2) Mission
As an independent, non-profit organisation based in the Hague, the Netherlands, Nuffic supports
internationalisation in higher education, research and professional education in the Netherlands
and abroad, and helps improve access to higher education worldwide.
Source: Nuffic website: http://www.nuffic.nl/2-3) Main area of activity
2-3-1) Education promotion
The Education Promotion Department promotes the position of Dutch higher education abroad aswell as institutional cooperation. To support the department’s work, Nuffic Netherlands Education
Support Offices (Nuffic Neso offices) have been established in ten target countries. The Nuffic Neso
offices are also part of the Education Promotion Department. Furthermore, the department wishes
to optimise the quality of its service provision by reinforcing the link with target groups anddeploying the correct communication instruments to promote incoming mobility. To this end, thedepartment develops, produces and coordinates the generic Study in Holland promotion campaign.
This includes both online and offline promotion activities, the branding of Study in Holland abroad
and the coordination of and participation in international education fairs. Finally, the department
develops, produces and maintains generic Holland Alumni network activities, particularly thevirtual network and the biennial Holland Alumni Conference.

2-3-2) Scholarships
The Dutch government is attempting to make Dutch higher education as accessible as possible tostudents and mid-career professionals from other countries. Nuffic manages a large number ofprogrammes for purposes of exchange and cooperation in higher education.

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

65

There are schemes that foster cooperation between Dutch higher education institutions andpartner institutions in other industrialised countries, including Central and Eastern European
Countries. Student exchanges are a common feature of these schemes.

Scholarship search engine
Grantfinder is an online search engine that browses a range of Dutch scholarships for international
students who wish to come to the Netherlands. Visit http://www.grantfinder.nl/ or go to
http://nuffic.nl/scholarships for the scholarships that are administered by Nuffic.

2-3-3) Credential evaluation(1) Evaluation of foreign qualifications
Nuffic conducts evaluation of foreign qualifications at the secondary and higher education levels.
Nuffic also check whether the programmes and the higher education institutions are officiallyaccredited or recognised. Please refer to page 49 for the introduction of Nuffic’s diploma
recognition activities.

(2) Statements in English on Dutch qualifications
Nuffic is regularly asked by Dutch universities and other higher education institutions to produce
statements in English on Dutch diplomas and training programmes, which may face recognition
problems in other countries. These are often postgraduate professional qualifications andpost-master’s programmes. The statements are of a general nature and are appended to the
diploma issued by the higher education institution.

(3) In-company training on foreign qualifications in certain fields
Nuffic provides the European Patent Office with tailored courses that help human resource staff
understand and evaluate the status, structure and content of European engineering qualifications.
The information is also made available in the form of a course book with country-specific modules.

(4) Consultancy on the implementation of European Directives on the recognition of
professional qualifications
When Latvia, Poland and the Czech Republic joined the EU, Nuffic helped them to efficiently
implement the European Directives on the recognition of professional qualifications. These
two-year projects were conducted together with Colo (Association of National Bodies Responsible
for Vocational Training for the Private Sector) and VTL (the national training body for transport andlogistics).

2-3-4) Professional recognition(1) National Contact Point
All 27 countries of the European Union, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland have
set up information centres for professional recognition under European Directive.

66

The National Contact Point (NCP) for professional recognition can give information to people
looking to practice their profession in another country. If the profession is a regulated profession
as set out in the Directive, the NCP will be able to refer people eligible for professional recognition
to the authority responsible for their profession in the other state. The NCP can give advice on
professional recognition procedures and supports individuals, for example, by issuing NCP
Declarations.

2-3-5) Capacity building
Nuffic implements programmes specifically aimed at strengthening the performance of individuals,organisations and institutions in developing countries or to help them develop their capacities byextending their expertise, know-how and skills.
The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs therefore finances a number of international education
programmes for a number of developing countries with capacity development as the main
objective. Nuffic manages these programmes. They read: NFP, NPT and NICHE.
•NFP (Netherlands Fellowship Programmes) is a scholarship programme with three modalities:
scholarships to take part in selected international accessible short courses, master degree
programmes and PhD studies conducted by Dutch institutions. NFP focuses on education andtraining of mid career staff in 61 countries, which should lead to capacity building within
their organisations, whether public, private sector or non-governmental.

•

NPT (Netherlands Programme for Institutional Strengthening of Post-Secondary Education
and Training Capacity) aims to strengthen the capacity of post-secondary education andtraining organisations in 14 countries, but is now being phased out.

•

NICHE (Netherlands Initiative for Capacity building in Higher Education) aims to strengthen
institutional capacity in 22 developing countries for institutions and organisations providing
post-secondary education and training. The programme focuses on selected sectors, areas
and themes agreed upon by local authorities and the Embassy of the Kingdom of theNetherlands.

2-3-6) Consultancy and training
Nuffic offers a number of services which may help education institutions with theirinternationalisation activities. These services may also interest other organisations and areavailable worldwide. Providing support with internationalisation issues is one of Nuffic’s primarytasks. Below are consultancy and training programmes which Nuffic offers:(1) Consultancy
Evaluating the effects of training on students from developing countries
Nuffic evaluates the effects of training on students from developing countries who have followed astudy programme or course in the Netherlands or elsewhere. Recently, Nuffic participated in theevaluation of a Norwegian scholarship programme financed by the Norwegian Agency for
Development Cooperation (NORAD), and in the evaluation of the EC-funded Alban-regional
cooperation programme. In 2009 Nuffic conducted a tracer study into the effects of study andOverview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

67

training on the personal development and careers of ex-scholarship holders of the Netherlands
Fellowship Programmes. The study also looked at the effects on the strengthening of theorganisations these ex-scholarship holders work for.

Evaluation of international cooperation projects and programmes
Nuffic regularly organises independent evaluations of international cooperation projects andprogrammes, or conducts them on behalf of third parties. In 2000, for example, Nuffic was asked by
the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to evaluate NUFU, a university research cooperation
programme in Norway. In 2004 and 2005, Nuffic provided the team leader for the Joint Review
Mission of Education Sector Development Programme in Ethiopia. In 2006, Nuffic provided the teamleader for an independent evaluation of the Sida/SAREC bilateral research cooperation programme.
In 2008 Nuffic led two evaluations in Bangladesh: a mid-term evaluation of the support to the BRAC
University Institute of Educational Development and the evaluation of the third phase of the BRAC
Education Programme, including an appraisal of the fourth phase of this programme. For the
VLIR-UOS Nuffic was involved in the evaluation of the university cooperation programmes in Bolivia(2007), Cuba (2007), Ecuador (2010) and the Philippines (2010).

Seminar on organising and managing development projects
Nuffic regularly organises seminars for people involved in the projects that Nuffic manages. These
include training in formulating project proposals in accordance with the logical framework method,
and the discussion of specific implementation problems. In 2006, Nuffic organised a seminar onbest practices in project management. Nuffic regularly organises seminars for organisations
participating in the NPT and NICHE programmes. At these seminars Nuffic provides in-depth
information about the general and technical aspects of these programmes.

(2) Training
Nuffic has a wide range of training courses which it offers to higher education institutions andinternational organisations. Nuffic regularly organises courses for the staff of Dutch universities
and other higher education institutions. However, Nuffic also offers training courses tointernational organisations such as training course in international credential evaluation.
Nuffic offers various courses in international credential evaluation, that vary in content, level,
length and mode of delivery, depending on the target group and the client’s specific requests. All
courses include modules on the criteria and procedures used in credential evaluation, problems
regarding authenticity and practical applications, which can be supplemented by modules covering
background information on educational systems, use of information resources, accreditation andrecognition and international trends.

2-3-7) Information services
Nuffic offers a number of products that provide clients with information about credential
evaluation and related subjects. Most information is provided electronically so that news and68information on the latest developments is always available immediately.
Most important sources of Nuffic’s information are:•

Extranet: Website intended for Dutch admission officers and recruiters. The website is filledwith the latest developments and news in the field of diploma recognition.

•

The newsletter: Nuffic publishes a twice-yearly newsletter (in Dutch), featuring articles on thework of the department and new developments in the education systems of other countries
and the comparability of programmes and diplomas.

