Avans Hogeschool

About Avans Hogeschool

Avans is a Dutch university of applied sciences, a type of higher-education institution focused on professional practice and applied learning. Its formal Dutch name is Avans Hogeschool, while Avans University of Applied Sciences is used in English. The present institution dates from 1 January 2004, when Hogeschool Brabant and Hogeschool Den Bosch merged. The institution operates across four North Brabant cities: Breda, ’s-Hertogenbosch, Roosendaal and Tilburg. Avans reports around 30,000 students, more than 120 courses, 11 schools and over 30 applied-research groups. Its December 2024 institutional figures recorded 30,065 students, including 14,040 in Breda and 14,300 in ’s-Hertogenbosch. These figures describe Avans as a whole, not solely the Breda record represented here. Avans is government funded and participates in the Dutch system of programme accreditation. NVAO records Avans Hogeschool as an institution subject to institutional quality assurance, while Avans publishes accreditation information for individual programmes. Prospective students should still verify the accreditation, location, language and format of their intended programme rather than treating institution-wide recognition as proof that every offering has identical status. The institution is best suited to students seeking professionally oriented education with projects, external partners and applied research. It is distinct from a Dutch research university: its primary educational identity is higher professional education, and applicants should compare this approach with the more theory- and research-intensive model used by research universities.

Admission is programme-specific. Applicants to a bachelor’s programme generally need a Dutch havo, vwo or mbo diploma, or an international qualification judged equivalent. If the level of a foreign diploma is unclear, Avans may request an evaluation by Nuffic. Individual degrees can impose additional subject prerequisites or selection steps, so applicants must use the requirements on the relevant programme page. Master’s applicants normally submit evidence of a bachelor’s degree, but each master sets its own academic conditions. Applications are submitted through Studielink and supported by documents sent to Avans. Bachelor’s applicants are generally asked for a certified secondary-school diploma or graduation statement, transcripts, identification and language evidence. Master’s applicants provide corresponding bachelor’s documentation. Documents outside Dutch, English, German or French require an official Dutch or English translation. For English-taught degrees, foreign degree-seeking students generally need B2-level English unless an exemption applies. Accepted evidence includes IELTS Academic, Cambridge, TOEFL iBT, TOEIC, PTE Academic and LanguageCert. Avans lists IELTS 6.0 and CEFR B2 among its thresholds, but applicants should check the current score table because TOEFL scoring changed in January 2026 and online IELTS and TOEFL Home Edition tests are not accepted. For the published 2026 intake, the general deadline is 1 May for non-EEA applicants and 31 August for EEA applicants. Programme-specific pages may add selection or earlier requirements. Applying early is important for immigration processing and housing.

Avans offers bachelor’s and master’s programmes, alongside exchange study. The English-language programme catalogue allows students to filter offerings by degree type, campus and starting period. Bachelor’s programmes are generally four years, while listed master’s programmes typically last one or two years. Availability is campus-specific, and the English catalogue represents only part of Avans’s broader, largely Dutch-language portfolio. Teaching is professionally oriented. Avans describes project-based learning in which students first develop relevant theory and then apply it in small groups to practice-based assignments. Programme pages provide the more reliable level of detail because curricula, placements, selection procedures and entry subjects vary. For example, the English-taught International Business bachelor’s programme is offered in Breda and ’s-Hertogenbosch and combines business subjects with real company cases; its Breda route also includes international study opportunities. Such features should not be assumed to apply to every degree. Applied research connects education with professional and public-sector questions. Avans reports more than 30 lectorates, four Centres of Expertise and two additional expertise centres. Students and lecturers work with professional partners on innovation across fields including business, technology, health, social studies, arts, education and environmental subjects. From the second year, Avans’s elective-education approach gives students additional scope to broaden or deepen their pathway. The precise choice space remains programme-dependent. Students comparing options should review the current programme structure, assessment rules, language, campus and accreditation entry before applying, especially because some courses are full-time while the broader Dutch catalogue also contains part-time and dual formats.

