Prepare your stay

Visa and Residence Permit 

Information

Accommodation

In the Netherlands universities have no formal responsibility to house their students. Students’ housing companies and private parties provide rooms for students. 

International students can contact the International office for assistance in finding accommodation. The availabilty of accommodation may vary, so students are advised to send in their application as soon as possible. 

CHE works together with Idealis, the students’ housing company in Ede. As soon as you have applied for and have been admitted to one of our international programs we will send you the brochure “how to find a room”. In most cases a room can be found at a reasonable distance from the university.

Living costs 

For an estimation of living costs of students in The Netherlands, see this link

Medical services & health insurance

Everyone in The Netherlands is obligated to have a health care insurance. The National Health Service in the Netherlands does not offer free insurance for exchange students. Having one's own health and accident insurance is absolutely necessary.

More information

Upon arrival

Bank account

If you wish to open a bank account in the Netherlands we advise you to start this procedure soonest. Most banks will request a stay of more than 3 months in the Netherlands to allow you to open a bank account.
Opening a bank account requires a BSN (Civil Service Number) in most cases. Sometimes a bank allows you to give your BSN within a few weeks after opening your account.
ABN AMRO Bank offers the option to open a bank account without a BSN. More information

Register at the municipality

If you stay in The Netherlands for 4 months or longer, you are obligated to be registered in the administration of the municipality (city hall) as a citizen of Ede or Wageningen. Please try to register within 7 days after arrival in Ede or Wageningen.

Public Transport Card

If you want to make use of the public transport (bus, train, tram, metro), you have to buy a so-called anonymous OV-Chip card (costs one time € 7,50). The OV-chipkaart (OV-chip card) is the general means of payment for the public transport system in the Netherlands. The smart card is the size of a bank card and contains an invisible chip. The OV-chipkaart can be loaded with credit in euros with which you can travel anywhere within the Netherlands. You can load your card at any railway station in the Netherlands. 

Public transport card with discount for international students

CHE and ISIC have arranged a special public transport card with discount for international students. 

In the Netherlands you need an OV-chipkaart to travel around with the train, bus, metro and tram. There are two possibilities:

• An anonymous card without any discount
• A personal card, where you need a Dutch debit card and the buying process is written in Dutch 

Both options are not ideal for international students. That is why ISIC created the ISIC/OV-chipkaart, a custom-made card for international students. Buy the basic card for €15,- (including the ISIC card) and sign-up (optional) for services and discount created for international students for a small monthly fee: 

• 15% discount during off-peak hours on national railway (NS)
• A digital ISIC card, with the best discounts in the Netherlands and the rest of the world
• Customized application process for international students
• Automatic top-up option (no more topping op of balance)
• Travel data, customer service etc in ISIC mobility app
• Public transport bike (OV-fiets) and storage 

Order the ISIC/OV-chipkaart

Welcome day

In the first week of September, the welcome day takes place. Here, you will get to know your fellow students, meet the teachers, familiarize yourself with the building, and receive an introduction to all the systems we use, ensuring you start your time at CHE well-prepared.

Settling in

Learn Dutch

Would you like to learn the basics of the Dutch language? There are various schools and institutions in Ede that offer Dutch language courses. You can find an overview here.
Wageningen in’to Languages (which is affiliated to Wageningen University & Research and Radboud University) also offers several Dutch courses. More information 

If you are an Erasmus+ student, you are offered the option to take a language course (free of charge) via EU Academy. This is provided by the European Commission and is a great opportunity to learn the basics of the Dutch language. Click here for more information
 

Working next to your study

It might be difficult to find a job in the Netherlands as an international student. There are a lot of restrictions between EU and Non-EU-students. As an EU citizen, you will have the same right to work while studying as the Dutch students. You will not need a work permit and it is even possible for you to work fulltime. Non-EU students do need a working permit and you are not allowed to work fulltime. Please contact the International Office if you are planning to work next to your study.

More relevant information

Student wellbeing

Many factors influence the success of your study. Some students are looking for an additional challenge to their studies; others just need a little extra support. Also when you feel stressed, overwhelmed or experience obstacles with your study or health; you are very welcome to use our health services as a CHE student. Student Wellbeing can help you or refer you to the person/department who can support you. 

The first point of contact is your student advisor. If that is not possible/desirable, you can contact someone below:

• Study Success Advisors

Contact an advisor if you encounter obstacles during your studies.

• Dean/ Financial Services

Financial arrangements and procedures relating to your studies
Support when studying with a disability 

•  Pastoral Care
•  Student Psychologist
•  Student Confidant

You can also send an e-mail to the general e-mail address: studentenwelzijn@che.nl

As CHE, we find it important that you feel at home with us, regardless of your cultural background, sexual preference, or functional limitations (neurodiversity). Our goal is to make studying accessible for everyone!

Inclusive Team 

The Inclusive Team, which is part of Student Wellbeing, aims to ensure that every student and staff member can study and work in social safety and connectedness by actively considering groups that may not automatically be included.

At the moment, the following groups have been specifically identified in this regard:

• Cultural diversity: students/staff with a non-Dutch origin or a bi-cultural background.
• Sexual diversity/gender diversity (LGBT+).
• Giftedness
• Neurodiversity/functional limitations (such as ADHD, dyslexia, autism, chronic illnesses, and physical, mental, or auditory conditions).

From a Christian identity perspective, Team Inclusive! aims to create a space for anyone who needs or desires it to engage in conversations safely, meet each other, and be vulnerable.

Team Inclusive! organizes a Community Inclusive event every semester: gatherings to meet each other, exchange experiences, learn from one another, and, of course, have a lot of fun!

The ECTS Grading Table

The total number of grades awarded in our Bachelor Degree programmes, between 2018 and 2023.

The grading table requires universities to keep track of their grading practice and culture, which is good practice in many institutions across Europe.
The ECTS grading table allows for simple, transparent interpretation and conversion of grades from one system or context to antother, and therefore does justice to the level of permormance of all learners.
The grading table gives the distribution of grades for all Bachelor programmes of CHE. It presents how many students (in percentages) receive a specific grade by accomplishing a specific part of  the programme.
Only grades of at least sufficient are part of the table. This provides all necessary information to convert the grade in any local grading system. 

The grading table is based on data collected in the preceding official length of programme, therefore limited information is available about the distribution of new grades. The grading table presented here, gives the most reliable overview.
We do not have enough grades to produce a reliable grading table of our short semester programmes only.
But since these programmes are part of our regular Bachelor programmes, we are confident the grading table of our Bachelor programmes is useful for the conversion of these grades as well.

Academic Calendar first semester 2024-2025

Here are the key dates to note in your diary during the first semester of the academic year 2024-2025: