| Diploma | NFQ | EQF | Comparable to | NLQF | EQF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | a diploma | 2 | 2 | |
| Leaving Certificate - Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) programme | 4 | 3 | an diploma level 2 or 3 | 2 or 3 | 2 or 3 |
|
Leaving Certificate - Leaving Certificate Established (LCE) programme:
|
5 | 4 | a diploma | 4 | 4 |
|
Leaving Certificate - Leaving Certificate Established (LCE) programme:
|
5 | 4 | a diploma | 4+ | 4 |
|
Leaving Certificate - Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP):
|
5 | 4 | a HAVO diploma | 4 | 4 |
|
Leaving Certificate - Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP):
|
5 | 4 | a VWO diploma | 4+ | 4 |
| Level 5 Certificate | 5 | 4 | an MBO diploma level 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Level 6 Advanced Certificate | 6 | 4 | 1 year of | 5 | 5 |
| Higher Certificate | 6 | 5 | 2 years of HBO or 1 year of | 5 | 5 |
| Ordinary bachelor’s degree | 7 | 6 |
3 years of HBO or 2 years of WO |
6 | 6 |
| Honours bachelor’s degree | 8 | 6 | an HBO bachelor's degree or a WO bachelor's degree | 6 | 6 |
| Master’s degree | 9 | 7 | an HBO master's degree or a WO master's degree | 7 | 7 |
| Master of Philosophy | 9 | 7 | a WO master's degree | 7 | 7 |
Preparatory vocational secondary education – theoretical programme (voorbereidend middelbaar beroepsonderwijs - theoretische leerweg, VMBO-T). A VMBO-T diploma is awarded upon successful completion of a 4-year programme of vocational secondary education (theoretical programme).
Secondary vocational education (middelbaar beroepsonderwijs, MBO). MBO prepares pupils for the professional practice or further study. This type of education follows on from VMBO; its duration will depend on the chosen qualification. MBO comprises 4 levels (I-IV). Read more on the website of SBB.
Senior general secondary education (hoger algemeen voortgezet onderwijs, HAVO). A HAVO diploma is awarded upon successful completion of a 5-year programme of general secondary education.
Pre-university education (voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs, VWO). A VWO diploma is awarded upon successful completion of a 6-year programme of pre-university education. VWO is the highest level of general secondary education available in the Netherlands.
Higher professional education (hoger beroepsonderwijs, HBO). Dutch higher education distinguishes between research-oriented higher education (wetenschappelijk onderwijs, WO) and higher professional education (hoger beroepsonderwijs, HBO). HBO is more oriented towards professions in specific areas than WO, and has traditionally been offered at universities of applied sciences (hogescholen).
Research-oriented higher education (wetenschappelijk onderwijs, WO). Dutch higher education distinguishes between research-oriented higher education (wetenschappelijk onderwijs, WO) and higher professional education (hoger beroepsonderwijs, HBO). WO is oriented more towards theory and research than HBO, and has traditionally been offered at research universities (universiteiten).