Student LifeFebruary 2026
Finally. Outdoor season is open.
From a 50-metre rooftop pool in Florence to a sky-high bar above the Glasgow skyline, The Social Hub's outdoor spaces are made for this. No room key required. Pools, rooftop bars and sun-drenched terraces, open to guests, day visitors and everyone in between.
Why Amsterdam? And who is it actually for?
Amsterdam has a well-earned reputation as one of Europe's most liveable cities. What the tourist brochures don't tell you is that it's also one of the most genuinely international student cities on the continent. Around a third of students at the University of Amsterdam come from outside the Netherlands, and over two thousand English-taught degree programmes are offered across Dutch universities. You won't feel like an outsider here. You'll join a city that has been welcoming people from all over the world for four centuries.
Amsterdam suits students who are self-directed and curious. The Dutch educational model is participatory: seminars are expected to be debated, not just attended, and professors treat students as adults. You'll be challenged intellectually in a way that goes well beyond sitting in lectures.
“In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear.”
It's also a city that rewards students who live smartly. The canals, the parks, the cycle paths, the free-entry museums on certain days: a lot of what makes Amsterdam special costs little or nothing. The students who struggle here are often the ones who arrive expecting the same cost of living as smaller Dutch cities like Groningen or Eindhoven. Amsterdam is noticeably more expensive, and housing in particular requires planning.
The reality of student life in Amsterdam
Amsterdam has a well-earned reputation as one of Europe's most liveable cities. What the tourist brochures don't tell you is that it's also one of the most genuinely international student cities on the continent. Around a third of students at the University of Amsterdam come from outside the Netherlands, and over two thousand English-taught degree programmes are offered across Dutch universities. You won't feel like an outsider here. You'll join a city that has been welcoming people from all over the world for four centuries.
Amsterdam suits students who are self-directed and curious. The Dutch educational model is participatory: seminars are expected to be debated, not just attended, and professors treat students as adults. You'll be challenged intellectually in a way that goes well beyond sitting in lectures.
The first month felt overwhelming, but Amsterdam became one of the best experiences of my life.
Is Amsterdam expensive for students? A realistic budget breakdown
Amsterdam is the most expensive city in the Netherlands, and it's worth planning your budget carefully. The good news is that with smart choices (a bike instead of public transport, cooking at home, and using student discounts) a comfortable student life is achievable on a reasonable monthly budget. This table covers living costs beyond rent, so you can plan realistically regardless of where you end up staying.
[TABLE!] This RTE is minimal in the CMS, not the expanded version, BUG!
Money-saving tips that actually work
Shop at Lidl or one of the weekly market for groceries. Dutch supermarkets like Albert Heijn are convenient but noticeably pricier.
- Drink tap water. Amsterdam's tap water is high quality and perfectly safe. Never buy bottled water.
- Get a CJP discount card (€17.50 per year) for discounts on museums, cinema, theatre, and festivals.
- Cook more than you eat out. A meal at a student-priced restaurant runs to €10–15; the same cooked at home costs €3–4.
- Use your university library for textbooks before buying them.
- Work 56 hours or more per month and you can apply for the OV-chipkaart student travel product via DUO, which provides free public transport.
The one experience that defines living in Amsterdam
It's a Sunday morning in late spring. You're cycling along the canals with no particular destination. The streets are quiet, the light is that specific northern-European gold, and you stop at a gezellig café for a coffee and a slice of appeltaart. There is no English word for gezellig — it describes a quality of warmth, cosiness, and shared enjoyment that the Dutch consider a cultural cornerstone. Once you feel it, you'll understand why so many students who come to Amsterdam for one year end up staying longer.