Key Highlights

• Founded in 2004 through a merger of two predecessor institutions
• Government-funded Dutch university of applied sciences
• Operates in Breda, ’s-Hertogenbosch, Roosendaal and Tilburg
• Reported 30,065 students institution-wide as of 1 December 2024

Student Life & Environment

Student experience varies by city and campus. Breda and ’s-Hertogenbosch contain the largest Avans populations, while Tilburg and Roosendaal are substantially smaller. In Breda, the international bachelor’s campus facilities shown by Avans include classrooms, laboratories, multimedia and group-study areas, canteens and a rooftop café. Students should confirm which building their programme uses because Avans occupies several addresses within the city. Avans lists student associations serving international, social, cultural, religious and sporting interests. Intarnia is an Avans-wide community intended to help international students settle in, while ESN Breda organizes social, cultural and sports activities for international and exchange students. Breda also has broader student associations and access to the BRESS student sports centre. Participation, membership charges and event schedules are controlled by the individual organizations and can change. Student Support is the first contact point for academic or personal difficulties. Available guidance includes study-related counselling, disability support, medical and religious information, and arrangements for eligible elite athletes. The international community also has a physical meeting and activity space in OpenX in Breda. Housing requires early, independent planning. Avans does not own residences. It works with housing associations to offer a limited supply of furnished rooms to eligible international students, but demand exceeds availability and rooms are allocated through a booking process. Avans advises students who have not secured accommodation before arrival to consider postponing their start.

Location & Surroundings

The database record points to Breda, but Avans is a multi-city institution. Its locations are spread across Breda, ’s-Hertogenbosch, Roosendaal and Tilburg in North Brabant, in the southern Netherlands. Breda is one of the two main Avans centres and had 14,040 students in the institution’s December 2024 count. Avans lists several Breda addresses, including Hogeschoollaan, Lovensdijkstraat, Beukenlaan and Claudius Prinsenlaan. Applicants should use their programme page and enrolment information to identify the correct site rather than assuming that every Breda programme uses the same campus building. The international campus-tour information identifies Breda as the home of several English-taught bachelor’s programmes and highlights teaching laboratories, study areas and food outlets. Breda has a historic city centre, parks, shops, restaurants, festivals and an established student community. Local student organizations and the BRESS sports centre expand options beyond the classroom. Housing is the main practical constraint. For eligible international students, Avans’s partner rooms for 2026/2027 are furnished and generally involve a private bedroom with shared facilities, but the supply is limited and fixed-term contracts are not flexible.

Costs & Career Outcomes

For 2026/2027, Avans publishes an annual statutory tuition fee of €2,694 for eligible Dutch or EEA bachelor’s and master’s students and an institutional fee of €10,308 for non-EEA students. Nationality alone does not determine every student’s fee status, so applicants should confirm their personal classification. Non-EEA students must apply by 1 May and, under the published payment rules, pay the full institutional fee by 15 June. Eligible SEPA payers can authorize payment through Studielink; nine instalments incur a collection charge. Tuition does not cover housing or ordinary living costs. Avans’s limited partner rooms in Breda for 2026/2027 are furnished and were advertised at approximately €450–€760 per month including utilities and internet. Contracts use fixed dates, may require roughly a semester’s rent at signing and cannot be ended early. Because Avans neither owns nor guarantees housing, students should budget for alternatives and begin searching well before arrival. Career preparation is embedded in Avans’s applied model through group projects, professional assignments, placements and links with external organizations. Exact placement length and structure should be confirmed on the individual programme page rather than generalized across all degrees. The institution’s May 2026 summary of the 2025 HBO Monitor reported that 90% of participating Avans alumni were employed within three months of graduation. This is institution-wide survey evidence, not a guarantee for an individual programme, occupation or international graduate. The same report identified weaker areas, including alignment with graduate-level work and the quality of career information, which students should weigh alongside the strong overall employment result.