How many students passed their final exams and what did they do next?
Many of the students who fail their final school exams try again the following year. Students who pass their exams often go on to higher education. However, students in VWO (pre-university education) in particular often opt for a gap year.
In the 2022–23 school year, nearly 90 thousand students were in their final year of prevocational secondary education (VMBO), and 89 percent of them passed their final exams. 79 percent of the nearly 53 thousand students in senior general secondary education (HAVO) passed their final exams, and 84 percent of the 39 thousand students in pre-university education (VWO) did so.
What do students who failed their final exams do next?
More than two-thirds of students who failed their VMBO-B exams in the 2022–23 school year went on to secondary vocational education (MBO). Students interested in pursuing MBO entry level programmes do not need a secondary education diploma. The same is true for some programmes at MBO-2 level. Students who had failed their VMBO-K exams were just as likely to enter an MBO (47 percent) programme as to stay in VMBO education (45 percent), while those who had failed their VMBO-G and VMBO-T exams were more likely to stay in VMBO education.
A total of 35 percent of students who failed their final exams in HAVO, and 27 percent of those who failed their final exams in VWO, chose to retake their final year. They were also likely to go on to enter secondary general education for adults (VAVO).
*provisional figures
| Level of education in 2022 | Level of education in 2023 | Value |
|---|---|---|
| VMBO-B | VMBO | 320.0 |
| VMBO-B | HAVO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-B | VWO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-B | VAVO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-B | MBO (including extranei) | 1230.0 |
| VMBO-B | HBO or WO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-B | other / no longer in education | 240.0 |
| VMBO-k | VMBO | 970.0 |
| VMBO-k | HAVO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-k | VWO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-k | VAVO | 10.0 |
| VMBO-k | MBO (including extranei) | 1010.0 |
| VMBO-k | HBO or WO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-k | other / no longer in education | 150.0 |
| VMBO-G | VMBO | 690.0 |
| VMBO-G | HAVO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-G | VWO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-G | VAVO | 130.0 |
| VMBO-G | MBO (including extranei) | 320.0 |
| VMBO-G | HBO or WO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-G | other / no longer in education | 60.0 |
| VMBO-T | VMBO | 2520.0 |
| VMBO-T | HAVO | 40.0 |
| VMBO-T | VWO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-T | VAVO | 660.0 |
| VMBO-T | MBO (including extranei) | 1110.0 |
| VMBO-T | HBO or WO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-T | other / no longer in education | 290.0 |
| HAVO | VMBO | 0.0 |
| HAVO | HAVO | 3830.0 |
| HAVO | VWO | 870.0 |
| HAVO | VAVO | 3500.0 |
| HAVO | MBO (including extranei) | 1630.0 |
| HAVO | HBO or WO | 210.0 |
| HAVO | other / no longer in education | 900.0 |
| VWO | VMBO | 0.0 |
| VWO | HAVO | 80.0 |
| VWO | VWO | 1690.0 |
| VWO | VAVO | 2600.0 |
| VWO | MBO (including extranei) | 50.0 |
| VWO | HBO or WO | 950.0 |
| VWO | other / no longer in education | 960.0 |
| *provisional figures | ||
Majority of school leavers go on to further education
The majority of students who passed their VMBO examsnoot1, opted for further educationnoot2 at MBO level. Approximately 18 percent of students who passed their VMBO-T exams entered the fourth grade of HAVO, while 2 percent of them did not enrol in any further education.
Nearly 70 percent of those who passed their HAVO exams entered higher vocational education (HBO), while 6 percent moved on to VWO. Approximately one-fifth of post-HAVO students were no longer enrolled in education. Those students may have opted for a gap year.
Students leaving VWO were the most likely not to enrol in education (24 percent). Approximately one-third of them went straight to university and 10 percent enrolled at a university of applied sciences (HBO programme).
*provisional figures
| Level of education in 2022 | Level of education in 2022 | Value |
|---|---|---|
| VMBO-B | secondary education | 240.0 |
| VMBO-B | MBO entree course | 10.0 |
| VMBO-B | MBO levels 2-4 | 11850.0 |
| VMBO-B | HBO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-B | WO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-B | other / no longer in education | 350.0 |
| VMBO-K | secondary education | 30.0 |
| VMBO-K | MBO entree course | 0.0 |
| VMBO-K | MBO levels 2-4 | 22310.0 |
| VMBO-K | HBO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-K | WO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-K | other / no longer in education | 450.0 |
| VMBO-G | secondary education | 640.0 |
| VMBO-G | MBO entree course (including extranei) | 0.0 |
| VMBO-G | MBO levels 2-4 (including extranei) | 10180.0 |
| VMBO-G | HBO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-G | WO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-G | other / no longer in education | 150.0 |
| VMBO-T | secondary education | 5920.0 |
| VMBO-T | MBO entree course (including extranei) | 0.0 |
| VMBO-T | MBO levels 2-4 (including extranei) | 27060.0 |
| VMBO-T | HBO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-T | WO | 0.0 |
| VMBO-T | other / no longer in education | 650.0 |
| HAVO | secondary education | 2530.0 |
| HAVO | MBO entree course (including extranei) | 0.0 |
| HAVO | MBO levels 2-4 (including extranei) | 1650.0 |
| HAVO | HBO | 29160.0 |
| HAVO | WO | 0.0 |
| HAVO | other / no longer in education | 8640.0 |
| VWO | secondary education | 0.0 |
| VWO | MBO entree course (including extranei) | 0.0 |
| VWO | MBO levels 2-4 (including extranei) | 60.0 |
| VWO | HBO | 3290.0 |
| VWO | WO | 21740.0 |
| VWO | other / no longer in education | 8050.0 |
| *provisional figures | ||
Source
StatLine – Secondary education and secondary special education; inflow and outflow, background characteristics (Only available in Dutch)
Notes
Students graduating from secondary education
Of students who were enrolled in the final year of secondary education (VMBO-4, HAVO-5 or VWO-6) on 1 October 2022, research was carried out to see whether they obtained their diploma in the same school year. It may be the case that students achieved a diploma from a different level of education from that which they were enrolled in on 1 October. No diploma details are available from the registrars for the English Stream (HAVO) and International Baccalaureate (VWO) students. As a result, these students are not included in these figures.
Further education
Further education includes publicly funded programmes in the Netherlands. If students are not enrolled in further education, it is possible that they are no longer in education, but they could also be studying abroad or at a non-publicly funded institution.