Which Dutch Master in Management does not require the GMAT?

The University of Groningen's MSc Business Administration does not require a GMAT or GRE — admission rests on the fit and grades of a relevant bachelor's degree. Maastricht requires a GMAT or GRE for its MSc International Business, but waives it broadly: holders of a Dutch/Flemish degree or a bachelor's from an AACSB- or EQUIS-accredited institution are exempt. The University of Amsterdam also expects a test as part of its assessment. Test policy changes each cycle, so always confirm the current requirement on each school's own admissions page.

Are Dutch Master in Management programmes taught in English?

Yes. The flagship management master's at RSM, Maastricht, Amsterdam and Groningen are all taught entirely in English, so you can complete any of them without speaking Dutch. The Netherlands is one of the most English-friendly study destinations in continental Europe. That said, some Dutch helps with internships, recruiting into Dutch firms and daily life — though many international graduates build careers in the country in English, especially in multinational and consulting roles.

RSM or Maastricht for a Master in Management?

Both are excellent, triple-crown-accredited public schools, and they suit different applicants. RSM (Rotterdam) is the higher-ranked on QS (#19), runs a generalist MScBA Master in Management capped at around 300 places, and sits in a major business city with deep corporate recruiting (Deloitte, Accenture, ING). Maastricht is the Netherlands' top-ranked school on the FT table (#65, #10 for value for money), runs an MSc International Business built on its signature Problem-Based Learning model, and reports a 100% employment rate at three months. Choose RSM for the QS ranking, the generalist MiM and the Rotterdam corporate scene; choose Maastricht for the FT standing, the value-for-money record and the interactive, internationally-framed programme.

The Best Master in Management in the Netherlands: RSM vs Maastricht vs Amsterdam vs Groningen

Q: Which is the best Master in Management in the Netherlands?

It depends on what you weigh. On the QS Business Masters in Management 2026 ranking, Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) is the clear leader at #19 worldwide. On the Financial Times Masters in Management 2025 table, Maastricht University is the Netherlands' top-ranked school (#65, and #10 globally for value for money). The University of Amsterdam and the University of Groningen are strong generalist programmes at long-established research universities but do not appear in the FT or QS Management tables we cite, so we don't assign them a rank. Beyond the tables, the four differ on city, programme focus, accreditation and admissions — so the best one is the one whose trade-offs match your profile.

Q: Is a Master in Management in the Netherlands cheap?

For EU/EEA students, remarkably so. All four schools are public universities, so EU/EEA students pay the Dutch statutory tuition rate — about €2,694 for the full one-year programme in 2026/27 — which is among the lowest of any serious MiM destination in Europe. Non-EU/EEA students pay the institutional rate instead: roughly €25,800 at RSM, €24,050 at Amsterdam, €22,200 at Groningen and about €21,500 at Maastricht. So the Netherlands is one of the best-value English-taught MiM destinations for EU students, while non-EU applicants should budget for the institutional fee and check scholarship options.

On this page

The four at a glance
The Dutch advantage: low EU tuition, taught in English
School by school
RSM — the QS-ranked Rotterdam flagship
Maastricht — the FT value champion with Problem-Based Learning
Amsterdam (UvA) — generalist breadth in the capital
Groningen — the GMAT-free, broad-access option
How to choose

If you are looking at a Master in Management in the Netherlands, four names lead every shortlist: Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Maastricht University, the University of Amsterdam, and the University of Groningen. They share one big advantage that defines the Dutch option — they are all public universities with very low EU tuition and fully English-taught programmes — but they differ on ranking, programme focus, city and admissions in ways that matter far more than a few places on a league table.

Here is how the Dutch top four compare on the things that actually decide it, pulled from the data we keep on each programme — you can dig into the full profiles for RSM, Maastricht, Amsterdam and Groningen individually.

The four at a glance

	RSM (Rotterdam)	Maastricht	Amsterdam (UvA)	Groningen
City	Rotterdam	Maastricht	Amsterdam	Groningen
Programme	MScBA Master in Management	MSc International Business	MSc Business Administration	MSc Business Administration
Ranking	QS Mgmt #19	FT MiM #65	Not in FT/QS MiM tables	Not in FT/QS MiM tables
Duration	12 months	12 months	12 months	12 months
EU/EEA fee	€2,695	€2,694	€2,694	€2,694
Non-EU fee	€25,800	~€21,500	€24,050	€22,200
Accreditation	Triple-crown	Triple-crown	Triple-crown	Double (AACSB + EQUIS)
GMAT	See school	Required (broadly waived)	Required	Not required
Intakes	September	Sep + Feb	Sep + Feb	Sep + Feb
Founded	1970	1976	1632	1614

(A note on ranking: RSM’s #19 is the QS Business Masters in Management table and Maastricht’s #65 is the Financial Times Masters in Management table — two different rankings with different methodologies, so the numbers are not directly comparable. Amsterdam and Groningen do not appear in either of those MiM tables, so — in keeping with our policy of not inventing numbers — we don’t assign them a rank. Check each profile for the sourced detail.)

