Education in Enschede, Netherlands: official figures
30.8% of residents aged 15 to 74 in Enschede held a higher professional (hbo) or university degree in 2024, below the national figure of 33.3%; that is 8th lowest among the 31 large municipalities covered here, up from 28.2% in 2019.
What is the education level in Enschede?
26.7% of residents aged 15 to 74 in Enschede had no qualification above vmbo or mbo level 1 in 2024, 10th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here (above the national figure of 25.9%).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many students live in Enschede?
Enschede was home to 80.3 higher-education students (hbo and university) per 1,000 residents in 2025, 6th highest among the 31 large municipalities covered here (Netherlands: 43.0).
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many vocational students are there in Enschede?
There were 27.7 mbo (secondary vocational) students per 1,000 residents of Enschede in 2025, above the national figure of 25.9.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many secondary school pupils are there in Enschede?
Secondary-school pupils living in Enschede numbered 48.1 per 1,000 residents in 2025, against 51.0 nationally.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow far is the nearest primary school in Enschede?
The average resident of the municipality of Enschede lived 0.7 km by road from the nearest primary school in 2025, below the national figure of 0.8 km.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow far is the nearest secondary school in Enschede?
The nearest havo or vwo school was an average 2.0 km away for people in the municipality of Enschede in 2024, below the national figure of 3.4 km; that is 16th longest among the 31 large municipalities covered here.
Source: Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS) · saved copyHow many students are there in Enschede?
14,050 students were enrolled in higher education in Enschede in 2024, 87 for every 1,000 residents.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people in Enschede have a degree?
Of adults aged 25 to 64 in Enschede in 2024, 37% had a degree-level education, 41% an upper secondary education and 22% at most lower secondary schooling.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow Enschede compares with other cities in the Netherlands
Residents aged 15 to 74 with higher education (hbo or university) (%) (2024)
Enschede ranks 24 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Residents aged 15 to 74 with higher education (hbo or university) (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Leeuwarden | 32.4% |
| 22 | Alphen aan den | 32.1% |
| 23 | Almere | 30.8% |
| 24 | Enschede | 30.8% |
| 25 | Zoetermeer | 30.8% |
| 26 | Apeldoorn | 30.4% |
| 27 | Sittard-Geleen | 29.5% |
Residents aged 15 to 74 whose highest level is primary, vmbo or mbo-1 (%) (2024)
Enschede ranks 10 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Residents aged 15 to 74 whose highest level is primary, vmbo or mbo-1 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Zaanstad | 28.0% |
| 8 | Almere | 26.8% |
| 9 | Tilburg | 26.7% |
| 10 | Enschede | 26.7% |
| 11 | Apeldoorn | 26.6% |
| 12 | Zoetermeer | 26.0% |
| 13 | Ede | 25.8% |
Resident hbo and university students per 1,000 residents (2025)
Enschede ranks 6 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Resident hbo and university students per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Maastricht | 125.9 |
| 4 | Nijmegen | 109.7 |
| 5 | Utrecht | 87.6 |
| 6 | Enschede | 80.3 |
| 7 | Eindhoven | 72.2 |
| 8 | Tilburg | 68.7 |
| 9 | Leeuwarden | 67.3 |
Average road distance to a havo/vwo secondary school (km) (2024)
Enschede ranks 16 of 31, highest first. Heerlen-Kerkrade is shown with figures for the municipality of Heerlen.
| Rank | City | Average road distance to a havo/vwo secondary school (km) |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Groningen | 2.2 km |
| 14 | Zoetermeer | 2.2 km |
| 15 | Tilburg | 2.0 km |
| 16 | Enschede | 2.0 km |
| 17 | Almere | 1.8 km |
| 18 | Breda | 1.8 km |
| 19 | Zwolle | 1.8 km |
Higher education students per 1,000 residents (2024)
Enschede ranks 4 of 29, highest first.
| Rank | City | Higher education students per 1,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Groningen | 165 |
| 2 | Maastricht | 145 |
| 3 | Nijmegen | 116 |
| 4 | Enschede | 87 |
| 5 | Ede | 83 |
| 6 | Leiden | 83 |
| 7 | Utrecht | 83 |
More on Enschede: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · all cities in the Netherlands
Sources
- Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS): Regionale kerncijfers Nederland (table 70072ned): provinces, COROP areas and selected municipalities, 2014-2026, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d2b63aac3a26…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_ceduc: Urban Audit: education (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 af187c7040a4…)
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