NETHUR offers an educational programme for PhD candidates and a collaborative programme of research by these candidates and their supervisors. Over a hundred individuals are currently preparing their PhD dissertation under its auspices. In addition, some 120 tenured staff members participate in NETHUR.

The Netherlands Graduate School of Urban and Regional Research is a joint initiative of the Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA), Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (TU/e), Radboud University Nijmegen (RU), University of Groningen (RuG) and Utrecht University (UU), which hosts the secretariat. The graduate school is accredited by The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).