Grensland College

What Grensland College does

Grensland College is a non-profit regional educational partnership founded in 2021 in Winterswijk, Gelderland, Netherlands, operating with a five-person core team as a consortium between ROC het Graafschap College, HAN University of Applied Sciences, Hogeschool Saxion, and Iselinge Hogeschool. It delivers seven 2-year part-time HBO (higher professional education) Associate degree programs — Engineering, Logistiek, Sociaal Werk, Management, Pedagogisch Educatief Professional, Didactisch Educatief Professional, and Software Development — targeted at MBO-4 graduates and working professionals in the Achterhoek region and the cross-border Kreis Borken area of Germany. The college's core technology is a hybrid learning environment combining Saxion's Brightspace LMS with on-site instruction at the Winterswijk headquarters (the historic town hall), regional innovation centers (CIVON in Ulft, De Steck in Doetinchem, De Marke in Hengelo), and employer workplaces, structured around a 120-EC modular curriculum where each module typically concludes with a professional product (beroepsproduct).

The business model is anchored on government-regulated statutory tuition (wettelijk collegegeld of €2,694 per year for first-degree students) plus institutional tuition (instellingscollegegeld) for students with prior degrees, supplemented by unit-priced study materials ranging from €350 to €1,000 per year and a one-time €1,699 fee for the new 21+ admission pathway. Go-to-market combines event-driven recruitment (open evenings, meeloopdagen/trial days, newsletters) with a sales-led employer engagement motion run by projectmanager Alexander van der Graaff, who provides customized maatwerktrajecten to regional firms facing skills gaps. Distribution is via the national Studielink enrollment system with mandatory advisory interviews, supplemented by direct employer partnerships with named regional employers including DFDS Logistics, Gemeente Winterswijk, Mach-C Solutions, Ottevanger Milling Engineers, AT Techniek, De Twee Bruggen, and Elver. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; no funding rounds, acquisitions, subsidiaries, or external investors are present in the record.

Name

Grensland College

Legal name

Grensland College

Website

https://grenslandcollege.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Grensland College is a regional non-profit partnership in the Netherlands offering seven 2-year part-time HBO Associate degree programs for MBO-4 graduates and working professionals in the Achterhoek region, delivered through a consortium of four Dutch universities of applied sciences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education (HBO Associate Degree Programs)

NAICS

Junior Colleges (6112), Educational Services (611), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Dual Enrollment / Early College Programs (via Community Colleges) (EDAHADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Secondary & Subject-Area Teacher Preparation Programs (STEM, Humanities, etc.) (EDAHAFAH)

Keywords

• Associate degree programs
• Work-integrated learning
• Vocational higher education
• Regional workforce development
• Part-time HBO education

Headquarters

HQ city

Winterswijk

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees - Wettelijk Collegegeld: Standard legal tuition fee for students who have not previously completed an Associate degree, Bachelor's, or Master's degree. Set annually by the Dutch government.
2. Tuition Fees - Instellingscollegegeld: Institutional tuition fee charged to students who have already completed a higher education degree. The amount is determined by each university of applied sciences.
3. 21+ Toelatingstraject Fee: One-time fee for the 21+ admission pathway program for Ad Management, costing €1,699 for the 2026/2027 academic year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Grensland College delivers seven 2-year part-time HBO (higher professional education) Associate degree programs for working professionals and MBO-4 graduates in the Achterhoek region of the Netherlands. The programs (Ad Engineering, Ad Logistiek, Ad Pedagogisch Educatief Professional, Ad Sociaal Werk, Ad Management, Ad Didactisch Educatief Professional, and Ad Software Development) combine classroom instruction with workplace learning, allowing students to earn an hbo qualification in two years while remaining employed. Programs are accredited and delivered through a consortium of four partner universities (HAN, Saxion, Iselinge Hogeschool, and Graafschap College).

Product overview

Grensland College is an educational institution offering seven 2-year part-time HBO (higher professional education) Associate degree programs designed for working professionals and MBO-4 graduates in the Achterhoek region. The programs include Ad Engineering (covering mechanical engineering, automation, and electrical engineering), Ad Logistiek (Logistics), Ad Pedagogisch Educatief Professional (PEP), Ad Sociaal Werk (Social Work), Ad Management (Leadership and Coaching), Ad Didactisch Educatief Professional (DEP), and Ad Software Development. All programs combine classroom instruction with workplace learning and are delivered through partnerships with HAN University of Applied Sciences, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, and Iselinge Hogeschool.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ad Engineering A 2-year part-time HBO associate degree program in Engineering covering mechanical engineering, automation, and electrical engineering disciplines, focused on regional industry needs in the Achterhoek area. Delivered in partnership with Saxion University of Applied Sciences and CIVON innovation center in Ulft.
• Ad Logistiek A 2-year part-time HBO associate degree program in Logistics, designed for working professionals seeking to develop logistics and supply chain management competencies. Delivered in partnership with HAN University of Applied Sciences.
• Ad Pedagogisch Educatief Professional (PEP) A 2-year part-time HBO associate degree program preparing students for pedagogical and educational professional roles. Delivered in partnership with Iselinge Hogeschool.
• Ad Sociaal Werk A 2-year part-time HBO associate degree program in Social Work, preparing students to work with clients in social services, healthcare, and community settings. Delivered in partnership with HAN University of Applied Sciences.
• Ad Management

