So, who exactly can apply for the Orientation Year? The eligibility criteria are quite straightforward, but they differ slightly depending on your educational background. Here’s what you need to qualify:
- Recent Graduation or Research: You must have finished your studies or research within the last 3 years before applying. The clock starts from the date you completed your program (e.g., your graduation ceremony or final defense date). If more than three years have passed since you graduated or got your PhD, you’re unfortunately no longer eligible.
- Graduates of Dutch Institutions: If you earned an accredited Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD from a Dutch higher education institution, you qualify for the Orientation Year. This also includes those who completed at least one year of a post-master’s program in the Netherlands, or certain special programs under Dutch cultural or development cooperation agreements. In simpler terms, anyone with a recognized Dutch college or university diploma (Bachelor’s or higher) from the past three years can apply. There is no minimum grade or GPA requirement – completion of the degree is what counts.
- Graduates of Foreign (Non-Dutch) Institutions: If you studied outside the Netherlands, you can also be eligible, provided you have at least a Master’s degree or a PhD (a foreign Bachelor’s alone is not sufficient). Additionally, the university you graduated from must be a “designated foreign educational institution”, which means it was ranked in the top 200 of global university rankings at the time of your graduation. (The Dutch government uses three main ranking lists: Times Higher Education, QS, and the Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai). Your school needs to appear in the top 200 of at least two of these lists, possibly by subject or overall, to count.) This criterion is to ensure the quality of the foreign degree. Don’t worry – if your university is well-known internationally, chances are it might be on the list. You’ll need to provide proof of this ranking as part of your application (more on documents later).
- Language Requirement for Foreign Graduates: If you’re applying with a foreign Master’s/PhD, you must also demonstrate proficiency in English (or Dutch) unless your entire program was taught in English or Dutch. This typically means showing an English test score of at least IELTS 6.0 or an equivalent (TOEFL, Cambridge, etc.), or evidence that you meet Dutch integration requirements. Essentially, you need to prove you can speak the language to a level that will allow you to function in the Dutch job market. However, if your Master’s or PhD was conducted in English (or if it was in an English-speaking country), this language test requirement is waived.
- Researchers and Scientist Category: The Orientation Year isn’t just for degree graduates – it’s also open to researchers. If in the last 3 years you conducted scientific research in the Netherlands under certain research resident permits (for example, under EU Directive 2016/801 for researchers, or as a PhD researcher on a highly skilled migrant permit with a university) you are eligible as well. In practice, this could apply if you came to the Netherlands for a research project or postdoc and want to stay on to find a regular job. There are specific conditions (your research position must have had a certain classification code in the university system) – but if that applies, you likely know it from your contract.
- No Previous Orientation Year for the Same Qualification: You cannot have already used an Orientation Year after that same diploma or research. In other words, the scheme is only usable once per completed study or research project. For example, if you finished a Master’s in the Netherlands and already took an Orientation Year for that degree, you can’t take another one for the same Master’s. However, good news – if you later complete a new degree or PhD, you can apply for a fresh Orientation Year for that new achievement. The rule is one orientation year per diploma/research. (So someone who did a Bachelor’s and Master’s in the Netherlands could use an orientation year after each, one after the Bachelor’s and again after the Master’s, as long as the second application is based on the new higher degree and occurs within 3 years of that graduation.)
- General Dutch Residence Requirements: You must meet the standard requirements that apply to all residence permit applications. These general requirements include things like having a valid passport, not posing a security threat, and (if applicable) being willing to undergo a tuberculosis test after arrival. These are routine checks for any visa, not specific to the Orientation Year.
To summarize the eligibility in plain language: If you’re an international student who has graduated from a Dutch university (Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD) in the past three years – or if you graduated abroad with a Master’s/PhD from a top-ranked university – you can apply. You don’t need a job in hand, and you don’t need to show any minimum income for yourself either (unlike many other visas, there’s no proof of funds requirement for this permit). The Orientation Year is deliberately made accessible to recent grads so you can focus on finding employment without extra hurdles.
