For questions regarding enrolment and tuition fees you can contact the Student Desk. You will find the answers to the most frequently asked questions at the bottom of this page. Here you will also find useful links and documents as well as our contact details.
Prospective students, current students and alumni are always welcome to ask questions about studying at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam). Please have your student number (7 digits) ready. The university does not provide information about adult students to third parties.
The physical student desk is located on the ground floor in the Main Building of VU Amsterdam.
Send us an email: studentdesk@vu.nl.
You can reach us on 0031 (0)20 598 5020 - Monday to Friday from 10.30 - 12.30h and 14.00 - 16.00h.
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Send us a message through the online chat. We are online Monday to Friday from 10.30 - 12.30h and 14.00 - 16.00h.
If you are an international prospective student applying for an English-taught programme and you have questions about your application or admission, you can contact the International Student Advisor of the faculty of your programme.
For questions about housing, visa and exchange, you can find the contact information from all the different departments of the International Office on their contact page.
How can I find out what study programme suits me best?
For students who do not yet know exactly what study programme to choose, VU Amsterdam offers various possibilities to orientate, on campus and online. These include open days, (online) Taster Day activities and the VU Study Choice Check.
Which programmes does VU Amsterdam offer?
You can find the complete range of Bachelor's and Master's programmes on the programme overview pages.
What is a Taster Day and how can I participate?
During a Taster Day you will be a guest for a day at the programme of your choice. After spending a day (or part of a day) as a student at the university, you will have an even better concrete impression of the programme, the teachers, and the students. All information can be found on our website.
I want to visit the Bachelor's Day. What do I need to do?
All information on the Bachelor's Day can be found on our website.
When can I start my application for the next academic year?
Applications are possible from 1 October.
What is the application deadline for Bachelor’s programmes?
What is the application deadline for Master’s programmes?
What is the application deadline for selection (numerus fixus) studies?
VU Amsterdam offers 7 programmes where a selection process precedes as of 2023. This concerns the Bachelor’s programmes Biomedical Sciences, Computer Science, Criminology, Dentistry, Gezondheid en Leven, Medicine and Psychology. The application deadline in Studielink for these studies is 15 January.
I am not sure yet which study programme I want to do. Can I apply for more than one study at a time?
Yes. You can apply for a maximum of 4 study programmes at the same time through Studielink.
I have made my choice of study and want to apply. What should I do?
Please check the step-by-step guide to apply for a Bachelor’s programme and the step-by-step guide to apply for a (pre)Master’s programme.
Where can I find the admission requirements for my chosen programme?
You can find the admission requirements on the webpage of each Bachelor’s or (pre)Master’s programme.
I have questions regarding the admission requirements of the programme of my interest, what should I do?
If you are applying with an international high school diploma or degree, please do not hesitate to contact your International Student Advisor for questions about admission. If you are applying with a Dutch diploma, please do not hesitate to contact VU Amsterdam's Student Desk using the contact details at the bottom of this page.
What is the deadline to meet all the admission requirements?
Please check the relevant webpage of your programme. Most studies require you to meet all admission requirements by 31 August at the latest in order to be able to start your study on 1 September.
For numerus fixus (selection) Bachelor’s programmes, you must meet all admission requirements by 15 July at the latest.
In my personal dashboard on VU.nl I see that my previous education still has to be verified. What should I do?
If you have completed a previous education abroad, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam must verify your degree manually. You are asked to provide a certified copy of the original document so we can verify it. Read more about diploma verification.
If you have completed a Dutch education (VWO, HBO, WO) your previous education will automatically be verified by DUO. Please note: do not submit original documents, as these will not be returned.
Have you obtained an HBO-P diploma and you want to be admitted on this basis? Then please send us an email. We can verify whether you have obtained the HBO-P, but the verification process is manual.
What is a deficiency?
A deficiency is an additional admission requirement that you must meet in order to start a study programme. It involves obtaining a partial certificate of a certain subject at VWO 6 level. On the deficiency webpage you will find an overview of institutions from which the VU accepts examinations passed.
What is the maximum number of participation attempts for a numerus fixus (selection) study?
Please note that the above attempts are university-transcending, which means that if you have used a participation attempt elsewhere, it will be subtracted from the number of attempts you still 'have' at VU Amsterdam.
Example: A student has participated 2 times in the selection procedure of the bachelor Psychology at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), this student can then only participate 1 time in the selection procedure at VU Amsterdam.
Read more about our selection studies.
