More Dutch students face selection for master’s degrees

More than half of the country’s master’s degree programmes now require students to go through some form of selection procedure, the Volkskrant said on Wednesday.

These procedures can include interviews, entrance tests, and examination of a student’s bachelor’s degree and grades, according to the latest edition of university comparison guide Keuzegids Masters 2016.

The University of Utrecht is the country’s most selective university, with 84% of master’s programmes there requiring extra admission procedures. Seven out of 10 master’s courses at Amsterdam University and Erasmus in Rotterdam also involve selection.

However, some universities, like the University of Groningen and Tilburg University still admit most students with a relevant bachelor’s degree to master programmes, the guide’s researchers found.

According to Eurostat, 46% of Dutch adults between the ages of 30 and 34 have a master’s or third level qualification. This figure is 8% higher than the EU average.