The Hague Global Business School

Email: info@haguegbs.com

Tel.: +31685507195

Terms and Conditions

HGBS’s Terms and Conditions document sets out the conditions of being a student or course participant at HGBS. It is a contractual agreement that you enter into when you become a student or course participant by paying your invoice. Please read this important information. You can download the PDF version of this document via the link at the bottom of this page.

The Hague Global Business School

General Terms and conditions

Updated November 2024

Acceptance and agreement

By accessing and using the services of the The Hague Global Business School (HGBS), you accept and agree to be bound by the terms and provision of this agreement. In addition, when using these particular services, you shall be subject to any posted guidelines or rules applicable to such services. Any participation in an HGBS service will constitute acceptance of this agreement. If you do not agree to abide by the above, please do not use or participate in HGBS services.

HGBS services include: Bachelor and master programs in Business Studies and International Relations, cooperation in doctoral programs the field of Business and Management, diploma courses in several subjects related to Business and Management studies or International Relations, Language programs, short courses, tailor-made education events, research projects, consultancy and literature studies.

Terms and Conditions for research projects and other assignments to HGBS are stated in the separate document: ‘Terms and Conditions for research and other assignments given to HGBS’.

HGBS services can be offered in cooperation with or on behalf of third parties. Academic degrees may be issued by HGBS partners. In that case HGBS guarantees that such degrees are equivalent to Dutch degrees in validity and international recognition. Partner institutions issuing degrees are fully recognized by their national authorities and the cooperation with the partner institutions complies with the stipulations of the Dutch law on higher education (Wet op het Hoger Onderwijs).

Admission at HGBS

In order to be admitted, a student must have submitted a request for admission and fulfil the requirements for admission. If a student has not timely met these requirements, his/her application will be rejected.

Admission requirements

When applying for admission to any program at International business school The Hague, your previous education and English language proficiency need to be sufficient. Besides, there are some general requirements to be able to apply for a program.

General requirements

A residence permit / visa

If you are a non-EU national enrolling for a full-time program longer than three months, you will have to be eligible for a residence permit as student (or based on another legal ground, if applicable) in order to study in the Netherlands. For more information on this topic, see below.

Non-EU students wanting to participate in a three months or shorter program, will have to apply for a 90-days Schengen visa. HGBS will supply the documents necessary for application as far as applicable. The participant him/herself is finally responsible for a complete and valid visa application. HGBS cannot be held responsible for any visa application denial.

A written motivation

To apply for some programs, it is required to submit a written motivation letter of max 1500 words. See the HGBS website for programs that require a motivation letter.

A completed application form

An application form must be submitted. Candidates should submit their application, including the form and any additional documents required latest by 17:00 GMT on the day of the deadline. The additional documents needed, can be found here.

Financing of your fees and costs of living

Please note that HGBS is a private institution that does not offer scholarships. Please also note that students at HGBS are until further notification not eligible for support by the Dutch state. Please also note that in order to be eligible for a student residence permit you will have to prove your financial capacity to pay the fee and the costs of living (for non-EU students that have no residence permit on other grounds than for study). For details see here: https://ind.nl/en/Pages/income.aspx#Income_study.

Costs and fees

HGBS charges tuition fees for its educational services. These include a non-refundable registration processing fee and the tuition fee for the program / course taken. Other costs, that are not tuition fees may include visa fee/ residence permit processing fee, health insurance and rent for accommodation that HGBS moderates.

Please note that HGBS offers services like accommodation search and health insurance only as intermediary, on a non-profit basis, charging exactly the amount the services cost. HGBS does this with the goal of helping students to obtain accommodation and meet criteria of the Immigrations Service for student residence permits. Also, landlords are generally more willing to give students housing if the money for the first year of the rent is guaranteed via HGBS. Please note that the money paid to HGBS as advance for rents remains the property of the student who made the deposit and can be refunded at any time, with the reduction of housing costs that have already been paid for the student. Students can leave an accommodation for which HGBS was intermediary at any time allowed by the contract

between the landlord and the student. In such a case they are entitled to a refund of the remainder of the deposit still with HGBS at that time. HGBS is not obliged to offer further accommodation after a student decides to leave the first accommodation. HGBS cannot take responsibility or liability for lacks, problems or complaints related to services that are obtained via HGBS as intermediary. Furthermore, while HGBS tries its best to estimate the current costs of housing and health insurance, market prices may change on short notice. HGBS, as intermediary, cannot be held responsible to supply accommodation or health against the costs originally estimated.

Please note that HGBS in general does not offer scholarships to cover tuition fee, costs of living and other costs. A limited number of students can profit from scholarships, which offer a reduced tuition fee. Eligibility of students for the scholarships is determined and decided by HGBS alone.

