VU Bachelor Introduction Days

The VU Bachelor Introduction Days 2024 are organised for first-year bachelor students that will start studying at VU Amsterdam in September 2024. During the VU Bachelor Introduction Days you get to know your study programme, studying, VU Amsterdam, the city of Amsterdam and, most of all, your fellow students. By participating you will already know a lot of people before your first lecture! If you join the 5 or 2-day introduction you will be assigned to a mentor group of 16 students of your own study programme. Two mentors (senior students) will show you around.  

As new coming bachelor's student at the VU you can join three types of introductions that differ in duration and content. Here you find an overview of the three variations:

• 5-day introduction week: you are going all in  
  Together with your group of fellow students and two student mentors you will experience the introduction to the fullest. You will get to know each other, the VU-campus and the city Amsterdam very well during both informative and fun activities and excursions. Also, there will be performances and musical evenings and you will end the week with a big closing party!
  • The 2-day introduction week and the programme introduction are also part of the 5-day introduction
    
• 2-day introduction week: an abridged version  
  This shortened introduction focuses on getting to know your study and the VU. Together with your group of fellow students and two student mentors you will do a campus tour, join workshops and join one musical evening (closing party not included).
  • The programme introduction is also part of the 2-day introduction
    
• Study programme introduction: all study programmes organise their own introduction
  All first-year bachelor's students are expected to attend the study programme introduction organised by their faculty. More information will follow. 

Some studies do not participate in the VU Bachelor Introduction Days but in the Intreeweek of the University of Amsterdam (UvA), namely Amsterdam University College (bachelor programme Liberal Arts and Sciences) and the bachelor programmes Archaeology, Greek and Latin Language and Culture, Archaeology, Dentistry, Physics and Astronomy, and Chemistry. 

Students in the Joint Degree of Mechanical Engineering and of Creative Technology spend the first half of the introductory period at VU Amsterdam and the second half at the University of Twente in Enschede. These students will receive an invitation in July.

For students Geneeskunde, there is no two-day programme during the VU Bachelor Introduction Days, but a Faculty Introduction to Geneeskunde that does not take place during the VU Bachelor Introduction Days. For this Faculty Introduction, students will receive a separate invitation.

Are you the first in your family to study (in the Netherlands)? Make sure to also participate in the Better Prepared Programme on 14, 15, 16, 19 and 20 August 2024. For more information, please visit vu.nl/betterprepared.

This year's five-day programme is scheduled for 21, 22, 23, 26 and 27 August 2024. The two-day programme is on 26 and 27 August 2024. Your Study programme introduction will take place either 26or 27 August 2024; check out the faculty page for more information. There is no central programme during the weekend. 

Absolutely! The VU Bachelor Introduction Days are not just for getting to know Amsterdam, they are especially meant for getting to know student life and your fellow students. You will also discover all the sports, study and student associations and it is a fun way to make friends and get to know fellow students before your studies start!

The five-day programme will cost €65, which gives you access to lots of fun activities such as tours of the city, a sports day, workshops and an evening programme with theatre performances and a final party. For the two-day ticket you pay €25, which gives you access to a campus tour, study programme introductions and workshops. 

Moreover, for both these introductions you get two senior student mentors that can help you out. 

We do not pay any travel expenses/public transport costs to come to campus or to travel in Amsterdam. The ticket also does not include food and drinks; you and your mentor group should provide these!

We do not arrange sleeping places and therefore we make sure that the central part almost always ends before 23:00. The final party on Tuesday 27 August can go on until late at night and it is therefore useful to arrange a place to stay overnight, for example at someone from your mentor group.

No, this is not possible. We compose the groups in such a way that you meet new people!

The mentor groups will be made a week before the introduction starts. Participants of the five-day Introduction meet their mentor group on Wednesday morning at the VU campus square. Participants of the two-day Introduction meet their group on Monday morning. This is the first time you see each other. 

Your mentors will contact you a few days before the start of the introduction.

VU Amsterdam is traditionally a university where students from different cultures feel at home. We take all religions into account, also during the VU Bachelor Introduction Days.

We do our best to make the VU Bachelor Introduction Days also accessible for students with a disability and/or (chronic) illness. If you want to be sure of an enjoyable time, please send an email to studentenbalie@vu.nl and indicate what we have to take into account or what you need help with. We will be happy to help you!

The best thing for you is if you can be present for everything, but if you really have to go somewhere else or if you arrive later, that is of course possible and okay. You do not have to report this to the organisation, but do discuss it with your mentors. Your mentors will contact you a few days before the introduction starts. 

The Study Programme Introduction Days are part of the programme of the VU Bachelor Introduction Days and are organised by the different studies/faculties. During the Study Programme Introduction you will receive important information about your study programme, faculty and studying at VU Amsterdam. You will also meet your fellow students and lecturers. More information about the Faculty Introduction Days.

The privacy policy of the VU Introductrion days (Bachelor and Master) can be found here. 

It is very useful if you arrange for a bike in Amsterdam during the VU Bachelor Introduction days to get from place to place. Often the ov-bikes in Amsterdam run out quickly, so don't count on being able to use them. We also highly recommend arranging a place to sleep in Amsterdam, for instance at someone from your mentor group. That way you can stay longer in the evenings and also experience the Final Party on the last Tuesday of the Introduction.

The five-day and two-day Introductions are not mandatory, but highly recommended! It is a great way to get to know VU Amsterdam, the city of Amsterdam and your fellow students! The programme is designed in such a way that it offers something for everyone. If you find certain parts less appealing or if you feel uncomfortable with something, then you don't have to participate. Feel free to discuss everything with your mentors, who will be able to guide and advise you.

However, the Study programme Introduction is mandatory. 

You will receive an invitation e-mail mid June. You can only apply via the "subscribe" button in this e-mail. And be quick, because there is a limited amount of spots for the 5-day programme! 

Didn't you receive the invitation e-mail yet? Maybe you didn't complete the registration procedure for the VU yet! Finish that as soon as possible. Once you complete the registration procedure you will also receive the invitation e-mail. 

Did you start a study last year, and did you not finish it, but are you starting the same study again this year? Then you can participate in the Introduction Days, but you will not receive an invitation e-mail. Do you want to participate in the Introduction Days? Send an e-mail to studentenbalie@vu.nl.

You can register until Sunday 11 August 23:59 sharp. And full = full.

If you cannot make it to the Introduction days anymore, you can unsubscribe and get your money back. You can do that at the latest on Monday August 5^th 23:59 CEST by e-mailing to studentdesk@vu.nl. After August 7, it is no longer possible to cancel. We will refund your ticket costs as soon as possible. 

If you are going to do a study with a numerus fixus or if you are still waiting for the results of your math or language test (and you have been conditionally accepted), you can already register for the VU Bachelor Introduction Days. If you are not selected or if you fail the test and will therefore not study at VU Amsterdam, you can get your registration fee back if you unsubscribe at the latest on the 5th of August 2023.

How to unsubscribe
You can unsubscribe by e-mailing studentdesk@vu.nl with the reason of your cancellation. You will then get a refund as soon as possible.   

If you registered before the deadline of the VU Bachelor Introduction Days and you also paid for it, but you are going to follow another study at VU Amsterdam than first indicated, please let us know before August 18th 2023 by sending an email to studentdesk@vu.nl, so we can move you to a group with fellow students.

Unfortunately, this is not possible to easily switch tickets, so think carefully in advance whether you want to register for the full five-day introduction or the condensed two-day introduction! However, if you do need to make a switch, e-mail us (on time) at studentdesk@vu.nl for the cancellation of your ticket and subscribe for the other ticket.