The Hague University of Applied Sciences
The Hague University of Applied Sciences is a university of applied sciences with its campuses located in The Hague, Delft and Zoetermeer. The main campus in The Hague is located behind The Hague Hollands Spoor railway station by the Laakhaven Canal.
History
The Hague University of Applied Sciences was formed on 12 January 1987 through the merger of six municipal and nine special institutions of higher professional education in The Hague. Of these institutions, the Hogere Technische School voor Bouw- en Waterbouwkunde was the oldest, with origins tracing back to the Haagsche Teeken-Academie which was founded in 1682. The university officially welcomed its first students on 1 September 1987.In the years that followed, the university continued to expand, merging with the Technische Hogeschool Rijswijk in 2003 and opening a new building at the campus of Delft University of Technology. In 2003, the university also started the Academy for IT & Design in Zoetermeer in cooperation with the local business community. The academy, now called Faculty of IT & Design, is located at the Dutch Innovation Park in Zoetermeer. In September 2017, the Physical Education Teacher Training Programme, Sport Studies and International Sport Management degree programmes moved into Zuiderpark Sports Campus, built on the site where ADO Den Haag's Zuiderpark stadium stood until 2007. The complex that replaced the stadium contains various sports facilities as well as 12 lecture halls.
Since 2009, The Hague University of Applied Sciences has been a UNESCO Associated School.
Campuses
The Hague University of Applied Sciences is divided into four campuses. The main campus is located in The Hague with satellite campuses in Delft, Zuiderpark Sports Campus and Zoetermeer.Laakhaven
The main campus building was completed in 1996 and is located on Johanna Westerdijkplein in The Hague next to Hollands Spoor railway station and the Laakhaven Canal. The design includes the central glass atrium main hall, offices, laboratories and classrooms. The main campus also includes offices central to the university's administration such as the Enrolment Centre which processes applications, registrations and tuition fees, the International Office which takes care of all non-academic student matters relating to English courses, exchanges and internships and the Student Affairs Office which looks after student welfare.The Central Library stores magazines, dissertations and electronic data resources and has 400 study areas, many with PCs and Internet connections. Other facilities include a fitness centre and sports hall, a central ICT service desk providing scanning, printing and audio-visual equipment, a health centre, a main restaurant and several departmental cafés serving snacks.
Delft
The Hague University of Applied Sciences’ building on the Delft University of Technology campus opened in 2009. The Delft campus, venue for the Technology, Innovation and Society Academy, offers seven degrees taught in Dutch including Mathematics and Applications, Electrical Engineering, Project Leader in Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Management, Computer Engineering, Engineering Physics, Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics.Zuiderpark Sports Campus
The Zuiderpark Sports Campus was opened in 2016 at The Hague's Zuiderpark on the site of the old ADO Den Haag football stadium. The complex is a joint venture between The Hague University of Applied Sciences, the municipality of The Hague and Vestia housing association. The Hague University of Applied Sciences' Physical Education Teacher Training and Sport Management bachelor's degrees are taught here as well as the senior secondary vocational level Sport and Exercise course offered by the ROC Mondriaan Regional Training Centre. The complex includes a sports hall, gymnasia, a ballroom and beach volleyball facilities.Zoetermeer
The Hague University of Applied Sciences established its Faculty of IT & Design in Zoetermeer, a city in the western Netherlands close to The Hague in 2003, tapping into the city's business community. In 2013 the faculty moved to the Dutch Innovation Factory, which is part of the Dutch Tech Campus. One bachelor's degree is taught here in Dutch: Computer Science.Organisation and administration
An executive board and a supervisory board govern The Hague University of Applied Sciences. The executive board is supported by service departments and an executive office support. Study programmes are grouped within academies, which are led by directors.Faculties
The Dutch higher education system allows students to obtain a bachelor's degree on successful completion of an undergraduate phase, and a master's degree after passing the graduate phase. Bachelor's degrees at The Hague University of Applied Sciences take three or four years of full-time study and require 240 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System credits. One ECTS credit represents 28 hours of full-time study and the study/work load for one academic year accounts for 60 credits.The Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders validates study programmes offered by Dutch universities. All international bachelors and masters programmes offered by The Hague University of Applied Sciences are recognised by NVAO.
EU and non-EU students must pay tuition fees for bachelor's and master's degrees and finance their living arrangements. There are a number of loans, grants and scholarships available.
The academic year at The Hague University of Applied Sciences starts in September and ends in mid-July. Each academic year is split into two semesters, which are divided into two half terms of six weeks, with a week's break in between. There is a six-week summer holiday and two-week Christmas break. Other breaks fall in February/March, May and October.
The university is organised into 7 Faculties:
- Faculty of Business, Finance & Marketing
- Faculty Public Management, Law & Safety
- Faculty of Health, Nutrition & Sport
- Faculty of IT & Design
- Faculty of Management & Organisation
- Faculty of Social Work & Education
- Faculty of Technology, Innovation & Society
Student body
The Faculty of Business, Finance & Marketing is the largest, with over 4,500 students. The most popular degree programme is the International Business bachelor’s degree programme taught in English followed by the Law and European Studies degree programmes, also taught in English. Incoming students usually have a senior general secondary education pre-university education or senior secondary vocational education diploma.
With 124 different nationalities, The Hague University of Applied Sciences has an extremely international student population. Over 23,000 students at The Hague University of Applied Sciences have the Dutch nationality.
More about the student population
In 2012, 23,500 students studied at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. This number grew steadily in the following years to 25,995 in 2016. Up to 2020, the number fluctuated around 26,000, to reach the highest number ever in 2020 with 26,331 enrolled students. Overall, the student population grew by more than 12 per cent from 2012 to 2020.
Of all the seven faculties, the Faculty of Business, Finance and Marketing is the largest, with over 4,500 students. The most popular programme is the International Business bachelor's degree programme taught in English with 1,449 students, followed by the Law and European Studies degree programmes, also taught in English.
Most new students came from senior general secondary education, followed by senior secondary vocational education and pre-university education. There are slightly more men than women studying at the university: 53 per cent to 47 per cent. The largest differences are found in the Mechanical Engineering, Educational Theory and Skin Therapy degree programmes.
Just over 50 per cent of students at the university have a foreign background, with or without a Dutch passport. Non-westerners make up more than a third of the student population and almost 15 per cent have another background. The Faculty of Technology, Innovation and Society has the fewest foreign students, followed by Health, Nutrition and Sport. All other faculties are more diverse. The Physical Education Teacher Training Programme is a popular choice among native Dutch students. The International Business degree programme has the most non-Western students. Most Western students choose the English-language variant of Law.
Over 23,000 students at The Hague University of Applied Sciences have the Dutch nationality. This includes the Dutch-Caribbean students. The remainder have a total of 123 different nationalities. Nine of our students are stateless, which means that no country considers the student to be its national under its laws.
A total of 2,013 students from the EEC enrolled at the university, 1,059 students came from other countries. Most foreign students come from Germany, followed by Romania and Bulgaria. In 2020, Bolivia, Botswana, Guatemala, Honduras, Jordan, Libya, Namibia and Niger were represented by only one student. There was a first in 2020: the very first student from Panama enrolled.
The students come mainly from the city and The Hague region. The so-called South and North Flank are both represented by over 3,200 students. About 6,000 students are from the rest of the Netherlands. A total of 2.856 students are from abroad.
Alumni
By now, more than 85,000 alumni of The Hague University of Applied Sciences have fanned out across the globe. Together, these former students form a widespread and diverse network that we actively maintain.