Requirements

In order to be admitted to our programmes, you will have to meet the entry requirements below.

Do you have Dutch prior education and are you applying for one of our English taught programmes? Please check the entry requirements for students with a Dutch diploma here. The information below applies to the academic year of 2025-2026. These entry requirements are subject to changes in government policy and Saxion regulations.

The student must be admissible to Higher Education through a diploma with good results at least equivalent to the Dutch HAVO, VWO or MBO-4 for our bachelor programmes and a bachelor’s degree for our master programmes. Does your diploma meet these requirements? Check here what the Nuffic has to say about the diploma you’ve obtained.

The Nuffic chart provides an overview of common diplomas and their Dutch educational system equivalencies, giving you insight into your admission chances. 

Student Registration might send your diploma/transcripts to the Nuffic for assessment and verification, to determine whether your diploma level is equivalent to Saxion's diploma requirements.

Please note: while the Nuffic's chart is a helpful guideline, our Student Registration will make the final admission decision, considering your previous curriculum.

As proof that you meet the English language requirement, you will be asked to upload one of the English language certificates below. The minimum required scores are applicable to our bachelor- and master study programmes.

  • IELTS Academic with a minimum overall score of 6.0. We do not accept the Academic IELTS Online certificate.
  • TOEFL Internet Based with a minimum score of 80 or TOEFL Paper Based with a minimum score of 550. Please note that we do not accept the MyBest scores of the TOEFL test as well as the TOEFL iBT Home Edition certificate.
    Make sure you add Saxion as a score recipient by using our institutional code 7533.
  • Cambridge English Language Assessment with a minimum score of 169 – First, Advanced, Proficiency. We would like to ask you to share your results online with Saxion so we can verify them. 
  • LanguageCert Academic with a minimum score of 65.
  • Pearson PTE Academic with a minimum score of 61.
  • TOEIC, both listening and reading with a minimum score of 670 and speaking and writing with a minimum score of 290.

Please be aware that we do not accept language test certificates that are older than 2 years at the desired start date of the study programme.

Exemptions
You are exempted from submitting one of the above test certificates if:

  • Your diploma is on Nuffic's diploma list and the subject English is on your final transcript of grades.
  • The medium of instruction of your completed bachelor or master studies was English (this requires submitting a copy of your bachelor or master diploma). Please provide us with an official signed and stamped statement from your university in which they confirm that the medium of instruction of the entire curriculum was English.
    This also applies to the English taught American High School curriculum that is accredited by an American regional accreditation organization, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and GCE AS/A level certificates issued by AQA, Pearson, Edexcel, OCR or Cambridge.
  • In some cases exemption is possible if the diploma is obtained in a country where English is the main language of communication. Please inquire via studentregistration@saxion.nl whether you qualify.

IELTS, TOEFL, LanguageCert, Pearson PTE, TOEIC and Cambridge English grades & scale

IELTS Academic

TOEFL Paper Based

TOEFL Internet Based

LanguageCert Academic

Pearson PTE Academic

TOEIC

Cambridge English Language Assessment

Listening and Reading

Speaking and Writing

6.0

550

80

65

61

865

335

169 - 172

Planning to enrol in a study programme at Saxion in September? If so, you will receive an invitation after 1 March to an online Meet & Greet for your study programme. During this informal online event you will get to know our university of applied sciences, current students and lecturers. In addition, you will have the opportunity to get to know future fellow students via our digital platforms, such as intosaxion.nl. To complete the picture, you are also invited to check out our video clips about the teaching and the facilities at Saxion.

Meet & Greet: the perfect time to ask questions and to ascertain whether there is a match between you and the study programme. If you still don't know which programme to choose after the online Meet & Greet, you may request an individual online interview (study choice check).

Phase 1: qualification 

You are admitted with a High School diploma. It is recommended that you have studied subjects such as economics, languages and/or management at secondary-school level. We also require either an Academic IELTS score of 6.0 or a TOEFL score of 550. Unfortunately, without either of these test results, your application cannot be considered.

Find more details about qualifications and general admission requirements on this website or contact internationaloffice@saxion.nl.

In addition to the completed application form and as part of the compulsory admission procedure, you will be required to complete the intake assessment.

Phase 2: additional entry requirements

To be able to enrol onto the first year of the Hotel Management programme, you will also need to pass the intake assessment which entails a number of tests, including an interview.

Once we have received your application, we will invite you for the additional entry requirements. You also receive details of the preparation you are required to do (an online Start assessment, a motivation letter, your CV and a video presentation) and information about the interview (Skype). At the end of the additional entry requirement you receive our binding study advice. In summary, the online Start assessment comprises the following 5 steps.

1. an online Start assessment

2. a motivation letter to demonstrate your affinity with and experience inthe hospitality industry

3. a CV including a recent picture of you

4. a video presentation (PDF)

5. an interview (Microsoft Teams)

Together we schedule the assessment, including the core component: the interview (Skype). Soon after the interview you receive our binding, personal study advice. The additional entry requirements is compulsory. Providing that the advice is positive and your entry requirements are approved, you are welcome to join the programme. If you receive negative advice, that means that we consider there to be insufficient match and you will not be allowed to start the programme.

If you have any questions about the additional entry requirements, please contact our international office via the mail address mentioned above.