Netherlands

The Netherlands

Who hasn’t heard of Amsterdam, the capital of culture, flowers, and canals? Its mesmerising beauty is hard to overestimate, covered in national parks, famous museums, and breathtaking architecture. The Netherlands is considered a small yet grand country, best explored by bike.

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Program Summary:

Program: Classic program

Program length: Long & Short programs

Vaccinations: Yes

Discounts and Scholarship: Yes

Language criteria: Yes

Language course: No

Soft Landing Camp: Yes

Classic Program

If you are looking for a cultural experience for 2-3 months, or an Academic Semester or Year, our Classic program will match you with a welcoming host family and place you in a nearby school. We find the host family and choose the school, and you can enjoy what they have to offer while immersing yourself in local culture.

Perfect for students who:
* Who can be more flexible in where and what they study
* Want to have a cultural experience
* Interested in joining sports, clubs, and activities
* Grow as a person and improve language skills

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Classic Program Information

Age and eligibility

Students must be aged between 15 – 17 for exchange in The Netherlands.

In addition to the completed application form, applicants need to provide a photo of themselves without being recognisable i.e.: participating in an activity showing a profile shot only along with a short video of you, in which you tell a bit about yourself – it doesn’t need to take long, just enough to get a good first impression of you. Please upload this as a private video on You Tube and share the link with your Program Coordinator.

Language criteria

Students accepted onto programs for the Netherlands will be provided with access to an online language course, valued at 130 Euro and is included in the program fee. Having a basic knowledge of the language (Dutch) allows easy adaption to School and Host family life.

Program length

Long programs are available for an Academic Semester or Academic Year. We have limited spots for our long programs. Programs depart in January/February, or July/August each year. Short programs are available at the end of the year for 2 or three months.

Schools

School life in The Netherlands encourages independence and responsibility from students in a supportive environment. Classes usually run from 8:30 am to 4-5:00 pm, depending on the students timetable. Exchange students may have choice of electives where possible, and the curriculum includes Culture & Society, Economy & Society, Nature & Health and Nature & Technique, with a variety of subjects in each stream. It’s possible that you might have a free period or “tussenuur” – this provides time to do your homework or independent language study.

Vaccinations

All Outbound students are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Your Program Manager can advise if any additional vaccinations are required. Please be sure to note all vaccinations you have received in your application.

Visa

Long programs require a a Stay Permit, as this is for longer than 90 days in The Netherlands. Our partner organisation will apply for this permit after the program fees invoice has been paid – the indicative cost is approximately EUR380, but this will be confirmed at the time as fees can vary. Students collect their Staying permit in their local community with assistance from their host family.

Students traveling on Australian & New Zealand passports, with programs up to 90 days, generally travel as “tourists” and do not need to apply for a visa prior departure. However, for programs extending beyond the 90-day period (including Semester & Academic Year programs), students are usually required to apply for the necessary visa.

Program Coordinators will provide the essential visa documents so students can lodge their visa application. Please note that Program Coordinators are not Registered Migration Agents and cannot represent the applicant. Program Coordinators will provide “guidance” where possible, however the responsibility of lodging the visa falls upon the student/parents. Visa application requirements differ per destination and, on top of the visa documents provided by your Program Coordinator, students will need to provide additional documents such as birth certificate, bank statements, police check certificate, passport photos, letter of parental consent, etc.

Visa application fees (set by the foreign Authority) fluctuate depending on the destination and may vary from $180 to $700. These costs exclude expenses such as translations, official stamps (Notary Public stamp, Apostille stamp), national police certificate, passports photos, express post envelopes, etc. In some cases, students must attend an in-person consulate / visa agency appointment, which may incur additional personal expenses for travel such as purchasing flights (Interstate flight or international flight if no representation in your home country), petrol costs, tolls, accommodation, etc.

Canada:
Students must have received their routine childhood vaccinations appropriate for their age. In addition, Canada requires full vaccination against Meningococcal (MenACWY). The Covid-19 vaccine is recommended but not mandatory.

USA:
Students must be up to date with their routine childhood vaccinations for their age group. Additionally, your host school in the USA will require further immunisations to meet national guidelines, such as the Meningococcal ACWY vaccine and a TB test conducted within six months before arrival. While Covid-19 vaccination is recommended, it is not mandatory.

Other Countries:
Students must be up to date with their standard childhood vaccinations. While the Covid-19 vaccine is recommended, it is not compulsory.

Australia: Department of Home Affairs, Netherlands Embassy
Australia: Foreign Embassies & Consulates
New Zealand: Foreign Embassies & Consulates

The budget allocated for flights to Europe is NZ$3,000 of the program price listed below. We may need to charge a flight surcharge if we cannot obtain a flight within this budget. For more information, please see our Flight Surcharge Policy on our Money Matters page.

