The top three hbo colleges in the Netherlands are all in the south of the country, according to a new ranking published on Tuesday.

The Keuzegids Hbo Voltijd 2012, which looks at full-time courses, puts the Avans college in Noord-Brabant in top place, followed by the Hogeschool Zeeland.
The Hogeschool Zuyd in Limburg and degree in tourism offered by specialist college NHTV in Breda are in joint third place.
The ranking is based on academic results, accreditation experts and student opinions.
There are two types of degree courses in the Netherlands: the academic-based courses offered by universities and the more vocationally-based courses (HBO or hoger beroepsonderwijs) offered by Hogescholen (colleges and academies).
HBO colleges are generally known as ‘universities of applied science’ in English.