Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), whose roots go back to the Netherlands School of Commerce founded in 1913, is known worldwide for economics, business, econometrics, medicine and public health. In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published in June 2026, it was 148th in the world and fifth in the Netherlands. Its Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) is one of Europe’s best-known business schools, and its main campus is in Woudestein, in Rotterdam.
Erasmus has many English-taught international bachelor’s programmes, but its most popular ones now have a limited number of places and close in January. Here are 10 things you can do to give yourself the best chance, based on Erasmus University’s own guidance and official Dutch government information.
1. Choose your programme
Erasmus offers English-taught international bachelor’s programmes such as the International Bachelor Economics and Business Economics (IBEB), International Business Administration (IBA) at RSM, the International Bachelor Econometrics and Operations Research, the International Bachelor Psychology, History, and Arts and Culture Studies. Erasmus University College (EUC) offers a liberal arts and sciences degree.
2. Apply through Studielink and the EUR portal
You first register for your programme in Studielink, the national application system, and then submit your documents in the EUR Admission Portal. If you have a non-Dutch diploma, you pay a non-refundable handling fee of €100. Documents sent after the deadline aren’t considered, so make sure your file is complete well before it. EUR application steps (Econometrics example).
3. Know your deadline
For programmes with a numerus fixus (limited places), such as IBEB and IBA, the deadline is 15 January 2027 at 23:59 CET, both in Studielink and in the EUR portal. For other bachelor’s programmes, such as Econometrics and Operations Research, the deadline is 1 April 2027 for non-EEA students, because they need a residence permit, and 1 May for EEA students. EUR bachelor’s deadlines.
4. Prepare for selection
For 2027-28, IBEB has 500 places, chosen through a selection procedure and a weighted lottery, and it uses the end-of-year grades from your penultimate school year if you’re still at school. IBA admits about 650 students in September, ranking applicants on their grades and a motivation form, which counts for 25% of the selection points and is due by 31 January. Results for numerus fixus programmes are usually released on 15 April. IBEB admission and selection.
5. Meet the mathematics requirement
Economics, business and econometrics programmes need a strong mathematics background. For IBEB, students with a Dutch diploma need Mathematics A with at least 7.0 or Mathematics B with at least 6.0, and international diplomas are checked for an equivalent level. Check your programme’s requirements early, because some, such as Econometrics, set their own.
6. Meet the English requirement
For IBEB, Erasmus asks for IELTS Academic of at least 6.0 overall, or Cambridge B2 First or C1 Advanced with at least 170, and it doesn’t require specific subscores. Some programmes, such as Psychology, ask for higher scores. If you need a residence permit, you must take your test at an official test centre, because online tests such as IELTS Online aren’t accepted for immigration purposes. Practise with our free IELTS and TOEFL practice tests.
7. Understand the fees
Students from the EU/EEA, Switzerland and Suriname pay the statutory fee, which is €2,771 for 2027-28. Other students pay an institutional fee. For 2027-28, the non-EEA bachelor’s fee is €14,700 at most schools, including the Erasmus School of Economics, up from €13,500 in 2026-27. It’s €15,200 at RSM, €17,800 at EUC and €35,000 for Medicine. EUR tuition fees 2027-2028.
8. Plan your funding
Scholarships for non-EEA bachelor’s students at Erasmus are limited. RSM’s own bachelor’s scholarship, the Entrepreneurial Spirit Scholarship, is only open to EU/EEA nationals, and Erasmus wasn’t on the list of universities taking part in the NL Scholarship for 2026-27. So plan to pay the full institutional fee, and look for scholarships in your home country. RSM advises budgeting at least €1,150 a month for living costs in Rotterdam, on top of your tuition. RSM IBA scholarships and funding.
9. Let Erasmus University apply for your residence permit
If you’re not from the EU/EEA or Switzerland, you’ll need a residence permit for study, and many nationalities also need an entry visa (MVV). You don’t apply to the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) yourself: once you’ve been admitted, Erasmus University applies for you as a recognised sponsor, and you pay the fee to the university. You must show that you can cover your living costs, which the IND sets at €1,130.77 a month for university students in 2026 (about €13,570 a year), on top of your tuition. This is why the deadline for non-EU applicants is usually earlier than for EU students. The permit lasts for the length of your programme plus three months, and to keep it you must earn at least 50% of your credits each year. IND required amounts.
10. Plan for work during and after your studies
With a student residence permit you can work up to 16 hours a week during the academic year, or full time in June, July and August, but your employer needs a work permit (TWV) for you from the UWV. After you graduate, you can apply for the orientation year (zoekjaar) residence permit, which lets you stay for 12 months to look for a job or start a business, and during it you can work without a work permit. You can apply for it up to three years after you graduate. IND: international students.
Applying for a master’s or PhD at Erasmus?
Erasmus offers many English-taught master’s programmes, especially in economics, business and finance, and some business master’s programmes ask for a GMAT or GRE. Each programme sets its own requirements and deadlines. For a PhD, you usually apply for an advertised position, which is a paid job. See our 50 sample SOPs and free GRE practice tests.
Be ambitious, but apply to a balanced list
Erasmus’s capped programmes are competitive, so apply to other options too. Read our guides to TU Delft, the University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University and Leiden University. Our guide to studying in the Netherlands explains how the Dutch system works, and our free study abroad assessment can help you build a shortlist.
Information was taken from Erasmus University Rotterdam’s official admissions and tuition fee pages, Rotterdam School of Management’s pages, official Dutch government sources and the QS World University Rankings 2027, and checked in October 2026. Admissions rules, deadlines, fees and immigration rules can change, so always confirm the details on Erasmus University’s website before you apply. StudyAbroadMarket is not affiliated with Erasmus University Rotterdam.