Saxion University is located in the East of the Netherlands on three campuses, in the old Dutch cities of Deventer, Enschede and Apeldoorn. Saxion University of Applied Sciences were established through a merger of Hogeschool Enschede and Hogeschool IJselland at the beginning of 1998. Its legal predecessors date back to the early 1900's. Saxion University is registered as a public funded university of applied science, in legal terms Saxion University is established as a Foundation under Dutch law.

Saxion University of Applied Sciences offers a range of Bachelor programmes, Master programmes, certificate short courses and preparatory courses of intensive English, attracting a student population of approximately 20,000 students, mostly from the eastern region of the Netherlands. The international student population amounts to approximately 2,000. The educational offer is fully subject to all government quality assurance mechanisms. Experience and scale combine to makes Saxion University a strong and active education provider, not only in the Netherlands but also overseas.

International education programmes were started in the 1990s, with a current set of business, technical and environmental courses at Bachelor and Master levels. International programmes are taught in English and comprise mostly business, technical and environmental studies. International students number about 2,000, following both Bachelor and Master programmes in 22 different pathways.