Raad van State allows private institutions to issue master diplomas

The Dutch Council of State (Raad van State) has ruled that private educational institutions are permitted to issue their own ‘master’ diplomas, provided they do not claim official recognition.

The ruling follows a legal challenge by NCOI and eleven other private institutions within the Salta Group, who contested €470,000 in fines issued by the Education Inspectorate. The inspectorate had argued that titles such as ‘executive master’ and ‘professional master’ misled students into believing the degrees were officially recognized by the NVAO.

However, the Council of State determined that the Higher Education and Research Act (WHW) does not explicitly define the process of degree granting. The court noted that official degrees are only those listed in the national register of recognized programs. Consequently, the fines against the private institutions were overturned.