Application Honours Programme

You are eligible for the programme if:

1. You are a motivated student with a broad interest and eager to commit yourself to a bigger study load. Honours students are expected to show active participation in class.
2. You passed all your first-year bachelor courses by the end of year one with a grade average of 7.5. To read more about the regulations regarding your grades, visit the Teacher and Examination Regulations. 

Admission to the Honours Programme is conditional at first, since not all first-year grades are known by the time application is due. If you are conditionally admitted in June, you will hear by the end of the summer whether your admission is final based on the grades of all your first-year bachelor courses.

You will be selected by your faculty on the basis of your application form, which includes a motivation letter (in English) and a grade list incl. GPA (you can download a transcript from your Dashboard or ask the Student Service Desk for a copy). 

• In some cases your CV and an interview is part of the selection procedure. 
• In case you are highly motivated and you have a grade average of at least 7.3, you can contact your faculty coordinator to discuss any alternative selection option.  

You can apply for the Honours Programme in the first year of your bachelor studies. A special application form will be published on the homepage in March, leading up to the application deadline (1 May). The programme starts in your second bachelor year.

Make sure to upload a pdf-version of the required documents (grade list, motivation letter and, if necessary, your CV). You can export an overview of your obtained grades so far, including your grade average and a digital stamp, via your personal VU dashboard (under "results").

• In September, November and March we hold information sessions for first year students to explain all about the Honours Programme and answer your questions. 
• In November you can apply for provisional entry. 
• The official application process starts in March, the deadline is 1 May. 
• The selection process of applications will take place in May. 
• Mid-June the applicants will be informed by the faculty coordinators whether they have been admitted (conditionally). 

Once you are admitted to the Honours Programme you will be invited to join the Try Out Class in June where you can orient on all interfaculty courses on offer of the UvA, VU and some AUC courses for your first honours semester. All details about courses, course registration and the Try Out Class can be read on the Course Registration page.

As a first year bachelor student, you can apply for provisional entry into the Honours Programme. This means you can try out an honours course during the 2nd semester of your first bachelor year. 

This has two advantages: 

1. By trying out a course you can see whether the Honours Programme might be something for you;
2. If afterwards you decide to apply for and are admitted to the Honours Programme, you will have already obtained your first 6 credits.

Important! Provisional entry does not mean gaining automatic admission to the Honours Programme: if you want to join the Honours Programme, you still need to apply before 1 May.

You are eligible for provisional entry if you are motivated to try out an honours course in the 2^nd semester of your first bachelor year and passed all exams of the 1^st and 2^nd period with a grade average of 7.5. If you are likely to meet these requirements, you can submit an application for provisional entry.

There are limited placed available to first year students.

You can apply for provisional entry by submitting the provisional entry form (this will be available in November 2023). Your faculty will review this application. In January you will be notified by your own faculty whether you have been admitted.