When will I receive my Declaration of Registration?
As soon as you have met all the enrolment requirements, you will receive an email confirmation of your enrolment. You can then download a Declaration of Registration (DoR) from our website.
How can I arrange my re-enrolment?
Re-enrolment is possible from the beginning of May. You can arrange your re-enrolment in Studielink.
I have completed all of the steps in my application portal but I am not yet enrolled. What is the reason?
First, check whether you have gone through all the steps and submitted all the documents. Often the heading 'Check previous education' is not checked off, even though you have provided all the documents. This is because VU Amsterdam maintains a certain processing time for checking documents and previous education(s). From the moment you have completed all steps in the application portal, VU Amsterdam maintains a processing time of 4 to 6 weeks. In that case, you can just wait until you receive a reply.
My enrolment is complete, but I cannot sign up for courses yet. Why is that?
If you have an active enrolment, you will be able to sign up after approximately 24 hours through the registration module on your VU dashboard. Please note that the registration period for courses must be open first, an overview of those dates can be found here.
Where can I find the tuition fee rates?
How can I pay my tuition fees?
You can pay your tuition fees in different ways. You can find an overview of the payment methods here.
I want to change my payment details.
Please fill in this authorisation form and send the signed document by email to studentdesk@vu.nl.
What is a proof of payment (known in Dutch as Bewijs Betaald Collegegeld or BBC) and when should I use it?
Students who are enrolled at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and would like to enrol at another Dutch educational institute as well, can request a BBC. This document proves their payment of tuition fees to VU Amsterdam for the other institute. You can use this form to request that the document be forwarded from VU Amsterdam directly to the educational institution of your choice.
When do I receive my student card?
After you become enrolled, you need to make sure that you have uploaded a photo. You can also set your profile picture in the upper right corner of your VU-account. Make sure your photo meets the correct requirements and is the correct file (.JPG and not .JPEG).
If you have set a Dutch correspondence address in Studielink, you will receive the student card by postal mail. This may take 4-6 weeks. Depending on when your enrolment is complete, you will receive the student card in September at the latest. VU Amsterdam does not send student cards to foreign addresses. If you have a foreign address, the card will be send to the Student Desk. You will then receive an email when it's ready for you to pick up.
More information on the student card and what to do in case of loss or theft can be found here.
My last result has been uploaded and is visible in my VU dashboard. What is the graduation procedure?
Within two weeks after the last result has been registered, the faculty will send you an email asking you if you wish to graduate or if you want to postpone it. After your approval the graduation will be processed. As soon as this is done you will receive an email with the confirmation of your graduation and your graduation date. From that moment on you can download a digital extract of your diploma from the digital register Mijn diploma's from DUO and deregister in Studielink. This whole process can take up to 6 weeks.
I have graduated. Will overpaid tuition fees be refunded?
Ultimately, the graduation date is leading in determining until when you have to pay tuition fees. You always pay the tuition fees up to and including the month in which your graduation date falls. If you submit a deregistration request in Studielink with the reason 'graduation', we will process your deregistration request as of your graduation date and any excess tuition fees paid will be refunded within three weeks. If your graduation date falls between 1 June and 31 August, there will be no refund and you will pay the full tuition fees for that academic year.
To participate in courses and exams you have to register. You can register via the registration module. Each period has a fixed registration and deregistration deadline; within these deadlines you can register and deregister for education. Timely registration guarantees participation in courses.
All information regarding course registration can be found on this page. Please read the information carefully before you register. Here you can also find solutions to common problems, such as what you can do when a course is full, or if the registration deadline has passed.
Do you encounter other problems while registering for courses for which you cannot find the solution on abovementioned page? Please reach out to the educational office of your faculty to help you out.
I have a question about signing up for courses/exams.
You can find everything about course/exam registration here.
I want to request an official transcript of records.
You can use this form to request an official certified list of grades.
I want to download a digital excerpt of my diploma/graduation statement.
You can download a digital excerpt of your diploma via the digital register Mijn diploma's from DUO as soon as your graduation date has been communicated to DUO. This document has the same value as a certified copy of your diploma. A digital extract from the register is free and can be downloaded immediately. If you do not have access to the register, you can request a graduation statement from VU Amsterdam's Student Desk.
I want to apply for a proof of payment (BBC).
You can use this form to request that the document be forwarded from VU Amsterdam directly to the chosen educational institution.
Other questions?
Ask your questions to the Student Desk.
Please contact the Student Desk.