Classic Program Prices for The Netherlands

Length	Arrive	Depart	Program fee NZ	Application deadline
3 Months	Nov 1, 2025	Jan 30, 2026	$13,950	Feb 1, 2025

Each destination has a budget for flights included in the fee. If flight costs are above this budgeted amount, a Flight Surcharge may apply. Please see our Money Matters page for program inclusions, the flight surcharge policy and other important pricing information.

Program start dates are indicative arrivals in the destination, students attending the Soft Landing Camp (if available) will depart earlier. The school start date and end date will vary according to the school region in the Netherlands (North, Centre & South). Program start dates serve as approximate arrival dates at the destination and subject to change. We will notify you of your confirmed program dates ahead of time to prevent any confusion or inconvenience.

Scholarship & Early Bird Discount Application Deadlines
October 31, 2024: classic programs departing between April 2025 – September 2025
March 31, 2025: classic programs departing between October 2025 – March 2026
Find out more about Scholarships and Early Bird Discounts.

Soft Landing Camp in Amsterdam

On arrival students are required to attend a mandatory Orientation – 6 days for long programs and 4 days for short programs, included in your program fee. A Dutch online language course is provided prior to departure to prepare for the Soft Landing Camp.

Students applying for the Semester and Year programs will have access to a bike free of charge for the entire program length. In addition, the cost of some excursions will be included in the program price, and details will be provided at the Soft Landing Camp (one excursion per Academic Semester, two per Academic Year program).

All students arriving in the Netherlands starting August will receive a free Museum Card. It will give students free access to every Dutch museum, from the Van Gogh museum to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and from the Open air museum in Arnhem to the South Sea museum in Enkhuizen,for their entire exchange.

Academic Semester & Year Students will have access to a free bike for the entire program.

Agenda (example only)

Monday: Around noon you will arrive at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. You will be greeted by staff members.. When all other students have arrived as well, we will bring you to the accommodation in
Amsterdam by bus. Depending on the weather there is a fun activity in the afternoon. In the evening we
have dinner together and you’ll get a presentation about the program of the week. We will also do some
games so we can all get to know each other better. Later in the evening there is time to relax.

Agenda cont. (example only):

Tuesday: After breakfast we will go into the city centre of Amsterdam. In the morning you will visit “This is Holland” and get to know the Netherlands better by a 5D show. Then we will go to the Amsterdam Lookout where you have a great view over the city. After lunch, Plastic Whale will take us on a boat trip in the
Amsterdam canals. In the evening we have dinner at our accommodation in Amsterdam and after dinner
you will do a Dutch language questionnaire.
Wednesday: This day is full of Dutch classes, in the morning, afternoon and evening! But don’t worry, there are
enough breaks in between for coffee, tea, a snack and also for lunch. After the afternoon class we will
have dinner followed by one more session of language training with lots of fun games to practice your
Dutch skills.
Thursday: After breakfast you will start with Dutch classes again. In the late afternoon you will have free time. In the evening after dinner there is time to relax and the option to watch a movie.
Friday: First there is time for breakfast. After that you will get a lesson on how Dutch traffic works. After this
lesson we will ride our bikes. The students that need a visa will also visit the Immigration and
Naturalization Authorities. After lunch you will follow a workshop that prepares you for a successful exchange period. In the evening we will have dinner and after that a “show” night will be organised to end this great week.
Saturday: Today is a special day: you will meet your host family! They will come to Amsterdam to pick you up. This is the most exciting part of the week, since now your adventure really starts and you will go to your new
Dutch home with your new Dutch family!

LIVE Online sessions

If you would like to find out more information on our programs, please attend one of our free LIVE Online Information Sessions to:

Meet our staff
Hear comprehensive information on all aspects of exchange
Ask questions
See questions asked by other students and parents

Information evenings run for about an hour.
They are friendly, free and are the best way for us to address your specific questions in person.

‘”My exchange was the best time in my life. I stumbled often but I picked myself up again to enjoy the wonders of learning from mistakes. I saw the world in a different lens and now have two families to love and share precious memories with. I regret nothing.”

Emily – Australia to The Netherlands

“Don’t underestimate yourself! It can sometimes be easy to think you are not good enough or that you wouldn’t be able to travel to another country on your own, but you can and you will if you really want to do it. It’s not always going to be perfect, you will have some low times and maybe a hard time adjusting to some things, but towards the end you will not want your exchange experience to end because it will have become your new life.”

Ashlynn – Australia to The Netherlands