IN THE LAND OF TULIPS: Tilburg University is among the best in Europe

If windmills, dykes and tulips were all you knew about Holland, then something far more exciting than these is in store for you. Especially if you happen to be a student looking for studying opportunities overseas. The Netherlands University Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education (NUFFIC) will soon have its first office in the subcontinent in New Delhi.

The Netherlands is home to some of the oldest and finest universities in Europe. In tradition, age, history and the sheer variety of their courses, the universities of Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam or The Hague are perhaps second to none. But they have largely been out of bounds for Asian students with the exception of those from China that has always had educational ties with the country. But all that is going to change soon with Holland laying out the red carpet. It should attract loads of Indian students for whom the Netherlands could be the ideal destination in terms of the quality of courses and language, believe experts.

A major advantage for Indian students, they point out, would be the fact that most Dutch courses are taught in English. 'Unlike France or Germany where a language is often a barrier, Holland offers no such problem. Its management, science and engineering courses are internationally renowned, so Indian students now have an additional destination to opt for,' says Shekhar Niyogi, education counsellor with Education Unlimited. And like Germany, it is also holding out the job carrot to those interested in staying back. Several Dutch companies, including the software industry, are now on a recruiting spree and those with local degrees are obviously being given preference.

But purely from an academic point of view too Holland has much to offer. Take the Amsterdam University. Founded in 1632 to educate students in trade and philosophy, it remained a small institution until the 19th century with no more than 250 students and eight teachers. Now it has more than 22,000 students on its rolls. It offers 62 bachelors programmes taught in Dutch and over 100 international study programmes taught in English. There is a wide range of exchange courses too. These include every conceivable course, right from engineering, business and sciences to humanities, music and fine arts.

Then there is the fairly new Erasmus University in Rotterdam that came into existence in its present form in 1973. It shot to prominence with its law and social science courses in the Sixties, followed in later decades by philosophy, history and arts and business administration. In 1973, the Medical Faculty Rotterdam and the Netherlands School of Economics merged to become Erasmus University Rotterdam ' the first university in the Netherlands named after a man to whom Rotterdam owes the reputation it has held for centuries in the academic world, Desiderius Erasmus. Other reputed universities in Holland include the Delft University of Technology, the Tilburg University and the Aruben Business School.

Business and engineering courses are most popular among international students. Economics, biological sciences, public health, animal sciences and aquaculture also draw a large number of overseas students. Unlike in most other countries, business and masters courses in Holland are completed in one year, cutting down the cost to a certain extent. Undergraduate courses in engineering and business span four years. Indian students need not enrol for bridge courses because three-year Indian bachelors degrees are accepted for admission into postgraduate programmes. Another similarity with the Indian system is that undergraduate courses in science and humanities are of three years' duration. But if social science or arts is your field of study, then Holland may not be the ideal place to look for. 'Qualitywise they may not be far behind those in other European countries. But from a professional viewpoint, that won't help you to land a job,' says Niyogi. For that, you need a technical or a professional qualification. Once your course ends, you will be given a year to find a job. You can apply for residential status after that.

The qualifying tests are the same as those in any other country ' TOEFL, IELTS and GMAT. But GRE is not mandatory. Scholarships are available, but they are strictly meritbased. It is not impossible to get a 50 per cent tuition waiver. Tuition fees in Holland are almost half of the fees in the UK, the USA or Australia. They range between 6,000 and 15,000 Euros (Rs 3,25,000 and Rs 8,00,000 respectively). But living expenses are quite high. You need at least Rs 30,000 a month to survive in Holland.