The Dutch advantage: low EU tuition, taught in English

The single thing that makes the Netherlands distinctive among the big MiM destinations is that its leading business master’s sit inside public research universities. For EU/EEA students that means the Dutch statutory tuition fee — about €2,694 for the whole one-year programme — at all four schools. That is a fraction of what the private elites in France, the UK or Spain charge, and it puts the Netherlands alongside Germany’s public route as one of the best-value English-taught MiM destinations in Europe. (See our cheapest MiM in Europe shortlist and how much a MiM costs for the wider price picture.)

Non-EU/EEA students pay the institutional rate instead — roughly €21,500–€25,800 a year depending on the school — which is still moderate by international standards. And because the country is one of the most English-friendly in continental Europe, every programme here runs entirely in English: you can read more on studying a MiM in Europe in English.

School by school

RSM — the QS-ranked Rotterdam flagship

Rotterdam School of Management is the highest-ranked Dutch school on QS (#19 in the Business Masters in Management 2026 table), triple-crown accredited, and runs a generalist MScBA Master in Management in Rotterdam — a major port-and-business city with a dense corporate base. The programme is capped at around 300 places and fills well before the deadline, with strong recruiting into consulting and corporates (Deloitte, Accenture, ING) and a reported graduate salary around €50,000. Best for: applicants who want the top Dutch QS ranking, a broad management degree, and a big-city corporate recruiting scene.

Maastricht — the FT value champion with Problem-Based Learning

Maastricht University’s MSc International Business is the Netherlands’ top-ranked programme on the Financial Times table (#65, and #10 worldwide for value for money), triple-crown accredited, and reports a 100% employment rate at three months and an FT weighted three-year salary of about US$81,000. Its signature is Problem-Based Learning — small, discussion-driven tutorials rather than big lectures — and a strongly international framing. The GMAT is required but waived broadly (for Dutch/Flemish or AACSB/EQUIS bachelor’s holders). Best for: applicants who want the best FT standing and value record in the country, plus an interactive, internationally-oriented programme.

Amsterdam (UvA) — generalist breadth in the capital

The University of Amsterdam’s MSc Business Administration runs at the triple-crown Amsterdam Business School, with nine specialisation tracks spanning strategy, marketing, entrepreneurship and international business — and the pull of Amsterdam itself, one of Europe’s most attractive cities for international students and employers. UvA does not appear in the FT MiM table, so rather than an FT figure the school reports its own careers data (an average of about two months to a job and a starting salary around €3,100/month). Best for: applicants who want a flexible, track-based generalist master at a triple-crown school in the capital.

Groningen — the GMAT-free, broad-access option

The University of Groningen’s MSc Business Administration is the most accessible of the four on admissions: it requires no GMAT or GRE, admitting on the strength of a relevant bachelor’s, and offers five specialisation profiles from strategic innovation to health management. It is double-accredited (AACSB + EQUIS) rather than triple-crown and does not appear in the FT/QS MiM tables, but it names serious recruiters (ABN AMRO, Accenture, Deloitte, IBM, McKinsey, KPMG) and carries the very low EU statutory fee. Best for: applicants who want a test-free route into a respected, well-accredited Dutch master at low EU cost.

How to choose

Optimise for ranking: RSM (QS Management #19) or Maastricht (FT MiM #65, #10 for value) — but remember the two figures come from different tables.
Optimise for value + outcomes record: Maastricht — top-10 FT value-for-money and 100% employment at three months.
Optimise for the city + track flexibility: Amsterdam — nine tracks at a triple-crown school in the capital.
Avoiding the GMAT: Groningen requires no test; Maastricht waives it broadly for many applicants.

Whichever way you lean, anchor the decision on the fundamentals — ranking (and which table it’s from), cost, city, programme focus and admissions fit — then verify the current fees, deadlines and test requirements on each school’s own page, because they move every cycle. Compare all four against the wider field on the composite rankings and the full programme catalogue, see where they sit among the country’s options on the Netherlands MiM hub, and map your application timing on the deadline tracker. If you are still deciding whether the MiM itself is worth it, start with is a MiM worth it in 2026 and MiM vs MBA; for what a Dutch MiM leads to, see the Netherlands MiM career outcomes; and if you are weighing the Netherlands against Britain, read Netherlands vs the UK for a MiM.