Each VU Amsterdam Summer School course is taught in one of three separate sessions.
Our summer schools programme features both one and two week courses. Courses in Session 1 and Session 2 are two-weeks long and courses in Session 1b are one-week long. Sessions 1 and 1b run simultaneously. Please refer to the dates on the overview page of your particular course to understand in which session it belongs.
The dates for each session are as follows, including arrival and departure days:
Session 1
We will officially kick off the next summer school at the start of Session 1 and 1b on Saturday 3 July 2027 at 16:00 (CET) with a special (and optional) welcome event for new students. This usually takes place at a special venue somewhere in the city of Amsterdam and is aimed at students taking a two-week course in Session 1.
- Two weeks: Saturday 3 July (16:00 CET) to Saturday 17 July (including arrival and departure days)
- Courses begin Monday 5 July (Sunday is free time)
Session 1b
- One week: Saturday 3 July (16:00 CET) to Saturday 10 July (including arrival and departure days)
- Courses begin Monday 5 July (Sunday is free time)
Session 2
- Two weeks: Sunday 18 July to Sunday 1 August (including arrival and departure days)
- Courses begin Monday 19 July
All courses are taught on weekdays only. At weekends you are free to spend time in the city, travel, or you can sign up to one of our specially curated social events (recommended).
In the morning before the start of your first lesson you will attend a welcome seminar in the main theatre of the university at 8:45. This will help you orientate and gives you important information about the city, Dutch culture, as well as the university itself.
Please note, it is possible to register for two courses in different sessions, as long as they don't overlap. This means courses in Session 1 or Session 1b can be combined with courses in Session 2.
Download the full summer school schedule for a full overview.
An overview of which courses belong to which session will be published here by the end of November 2026. The following courses are currently confirmed:
- Causal and Agentic AI: Basics and Multidisciplinary Applications
- Circular Economics and the Symbiotic City: Theory and Practice
- Clinical Neuroanatomy
- Data Analysis in R
- Environmental Justice in Theory and Practice
- Football Behaviour Management
- Global Energy Transition in a Fossil World: Challenges and Opportunities
- Global Health
- Governing Climate Change
- Hybrid Warfare and Peacebuilding in Countries Influenced by the Soviet Legacy: Political Transformations and Conflict Resolution in the Digital Era
- International Criminal Justice
- Introduction to Anti-Money Laundering Law: International and Regional Perspectives
- Introduction to Leadership and Organisational Behaviour: a Global Perspective
- Logic as a Tool for Modeling
- Statistical Methods for Causal Inference
- Sustainable Venture Creation in the Amsterdam Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
- Unlocking the Mysteries of Neurodegenerative Dementia: Advances in Research, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Session information and some suggested course combinations based on their level can be found below.
