Steps after your admission - Bachelor

• Deadlines

  Different deadlines apply for programmes with a Numerus Fixus. This includes the English taught Bachelor's programme: Psychology. Check the Numerus Fixus webpage for further details.
  
  Are you applying for a Bachelor's programme with a partner institution (e.g. Liberal Arts and Sciences, Ancient Studies, Archaeology, Mechanical Engineering, Creative Technology)? Make sure to check the relevant institution's website for further information.

  Deadlines for students who need a study visa or residence permit

  Check if you need a study visa.

  1. Accept your offer in your VU dashboard: confirm your participation in your dashboard* before 1 June in order to apply for a visa. Visa applications are possible from 1 April onwards.
  2. Complete admission: make sure to meet all admission requirements before the appropriate deadline. Students who need a study visa will need to meet the English language requirement 1 June. If you have a deficiency in one or more subjects you will have to resolve these deficiencies also before 1 June.
  3. Finalise enrolment: finalise your enrolment by paying the tuition fee before 31 August.

  Deadlines for students who do not need a study visa/residence permit 

  1. Accept your offer in your VU dashboard: confirm your participation in your dashboard* as soon as possible as it will help us to know if you are planning to join us. 
  2. Complete admission: make sure to meet all admission requirements before 31 August.
  3. Finalise enrolment: finalise your enrolment by paying the tuition fee before 31 August.

  Deadlines for students who wish to apply for housing

  Please keep in mind that VU housing options are limited. VU Accommodation is assigned on a first paid, first served system based on the housing fee payment date. You can only apply for VU Accommodation after you have confirmed your participation in your dashboard*, so we recommend you to confirm your participation as soon as you have received the admission decision if you wish to make use of this service.
  
  VU Accommodation - How to apply

  *Note that it is only possible to confirm participation after you have resolved any subject deficiencies.
  

• Step 1: Accept your offer and apply for student services

  If you are informed that you received an offer from our university, you are one step closer to being admitted to your programme. There are three types of offers:

  1. Conditional offer: most applicants will receive a conditional offer. A conditional offer means that based on your previous education you are eligible for admission, but still need to fulfill one or more of the admission requirements in order to be fully admitted to the programme. This offer will become an unconditional offer when you have met all the condition(s) for admission before the appropriate deadline(s) stated in your offer letter, including submitting a certified copy of your diploma.
     
     For example: you receive a conditional offer which states that you still need to submit an English proficiency test with a sufficient passing score. Once you have successfully achieved the required results, you can contact your International Student Advisor. Your International Student Advisor will verify your scores and process this in your application file accordingly.
     
     
  2. Conditional offer with one or more deficiencies: if you receive this offer one or more deficiencies were identified in your prior education, meaning there are substantial differences between your education and the demands of the Bachelor's programme you applied for. Before you can continue with accepting your offer (confirming participation in your VU Dashboard), you will have to resolve these deficiencies by the appropriate deadline. In practice this means you can only use our Accommodation and Visa services after you sent us your passing scores for the subject exams.
     
     
  3. Unconditional offer: Congratulations! You have met all the admission requirements and provided the Student Administration department with a certified copy of your diploma. To progress with your enrolment, make sure to complete the payment of the tuition fee.
      

  Confirm your participation and apply for student services 

  Once you have been (conditionally) admitted you can accept your offer by confirming your participation in your VU dashboard. This will enable you to apply for Accommodation and Visa services. Note that if you have one or more deficiencies you can only apply for our services after you have resolved these by passing your entrance exam(s).

  Postponing your studies

  If for any reason you are unable to start in the academic year that you have applied for, you can withdraw your current application in Studielink and reapply from October 1st onwards for the next year to receive a new admission decision. Your application fee is valid for 2 consecutive admission rounds, which means in most cases you do not need to pay it again when you reapply the following year. Please contact your International Student Advisor if you have further questions.

• Step 2: Complete your admission

  In most cases, you will still need to send documents to complete your admission. This could be a certified paper copy of your diploma, the results of your English proficiency test and/or other specific test results such as the result of your Mathematics entry exam.

  Please make sure to include your student number in all correspondence via postal mail and email. Your student number can for instance be found in your admission decision email.

  Are you applying for a Bachelor's programme with a partner institution (e.g. Liberal Arts and Sciences, Ancient Studies, Archaeology, Mechanical Engineering, Creative Technology)? Make sure to check the relevant institution's website for further information.

  Certified copy of your diploma

  The Student Administration of VU Amsterdam requires a certified copy of your diploma (not your original diploma) to verify your previous education –  if your diploma and grades transcript are not issued in English, German, Dutch, French or Spanish, please also submit an English translation by a sworn translator.
  
