Fontys University of Applied Sciences

Fontys is one of the largest universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands and offers a variety of bachelors and masters programmes in English. We have a larger number of international students than any other university in the Netherlands, with students of more than 80 nationalities from all over the world.

The name Fontys was given to this University of Applied Sciences on 1 September 1996. The name derives from the Latin word ‘fons’ which means ‘source’, a source of knowledge for students. Fontys is a merger of several Dutch Higher Education Institutes located in the south of the Netherlands. Some of these institutes were founded in the early 1900s and have a long and profound educational history.

Fontys aims to be an educational institution that is ‘inspiring growth through support & challenges’ and to be an educational organisation at which students can grow and learn to think more laterally, i.e. to ‘think bigger’. Fontys aims to achieve these objectives through the provision of support and challenges to its students, staff and all relevant stakeholders. The core objective is to promote an organisation-wide mentality that will result in continuous attention for quality improvement in terms of education, content and processes. Fontys focuses on Bachelor education and Master degree programmes financed by the Dutch government. The education is organised well and provided in professional education environments. Fontys strives to achieve high quality, embedding its activities solidly within society, whilst achieving a leading position as a knowledge institution, both nationally and in its regional environments. Quality is the key feature of the Fontys vision. Fontys strives to achieve a level of quality that will match that of any higher education institution in the European context.