•

A number of websites that cover the entire spectrum of credential evaluation, higher
education and professional recognition, including: http://www.idw.nl/,
http://www.professionalrecognition.nl/ and http://www.bologna-in.nl/.

•

Country Modules: A country module contains general information about the education
system of a specific country. In the module, you will also find information about the main
qualifications issued in a specific country, as well as the evaluation of these qualifications in
the Netherlands. This evaluation gives an indication of the overall level of the foreign
qualification compared to a Dutch qualification. Currently, Nuffic is preparing Country
Module Japan which includes information about the structure of the education system ofJapan and the evaluation of degrees obtained in Japan for the purpose of admission to, andplacement in, study programmes in Dutch higher education.

2-3-8) International network
Nuffic contributes to the exchange of ideas between the government and higher education
institutions by providing information and analysis on the internationalisation of higher education.
Nuffic has formal contacts with three sector organisations in the higher education sector: theNetherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (HBO-raad), the Association of
Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU) and SAIL (Council of Institutes for Postgraduate
International Education in the Netherlands), the representative body for international education.
Nuffic also works together with partners in other countries. The most important international
networks involved in include:•

ACA – Academic Cooperation Association
Membership organisation established in Brussels, dedicated to the management andimprovement of international cooperation in higher education(http://www.aca-secretariat.be/). Nuffic is a founding member of ACA.

•

Neth-ER – Netherlands House for Education and Research
Based in Brussels, Neth-ER is an international association founded by eight Dutch frontline
organisations active in research, education and innovation. Nuffic is one of thoseorganisations. Their common purpose is to increase the participation of the Netherlands in
European action programmes (http://www.neth-er.eu/).

•

ASIE – Association for Studies in International Education
ASIE (http://www.asie.org/) is a network of organisations promoting research into

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

69international education and academic mobility. Responsibility for running ASIE rotates
between the participating organisations every five years. Nuffic holds this position for thefive year period 2007-2011. The organisations represent international educators throughout
the globe with members from each continent.
•

ENIC-NARIC – collaborative link between the European Network of Information Centres (ENIC)
and the National Academic Recognition Information Centres (NARIC)
Networks founded by the Council of Europe/UNESCO and the European Union, respectively,
and concerned with the evaluation and recognition of diplomas and awards in Europe; Nuffic
is the ENIC and NARIC for the Netherlands (http://www.enic-naric.net/). Nuffic is one of thelargest and most respected members of these networks.

•

EUA – European University Association
EUA (http://www.eua.be/) is based in Brussels and represents universities in 46 countries,
providing them with a unique forum to cooperate and keep abreast of the latest trends inhigher education and research policies. Nuffic is an institutional member of EUA.

•EAIE – European Association of International Education
Network of people working in international education and expert group for exchanging
know-how and sharing experience (http://www.eaie.org/). The EAIE was founded in the
Netherlands and Nuffic staff have been playing a significant role in this association over theyears.

•NAFSA – Association of International Educators (USA)
NAFSA serves its members, their institutions and organisations, and others engaged ininternational education and exchange and global workforce development, by creating anddisseminating knowledge, influencing public policy and maintaining a strong association(http://www.nafsa.org). Nuffic has been coordinating the representation of Dutch higher
education at NAFSA over the years.

Source:Nuffic website: http://www.nuffic.nl/
Nuffic (2010): Nuffic Annual Overview 2009.
Sander van den Eijnden (Nuffic): View on Internationalization (NIAD-UE Seminar material, 17th June 2010, Tokyo, Japan).
Marijke Blom-Westrik (Nuffic): Bologna Process – Mutual Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education(NIAD-UE Seminar material, 16th June 2010, Tokyo, Japan).
Marijke Blom-Westrik (Nuffic): Credential Evaluation in the Netherlands (NIAD-UE Seminar material, 16th June 2010,
Tokyo, Japan).

70

Sources and references•

Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (2010): Towards More Transparency inHigher Education: The Dutch National Qualifications Framework.

•

Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (2009): Key Figures 2004-2008.

•

Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (2008): Strategic Agenda for Higher
Education, Research and Science Policy.

•

Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (DUO) (2009): Everything about student finance for students andgraduates.

•

Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) (2009): General
Introduction to Accreditation in the Netherlands and Flanders.

•Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) (2009): 2nd Phase of
Accreditation – the Netherlands and Flanders.

•Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) (2009): Learning
Outcomes: Concept and Assessment.

•

Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) (2009): Reservoirs and
Rapids: Annual Report 2008 Summary.

•

Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) (2003): Accreditation
Framework – The Netherlands.

•

Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) (2003): Initial
Accreditation Framework – The Netherlands.

•

Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO): Programme accreditationand internationalisation – A distinctive (quality) feature for internationalisation - .

•Karl Dittrich (NVAO): Reforming Quality Assurance and Accreditation in the Netherlands(NIAD-UE Seminar material, 16th June 2010, Tokyo, Japan).

•Karl Dittrich (NVAO): Internationalisation of Higher Education: Europe’s Vision and the Attitudesof the Netherlands and Flanders (NIAD-UE Seminar presentation material, 17th June 2010, Tokyo,
Japan).

•

Karl Dittrich (NVAO): Introduction to the TEAM II project (ECA Seminar material, 10th June 2010,
Graz, Austria).

•

Karl Dittrich (NVAO): Toward a (European) certificate for internationalisation? : A NVAO
proposal (NVAO-ECA Seminar material, 10th December 2009, The Hague, The Netherlands).

•

Mark Frederiks (NVAO): Approaches Regarding Quality Assurance of Joint Programmes andInternationalisation (NIAD-UE Seminar material, 16th June 2010, Tokyo, Japan).

•Mark Frederiks (NVAO): Accreditation of Joint Programmes (ECA Seminar material, 26th March
2010, Warsaw, Poland).

•

Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic) (2010):
Nuffic Annual Overview 2009.

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

71•

Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic) (2010):
Link Int!: Strategic Framework 2010.

•

Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic) (2009):
Nuffic Annual Overview 2008.

•

Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic) (2009):
Higher Education in the Netherlands.

•

Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic) (2009):
Linking Knowledge Worldwide.

•

Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic) (2009):
Recognition Practice in the Netherlands.

•

Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic) (2008):
Internationalization in Higher Education in the Netherlands: Key Figures 2008.

•

Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic) (2008):
Internationalization in Education in the Netherlands 2007.

•

Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic) (2009):
Most people see windmills: Life and Study 2010/2011.

•

Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic) (2008):
Most people come for the tulips: Life and Study 2009/2010.

•

Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic) (2008):
Most students prepare for a study: International Degree Programmes 2009/2010.

•

Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic): Enter Int!:
Internationalization in Higher Education – A Strategic Framework for Nuffic.

•

Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic): Prior
Learning Assessment and Recognition in the Light of Bologna 2005.

•

Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic):
Knowledge without borders: Credential evaluation and recognition.

•

Sander van den Eijnden (Nuffic): View on Internationalization (NIAD-UE Seminar material, 17th
June 2010, Tokyo, Japan).

•

Marijke Blom-Westrik (Nuffic): Bologna Process – Mutual Recognition of Qualifications in Higher
Education (NIAD-UE Seminar material, 16th June 2010, Tokyo, Japan).

•

Marijke Blom-Westrik (Nuffic): Credential Evaluation in the Netherlands (NIAD-UE Seminarmaterial, 16th June 2010, Tokyo, Japan).

•Jessica Stannard (Nuffic) (2009): Recognition Practice in the Netherlands.

•

Jan Nedermeijer (Leiden University) (2010): Accreditation in the Netherlands: experience froman accreditation panel member.

•Thomas de Bruijn (Leiden University) (2010): Accreditation and Quality Assurance: theory andpractice at Leiden University.

72•

University of Amsterdam (2010): Quality Assurance at the University of Amsterdam.

•

State University of Groningen (2009): Welcome to the State University of Groningen: A
Handbook for International Students 2009-2010.

•

State University of Groningen (2005): Integrated Quality Assurance for Education at the State
University of Groningen.

•State University of Groningen (2005): State University of Groningen Education Quality
Assurance Manual.

•

Ineke Ganzeveld (State University of Groningen): Quality assurance at the State University ofGroningen, 2009.

•

Radboud University Nijmegen (2009): Radboud University Nijmegen: ECTS Information Guide
2009-2010.

