University of Groningen

📚 Courses & programs at University of Groningen

University of Groningen is best known for AI, Economics, Energy. Popular programs for international students include:

• MSc Computing Science
• MSc Data Science
• MSc AI
• MSc Economics
• MSc Finance

Class profile: Moderately selective.

✅ Entry requirements

💰 Fees & cost of studying

Plan your budget for tuition + living + health insurance + the visa fee. Compare funding with the free scholarship finder.

📝 Step-by-step admission process

1. Find English-taught master's (Studielink)
2. Meet IELTS 6.5 + GRE if recommended
3. Apply by Apr 1 (non-EU)
4. Receive offer → pay deposit
5. Arrange proof of funds
6. Apply for MVV residence permit

📄 Documents checklist

• Transcripts
• Motivation letter
• LORs
• CV
• IELTS / TOEFL
• GRE (recommended)
• Passport
• Proof of funds

🛂 Student visa & post-study work · Netherlands

• Student visa: Residence permit (MVV)
• Work while studying: 16 hrs/week during term
• Post-study work: Orientation Year (zoekjaar): 1 year

📅 Intakes & deadlines

All figures are indicative and change year to year — always confirm on the official site (rug.nl) before applying.

How University of Groningen compares in Netherlands

The figures on this page mean little on their own. Set against the 5 other Netherlands universities in our dataset, they say something more useful about where an application to University of Groningen is likely to be won or lost.

• Selectivity. An indicative acceptance rate of about 45% against a median of 40% across the 5 other Netherlands universities in our dataset. 5 of them are harder to get into than University of Groningen. It sits on the more accessible side of its national peer group, which usually means a complete, early, well-matched application matters more than an exceptional one.
• Rank in context. QS #139, against a peer median of #107; 4 Netherlands universities rank above it here. Rank is worth exactly this much and no more — it is driven by institution-wide research output and reputation surveys, not by the department you would actually join, so treat it as a coarse filter and judge the programme on its own page.
• English bar. IELTS 6.5 against a peer median of 6.5. That is exactly the national norm, so a score built for this application should travel across your whole shortlist. Equivalents: TOEFL 85, PTE 58.

Programme areas: MSc Computing Science · MSc Data Science · MSc AI · MSc Economics · MSc Finance. Entry requirements are set per programme, not per university, so the figures above are the institutional baseline — a competitive department inside an accessible university can run far tighter than the headline rate suggests.

Practical order of work for University of Groningen: clear the English requirement first, because it gates everything and is the only part of the application you fully control; then confirm which of the Sep intakes you are targeting, since the typical deadline is May 1 (non-EU) and funding decisions usually close before admission decisions; then build the application around one specific programme rather than the institution. Budget the application fee of $50–100 per programme, and living costs of €10,800–13,200/yr on top of tuition of €15–18k/yr.

Figures here are indicative and compiled for comparison. Acceptance rates in particular are institution-level estimates and move year to year — confirm anything you are deciding on against the university's official pages.