Quantifiable outcome

• 2 years to complete vs. 4 years for full HBO bachelor's
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• HAN University of Applied SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution providing accreditation and program delivery for Ad Sociaal Werk, Ad Logistiek, and related programs. Students enroll through HAN and receive their diploma from this institution.
• Saxion University of Applied SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution providing accreditation and program delivery for Ad Engineering, Ad Management, and Ad Software Development. Students enroll through Saxion and receive their diploma from this institution.
• Iselinge HogeschoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution providing accreditation and program delivery for Ad Pedagogisch Educatief Professional (PEP) and Ad Didactisch Educatief Professional (DEP).
• ROC het Graafschap CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner and host institution. Responsible for website privacy and data protection for Grensland College. Located in the Achterhoek region.
• CIVON (Innovatiecentrum Ulft)majorTechnology or IntegrationInnovation center in Ulft providing practical learning facilities for engineering students. Students complete practical projects in this facility aligned with regional industry needs.
• Ottevanger Milling EngineersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional manufacturing company where employees follow Ad programs. Employer provides time for learning and benefits from upskilled workforce applying new knowledge on the shop floor.
• Mach-C SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerManufacturing company in Lichtenvoorde where employees follow Ad Engineering. Employee takes on increasingly complex tasks as the program progresses.
• DFDS LogisticsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogistics company where employees follow Ad Logistiek, gaining planning experience in pickup planning, auto planning, and domestic/Germany planning.
• Gemeente WinterswijkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipality where employees follow Ad programs (particularly Ad Sociaal Werk) to improve service quality to residents. HR advisor is closely connected to Grensland College.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences: NHL Stenden operates multiple campuses across northern Netherlands offering work-integrated HBO Associate-degree programs in similar technical, management, and social-work tracks, addressing comparable regional skills-gap needs.
• Hogeschool Utrecht (HU): HU is one of the largest Dutch hogescholen and offers a wide range of Associate-degree programs in part-time and dual formats for working professionals, with overlapping engineering, ICT, management, and social-work offerings.
• Iselinge Hogeschool: Iselinge is a direct partner that provides accreditation for Ad PEP and Ad DEP at Grensland and runs its own pedagogical and didactic HBO programs, targeting the same teacher-education professional audience in the eastern Netherlands.
• HAN University of Applied Sciences (Parttime School): HAN is a direct partner that provides accreditation for Ad Sociaal Werk and Ad Logistiek at Grensland and operates its own part-time HBO/Associate-degree offerings in Arnhem/Nijmegen — same target segments and work-integrated learning approach.
• Avans Hogeschool: Avans is a large Dutch hogeschool with a broad Associate-degree portfolio in Brabant, including technical, logistics, management, and social-work variants delivered in part-time, work-integrated formats comparable to Grensland's model.
• NCOI Opleidingsgroep: NCOI is a large Dutch private education provider offering accredited HBO Associate-degree and bachelor programs in a part-time, work-integrated format nationwide, directly competing for the same working-professional adult-learner segment.
• Christelijke Hogeschool Ede (CHE): CHE is a Dutch hogeschool offering part-time and dual HBO programs including Associate-degree tracks for working professionals, with comparable work-integrated delivery in social work, management, and education.
• Windesheim Hogeschool: Windesheim is a regional Dutch hogeschool that offers part-time HBO and Associate-degree programs for working professionals in Zwolle and surrounding regions, serving the same mbo-4 bridging and lifelong-learning audience as Grensland.
• Saxion Parttime School (Saxion University of Applied Sciences): Saxion is a direct partner that provides accreditation for Ad Engineering, Ad Management, and Ad Software Development at Grensland and also runs its own part-time HBO/Associate-degree portfolio across the region — overlapping programs, audience, and delivery model.

Others

• ROC het Graafschap College: Founding partner of Grensland College and primary mbo institution in the Achterhoek region; not an HBO competitor but a feeder institution and ecosystem participant that supplies mbo-4 graduates into Grensland's HBO Associate-degree programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/grensland-college

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grensland College