Groningen is the largest city in the northern Netherlands and about as classic a European student town as you will find, with one of the youngest average populations of any Dutch city thanks to its two large institutions. It combines a well-regarded university with a compact, bike-first centre and the lowest cost of living among the major Dutch student cities.

Universities and major institutes

University of Groningen
Hanze University of Applied Sciences

Cost of living

Groningen is the cheapest of the cities in this guide, with a room typically running €400 to €700 a month, though even here demand regularly outstrips supply at the start of term. Add groceries, a bike, Dutch health insurance if you take on paid work, and a going-out budget, and monthly costs beyond rent might realistically land somewhere around €450 to €650, noticeably less than in the Randstad cities to the south. The relative affordability does not mean housing is easy to find: register with student housing organisations and check university-linked listings as soon as you accept your place, since the best rooms, particularly near the Zernike campus, tend to go quickly.

Getting around

Groningen is often held up as one of the most cycle-friendly cities anywhere, and daily life here genuinely runs on two wheels: the compact centre, closed to most through traffic, is built around cyclists rather than cars. A second-hand bike typically costs somewhere around €80 to €150, and given how central cycling is to student life here, it is one of the first things worth sorting out on arrival. Buses connect the centre to the Zernike campus and other outlying areas, paid for through an OV-chipkaart or a contactless OV-pay tap-in, and Groningen’s railway station links to the rest of the country via NS trains, though journeys south to Amsterdam or Utrecht take a good deal longer than trips between the more closely clustered Randstad cities. The discounted domestic student travel product is generally tied to Dutch funding arrangements, so international students should plan on standard fares unless told otherwise.

Weather and lifestyle

The far north of the Netherlands is flat, open, and exposed, so expect more wind here than in cities further south, along with plenty of rain through autumn and winter; a good coat matters more in Groningen than almost anywhere else in this guide. Summer, by contrast, brings the city to life: the Grote Markt and the canalside terraces fill with students the moment the weather turns, and Groningen throws itself into King’s Day on 27 April with one of the country’s livelier celebrations, reflecting its huge student population.

Working while you study

The 16-hours-a-week rule for non-EU students applies here as everywhere in the Netherlands, along with the requirement that an employer hold a TWV permit before hiring you. Groningen’s economy is smaller and less international than Amsterdam’s or Eindhoven’s, so English-friendly student jobs are somewhat harder to come by outside hospitality, retail, and roles connected to the university itself; most other work realistically expects at least conversational Dutch.

Neighbourhoods for students

Binnenstad (Old Town): central and lively, where most students want to be.
Schildersbuurt: popular student area near the centre.
Korrewegwijk: affordable and well-connected.
Zernike campus area: university and applied-sciences campus to the north.

Studying in Groningen