Studielink is a single point of access for students to manage higher education enrolment data in the Netherlands. It allows students to apply to university through one single platform rather than to every university individually. The students’ data has to be entered only once and can be re-used by the institutions involved. The application first went live in 2003 and is used by all potential applicants and all Dutch government-funded educational institutions.

How does it work?

The Studielink online platform arranges the exchange of enrolment information between current or prospective students and all non-private institutions of higher education (60 institutions in total). Students only have to enter their personal data once and can then apply to all publicly funded higher education institutions. Students enter their personal data and previous educational background through an account at www.studielink.nl which is enabled through the Dutch eID DigiD.

The Education Implementation Service (DUO) overseen by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science in the Netherlands verifies this by retrieving personal data from the Collective Dutch municipalities database for citizens. Studielink is therefore directly linked to the authentic sources, such as municipal databases at the DUO's General Register for Student Numbers which also includes exam data. 

After this process, students can apply and enroll to their desired university by submitting a digital enrolment application.

Studielink provides all potential students, all public higher education bodies and educational umbrella organisations such as the Association of Dutch Universities and the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Science with a platform for cooperation and innovation in higher education in terms of student and education information and administration.

What are the benefits and challenges?

One challenge that Studielink faces are the different data standards. Students from other EU countries cannot be verified through the same eID system than Dutch students, which causes delay in processing the data and data sharing capabilities within Studielink. A benefit of this once-only case is the significant reduction in the paper-based bureaucracy for students and institutions in the Netherlands. It also enables an increase in the quality of information sharing: since the information only needs to be entered and checked once, there is less chance of error than if several bodies enter and check the same information individually.

To visit Studielink: https://app.studielink.nl/front-office/#52

Promotional Film 'Studielink' (in Dutch) 

© Studielink, 2014

'Paying your tuition fees using the digital direct debit authorisation' via Studielink (in English)

© Studielink, 2017