Refund of fees and costs

In the case a student requests disenrollment from a program or short course before the start of the first semester to be attended or the short course to be attended, the study fee and other costs (such as accommodation costs and health insurance costs) will be refunded, minus an administration fee of € 100 and deduction of any costs and fees paid by HGBS as intermediary, such as accommodation fee and health insurance, in the case said payments cannot be refunded by the final recipient of these payments. If a student request disenrollment after three weeks before the start of the semester, reimbursement of the tuition fee will be partial, depending on the part of the course or program that has been attended by the student, and taking into account costs made before the start of the teaching, such as hiring of staff, reservation and preparation of teaching locations and resources. The refund schedule is given in Table 1 below. Please note that refunds will take at least three months to be processed and paid out. Please see below for more information on the topic of disenrollment.

Please note that under no circumstances will HGBS refund costs that are not tuition fees, such as but not restricted to: health insurance costs, visa costs, travel costs, costs of accommodation or general living expenses.

Notwithstanding the statement above, costs that were paid to HGBS in its role as intermediary for visa / residence permit processing, accommodation and health insurance will be refunded in the case of disenrollment, as far as the money has not yet been spent on its intended purpose or can be retrieved from the final recipient of the payment.

Table 1

Refund of fees for withdrawal at various times during the academic year.

 Registration fee     Refund %Study fee     Refund %Accommodation and health insurance Refund %
More than 3 weeks for the semester start0%100%1100%1,2
From 3 weeks to the semester start to the semester start0%90%1100%1,2
After semester start to the mid-term exams0%70%1100%1,2
From mid-term exam first semester to mid- term exam second semester0%50%1100%1,2
After mid-term exam second semester30%0%100%1,2

1An administrative fee of €100 will be deducted.

2of the sum remaining at the time of withdrawal, excluding funds already paid for accommodation

3 For students starting in March the spring semester is counted as the first semester and the autumn semester of the following academic year as the second semester.

Requirements for Bachelor studies

Previous education

Dutch students

The admission requirement for students with Dutch education is a VWO diploma, including mathematics, a HAVO diploma including mathematics or a VMBO-4 diploma. Please note that prospective students with a HAVO or VMBO-4 diploma will have to attend the full four years of the program, while students with a VWO diploma can be allowed to participate in a three-year fast track version of the program.

Sometimes, it is also possible to be admitted with a propaedeutic diploma from a university of applied sciences (HBO-p).

If you have obtained or will obtain a VWO diploma, then you are not required to provide additional proof of your English proficiency.

Non-Dutch students

Your foreign diploma must be equivalent to a Dutch VWO diploma or a higher-level diploma. Your diploma will be assessed on an individual basis in order to determine whether you can be admitted.

Language requirements

Applicants need to have a sufficient level of English to follow the education at HGBS. Sufficient control of English can be proven by:

If your level of English is not sufficient, you can apply for additional English teaching:

HGBS reserves the right to require additional English language training in the case a student doesn’t show sufficient language control in class. In this case, a course program and learning targets will be established for the specific student. Failure to obtain the required level of English even after additional training can be a reason for a negative recommendation for continuation of the study.

Master- specific requirements

Previous education

One of the admission requirements is that you have a relevant bachelor diploma or equivalent. A foreign Bachelor’s degree must be equivalent to a Dutch Bachelor’s degree (BA or BSc). Your Bachelor’s degree needs to be a study area relevant to the Master’s program you are applying for. Whether or not your bachelor diploma is a relevant qualification is determined on individual basis by the Registrar’s office.

Language requirements

Applicants need to have a sufficient level of English to follow the education at HGBS. Sufficient control of English can be proven by:

Prior Education in English

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): 6.0 or higher

If your level of English is not sufficient, you can apply for additional English teaching:

HGBS reserves the right to require additional English language training in the case a student doesn’t show sufficient language control in class. In this case, a course program and learning targets will be established for the specific student. Failure to obtain the required level of English even after additional training can be a reason for a negative recommendation for continuation of the study.

Reference

You’ll need one reference from a (former) supervisor or any person who knows you and your relevant characteristics sufficiently. We cannot accept a reference from a relative.

Doctoral programs

Doctoral programs HGBS contributes to are offered via our partner institutions and the admission requirements and general conditions are stipulated by our partners. You can find the requirements on our partners’ websites or on the HGBS website.

Tuition fee payment

When students are admitted to the program, they agree to pay the tuition fees and are responsible for doing so before the deadline. Non-EU students cannot apply for their visa/residence permit if they have not paid the full tuition fee for one year according to the IND (Dutch Immigration and naturalization service) regulations. Tuition fee payment is done by means of a bank transfer.

