VWO means preparatory scientific education
The VWO is an educational form that has 6 years of learning and consists of two types: Athenaeum and gymnasium. At the gymnasium a classical language is obligatory, on the Athenaeum not. The VWO has a general part for the substructure and a specialisation in the superstructure. In the superstructure you can choose from a number of profiles that consist of a number of subjects. A profile has a common part that is equal for all profiles, a special part associated with the chosen profile, and a free part (which can be filled with parts from another profile). This so-called second phase has the following general profiles:
- Nature and Technology
- Nature and Health
- Economy and Society
- Culture and Society
With a VWO diploma you can move on to college or university.