•

Margreet de Lange (Utrecht University) (2010): Quality Management in Higher Education in the
Netherlands.

•

Wageningen University (2010): Internal quality assurance and enhancement at Wageningen
University.

•

Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU) (2010): The Power of Knowledge:
Exploring the Results of University Research.

•

Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU) (2006): Quality Assurance andAccreditation in the Netherlands.

•

Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU), the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts
and Sciences (KNAW) and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) (2009):
Standard Evaluation Protocol 2009-2015, Protocol for Research Assessment in the Netherlands.

•

European Commission (2010): Erasmus Mundus: International Quality Assurance - the Erasmus
Mundus Experience (NIAD-UE Seminar presentation material, 17th June 2010, Tokyo, Japan).

•

European Commission, the Directorate-General for Education and Culture (2008): Tuning Universities’ Contribution to the Bologna Process: An Introduction (2nd Edition).

•

European University Association (EUA) (2010): Trends 2010: A Decade of Change in European
Higher Education.

•

European Consortium for Accreditation (ECA) (2010): The Recognition of Qualifications
Awarded by Joint Programmes 2010.

•

Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS) (2007): Higher Education in the
Netherlands: Country report.

•

The Europe World of Learning 2010, 60th Edition Volume I-II, Routledge: London, 2009.

•

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT) (2010):
International Comparative Education: Statistics 2010-2011.

•

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT) (2009):
International Comparative Education Statistics 2009-2010.

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

73Websites•

Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science: http://english.minocw.nl/•

Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Tokyo: http://japan-jp.nlembassy.org/•

Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions: http://www.holland.com/•

Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs (DUO): http://www.ib-groep.nl/International_visitors/•

Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO): http://www.nvao.net/•

Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic):
http://www.nuffic.nl/•

Association of Centres of Expertise on Vocational Education, Training and the Labour Market(Colo): http://www.colo.nl/•

Information Centre for Credential Evaluation (IDW): http://www.idw.nl/•

Leiden Univesity: http://www.leiden.edu/•

State University of Groningen: http://www.rug.nl/•

Radboud Univeristy Nijmegen: http://www.ru.nl/•

Delft University of Technology: http://home.tudelft.nl/•

Wageningen University: http://www.wageningenuniversity.nl/UK/•

Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU): http://www.vsnu.nl/•

The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW): http://www.knaw.nl/•

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO): http://www.nwo.nl/•

The Dutch National Union of Students (LSVb): http://www.lsvb.nl/•

AIESEC the Netherlands: http://www.aiesec.nl/•

AEGEE: http://www.aegee.org/•

EURAXESS THE NETHERLANDS: http://www.euraxess.nl/•

Studentnews.eu: http://tertiary-education.studentnews.eu/•

OECD: http://www.oecd.org/•

INQAAHE: http://www.inqaahe.org/•

European Commission (EC): http://ec.europa.eu/•

European Commission, Education and Training: http://ec.europa.eu/education/•

European Commission: Eurybase - Organization of the Education System in the Netherlands
2009/09: http://www.eurydice.org/•

European Commission: Eurybase - The Education System in the Flemish Community of Belgium:
http://www.eurydice.org/•

European University Association (EUA): http://www.eua.be/•

The ENIC Network (European Network of Information Centres): http://www.enic-naric.net/•

European Consortium for Accreditation (ECA): http://www.ecaconsortium.net/

74•

Qrossroads: http://www.qrossroads.eu/•

Tuning: http://unideusto.org/tuning/•

Times Higher Education: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/•

Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the Academic Ranking of World Universities:
http://www.arwu.org/aboutARWU.jsp•

U.S. Department of State: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/index.htm•

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT):
http://www.mext.go.jp/•

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan: http://www.mofa.go.jp/•

National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation (NIAD-UE):
http://www.niad.ac.jp/•

Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO): http://www.jasso.go.jp/•

Overseas Vocational Training Association (OVTA): http://www.ovta.or.jp/

Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education: The Netherlands

75Overview of the Quality Assurance System in Higher Education
The Netherlands

Published by:
National Institution for Academic Degrees and University Evaluation
1-29-1 Gakuen-Nishimachi, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8587 Japan
http://www.niad.ac.jp