The Netherlands is one of the most attractive places to study in Europe. Alongside many renowned universities - Universiteiten, a lot of Universities of Applied Sciences - Hogescholen'' strive to reach a top position within Europe. Hogescholen focus on business and practice-oriented degree programmes and offer a 4-year scientific education (Bachelor and Master/ two years or less) similar to universities.
This is one of the reasons why more and more foreign students are being attracted to the country of Europe's best merchants.
Some of the reasons for studying in the Netherlands:
The Netherlands is a country where different cultures have lived together for centuries and it is renowned for its accomplishments in the arts and sciences, but no less for its dairy farming and flower industry. The Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of the Netherlands proper and the Caribbean islands of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. The Netherlands population is estimated around 16.7 million. The name Holland is often used instead of the Netherlands, although, strictly speaking, it refers to the two western coastal provinces, North and South Holland. The fact that the Netherlands lies on the coast and is situated on the estuaries of three major Western European rivers - the Rhine, the Maas and the Scheldt - has always been a major factor in the development of the economy. And with Rotterdam as the largest port in the world, it is truly the gateway to Europe.
(source: www.nlnet.de)