The focus of the present study is the extent to which an internship or study abroad contributes to students’ development of international competencies, such as interpersonal and intercultural competencies, foreign language skills, and international academic and professional competencies.

The Netherlands has two types of higher educational institutions - research university and university of applied sciences. The first one has a more theory-based approach to education, while the latter puts emphasis on applying the knowledge taught in the classroom by developing practical skills. The …