The Netherlands offer the options of Research Universities and Liberal Arts Colleges where the full IB Diploma is usually required and is very academic-oriented and Universities of Applied Sciences where the US High School Diploma is often sufficient and provides more hands-on education for professional degrees.
All students are required to register in a centralized system called Studielink and then apply directly to each university. Each university will have different requirements and documents will need to be submitted directly. There are some application deadlines starting in January and until May.
Many Deutsch universities have lower requirements than in other countries but it does not necessarily reflect the quality of education but rather a different philosophy. Deutsch universities will often accept students as long as they meet the minimum requirements but the first year of study might be very challenging. The Numerus Fixus system of application is for more competitive programs that have limited spaces. The application deadline for most Numerus Fixus is January 15th and most of these programs will require the full IB Diploma or an equivalent.
Study in Holland - Very useful website to research universities and programs