VU Bachelor Introduction Days

The VU Bachelor Introduction Days 2022 are organised for first-year bachelor students that will start studying at VU Amsterdam in September 2022. 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! You will be assigned to a mentor group of 16 students of your own study programme. Two mentors (senior students) will show you around.  

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

You can choose between two programmes. We recommend the extended programme of five days because it includes a visit to the city, a sports day and all kinds of activities organised by associations. If, for any reason, you cannot or do not want to participate in the extended programme, you can choose the two-day programme on Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 August. This programme focuses on preparing you for your studies. 

Are you the first in your family to study (in the Netherlands)? Make sure to also participate in the four-day Better Prepared Programme on 17, 18, 19, 22 and 23 August. For more information, please visit vu.nl/betterprepared.

This year's five-day programme is scheduled for 24, 25, 26, 29 and 30 August. The two-day programme is on 29 and 30 August. 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, programme introductions and workshops. You can also buy a ticket for the final party on Tuesday 30 August (included in the five-day ticket).

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 30 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!

Everyone meets their group on Wednesday morning at the campus square. This is the first time you see each other. If necessary, your mentor may contact you earlier (for instance if there are corona measures in place by then).

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 contact@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, that is of course possible. You do not have to report this to the organisation, do discuss it with your mentors, however.

The Faculty Introduction Days are part of the programme of the VU Bachelor Introduction Days and are organised by the different faculties. During the faculty 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 can be found here.

No, it is not compulsory, 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 one of your mentors, who will be able to guide and advise you.

You can register as soon as you have a VUnetID, so also if you're still waiting for the results of your exams/math tests for example. You will receive an invitation e-mail at the end of 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 get a VUnetID you will also receive the invitation e-mail. 

You can register when you are sure you will start a Bachelor’s programme at the VU; this means that you've completed the registration procedure. You can register until Sunday 14 August 17:00 hrs. The deadline is set; this means that if you register at 17:05 we cannot admit you anymore. 

This is very unfortunate, but we cannot make exceptions. After the 14th of August it's not possible anymore to register for the VU Bachelor Introduction Days. Possibly someone from your faculty can add you to their Canvas pages, so you will still receive the most important information about your future study programme online. You will be notified of this automatically. Also, your faculty will probably invite you to the Faculty introduction afternoons on the 29th and 30th of August. This way you do participate in the introduction a little bit. 

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 20 August 2022 by clicking on the unsubscribe button at the bottom of the confirmation-of-registration e-mail you received. You will then get a refund in 6 weeks. This will happen automatically. 

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 20 August 2022.

How to unsubscribe
You can unsubscribe by clicking on the unsubscribe button at the bottom of the confirmation-of-registration e-mail you received. You will then get a refund in 6 weeks. This will happen automatically. 

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 20 August 2022 by sending an email to contact@vu.nl, so we can move you to a group with fellow students.

Unfortunately, this is not possible, so think carefully in advance whether you want to register for the full five-day introduction or the condensed two-day introduction!  

As of yet, there are no corona measures in place, which means that the VU Bachelor Introduction Days can go on as planned. Of course, this can change. In all cases we try to organise as nice a programme as possible and always follow the applicable rules from the national government.

You are never obliged to participate! If you are unable or uncomfortable coming to VU Amsterdam for an introductory activity, that is okay, we understand. Some of the information provided during a campus activity will be posted online sometime in early August - on Canvas and in the VU Introductions Days app. Think of the more practical information, such as information about associations and an online tour of the campus. However, all the fun and sociable activities with your mentor group will take place in Amsterdam. The mentor groups will not meet online. If you bought a ticket, you have access to this.

We strive to record as much as possible, so you can watch parts of the VU Bachelor Introduction Days 2022 afterwards on Canvas. In some cases, sessions are not suitable for recording, for example because of personal nature or copyright issues. Recordings that are made available may also be limited.