If the student’s employer will pay the tuition fees, the Garantie verklaring form https://ind.nl/en/Documents/appendix_study_privateperson.pdf may be used. If the student does not have a Dutch bank account, the Confirmation Form https://ind.nl/en/Pages/Sufficient-means-of- support-as-a-student.aspx may be used, in which

case the entire tuition fee has to be credited at the bank account of HGBS before the start of the academic year.

EU students must pay tuition fees before the deadline. For EU students, under special circumstances, the school can grant payment in installments. Non-EU students cannot pay in installments as it is not possible for them to get a visa if the tuition fees have not been fully paid.

In the case of arrears in payment HGBS can refuse access of the student to exams, classes and other ISH activities. If, after having received a reminder, the student and/or the account holder remain in arrears of payment, the enrolment can be terminated. The amount due will then be collected by a bailiff. The associated additional costs and charges will have to be paid by the student.

Re-enrolment

A student must re-enroll in his/her program every academic year. This must take place before 1 September or 1 February, depending on the intake moment the student has used. After 1 September or 1 February (depending on the intake moment of the student), the student loses his/her right to re-enrolment.

Upon re-enrolment, a new payment confirmation must be submitted.

If a student receives a binding negative study advice, re-enrolment would not be possible. If a student changes his/her study program, the enrolment would be subject to the same deadlines and criteria as a new application.

Please note: if you are not yet fully enrolled, halfway September, your IT account for HGBS would be blocked. You will then no longer be able to make use of the IT facilities of HGBS. Students will be informed by e-mail if their enrolment is not fully completed.

Disenrollment/termination

A student is enrolled until the last day of their individual program.

An enrolment may be terminated before the end of the academic year in cases such as, but not limited to a mid-year binding negative study advice, arrears of payment, or on the student’s request.

After graduation, a student’s enrolment will not be automatically terminated. The student will remain enrolled until the final day of their study program unless the student requests for early disenrollment.

A student may apply for disenrollment via an email to the Registrar’s office. Disenrollment will take place at the earliest as of the first day of the month following the disenrollment request.

A student may indicate that he/she wishes to be disenrolled as of a later date. Retroactive disenrollment is not possible.

If the tuition fee has not been fully paid at the date of his/her disenrollment, the student would still be responsible for the payment of the tuition fees as previously agreed.

For possible refund of study fees and other payments ot HGBS please see the section ‘Refund of fees

and costs’ earlier in this document

Payments terms

Invoices for services delivered by HGBS have to be paid within 30 days of the invoice date.

Privacy statement

HGBS collects and keeps information of students and former students according to the Dutch law (General Data Protection Regulation). The following data are collected and stored only for the purposes mentioned:

Students at HGBS

  1. Data registration is done solely for the following purposes:
    1. organization or delivery of education, students’ coaching and study advice;
    1. making educational material and learning tools available
    1. calculation, registration and collection of registration and tuition fees, contributions to or compensations for educational material and learning tools and extra-curricular activities, including the transfer of claims to third parties;
    1. handling of conflicts and enabling audits;
    1. keeping or applying any other legal regulations. 2.

No other data will be registered than:

  1. Family and given names, titles, gender, date of birth, address, postal code, place of residence, telephone number and similar data necessary for communication, bank account details of the person concerned;
  2. social security number or national administrative number; c.

nationality and place of birth;

Former students of HGBS

  1. Data registration is done solely for the following purposes:
    1. To maintain contact with former students;
    1. To send information to former students;
    1. to calculate, register and collect contributions and gifts, including the transfer of claims to third parties and other activities of internal control;
    1. To handle conflicts and enable audits.
  2. No other data will be registered than:
    1. Family and given names, titles, gender, date of birth, address, postal code, place of residence, telephone number and similar data necessary for communication, bank account details of the person concerned;
    1. Data concerning the nature of the education and the period during which the former student studied;
    1. data necessary to calculate, register and collect contributions and gifts;
    1. An administrative identifier that does not contain other personal data than mentioned in section 2a,b,c.

Disclaimer

The information contained on the HGBS website and in program descriptions is indicative only. While HGBS has strived to make the information as accurate as possible, it is intended for personal and/or educational use only and is provided in good faith without any express or implied warranty. There is no guarantee given as to the accuracy of any individual item on this website or in program descriptions.

Those accessing this website or program descriptions who require confirmation of any information should refer to the section of HGBS responsible for the information. HGBS does not accept responsibility for any loss or damage caused by the use of the information contained in this website or in program descriptions. Information provided about programs, plans, courses, staffing, procedures and services is an expression of intent only and is not to be taken as a firm offer of an irrevocable undertaking. HGBS reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs, plans, courses, staffing, procedures, services or other arrangements at any time without notice and at its discretion. HGBS reserves the right to impose limitations on enrolment in any course or program. While HGBS will try to avoid or minimize any inconvenience, changes may also be made to programs, plans, courses, procedures, services and staffing after enrolment.