  Information on how to submit a certified copy of your diploma
  

  English proficiency test results

  If you are applying for one of our English-taught Bachelor's degree programmes you will have to demonstrate sufficient English language proficiency. All applicants are asked for a valid English language test that meets the minimum score requirement, unless you qualify for an exemption. Check carefully if an English language test result is listed as one of the conditions in your admission decision. 

  English language requirement: accepted language tests and exemption options

  The results of your English language test has to be uploaded in the application section of your VU Dashboard. After receipt of the scores we will verify your scores with the test centre and process them in your application status. Please see the instructions: Verification of your test scores.

  Deadline for submission:

  • Students who need a study visa or residence permit: 1 June
  • All other students: 31 August

  Different deadlines apply for programmes with a Numerus Fixus. This includes the English-taught Bachelor's programme: Psychology. Check the Numerus Fixus webpage for further details.

  Additional requirements

  Subject deficiencies (mathematics or other), or specific course/grade requirements 

  If your conditional offer states that you need to meet additional requirements this refers to any requirements in addition to the submission of your certified diploma copy.
  
  This can refer to the submission of additional (school/university) transcripts, submission of specific test results (deficiency tests/entrance exams), and/or the requirement to complete a specific course or obtain a certain GPA. You will need to share the official results with VU Amsterdam so we can verify your scores. In your admission decision you can find information on what additional requirements you have to meet and how to share your results.

  Contact your International Student Advisor if you have any questions about the conditions for your admission.
  
  Please note: until we have received all documents requested in your admission decision and you have completed the tuition fee payment, you will not be able to register for courses.

• Step 3: participate in the VU Study Choice Check activity

  This step is not applicable for the selective programmes PPE and Law in Society.

  Completing the (online) Study Choice Check activity (not to be confused with the questionnaire) is compulsory for some programmes. For other programmes, this step is optional but highly recommended. If completion of the Study Choice Check activity is mentioned in your admission letter, please make sure to participate in this activity in Canvas. Invitations for participation will be sent out around springtime, so it won’t be possible to access the activity before this time. More information can be found on our VU Study Choice Check page and on the webpage of your programme.

• Step 4: Onboarding international students

  Are you getting ready to embark on a new and exciting chapter in your life by relocating to the Netherlands and enrolling at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam? Then our onboarding platform for international students is where you should begin!

  Student onboarding is the process of getting you adjusted to your new study environment's practical, social, and academic aspects. We want to make you feel welcome and help you prepare well for your new study and living environment. Studies show that an effective onboarding programme enhances student engagement. It is expected that it will increase your level of involvement as well as your overall well-being.

  On our Onboarding platform you will find an overview of all initiatives that are available and will help you prepare for your studies at VU Amsterdam. From the opportunity to take free online academic courses, to talking to current students, to interactive live sessions and academic workshops (and much more!).

  And don't forget to browse our International Onboarding Guide: your one-stop resource for all pre-arrival
  and orientation information.

• Step 5: Pay the tuition fee

  Transfer the fee or arrange direct debit authorization in Studielink. The latter is only possible if you have a bank account from a bank in the SEPA area. The fee must be paid before 31 August 2027.
  
  Read more about the payment options

  Different deadlines apply for programmes with a Numerus Fixus. This includes the English taught Bachelor's programme: Psychology. Check the Numerus Fixus webpage for further details.
  
  Are you applying for a Bachelor's programme with a partner institution (e.g. Liberal Arts and Sciences, Ancient Studies, Archaeology, Mechanical Engineering, Creative Technology)? Make sure to check the relevant institution's website for further information.
  

  Questions?

  Please contact the Student Desk if you require assistance.

• Step 6: Check if your enrolment is complete

  Different deadlines apply for programmes with a Numerus Fixus. This includes the English taught Bachelor's programme: Psychology. Check the Numerus Fixus webpage for further details.

  You will receive a notification from Studielink when your student registration is complete. Only when you have received this notification, you'll know you have met all requirements for a full student registration. Your status in Studielink will then change to 'enrolled'. The deadline for a full enrolment is 31 August 2027. If you are not yet enrolled and do not know why, please contact your International Student Advisor for advice.

  Within one month of the enrolment being completed you will receive:

  • A declaration of registration (downloadable from your VU Dashboard)
  • A student card (if you have uploaded a jpeg. document of your passport format photo in your dashboard)

  Please note: being in the possession of these two documents is not required in order to follow classes. However, having a valid enrolment is required. To confirm your ID at an exam you can either use your student card or your ID/passport in combination with a paper version of the Declaration of Registration (available from the Student Desk once your status is enrolled).

  Other Important things to think about

  In addition to completing your enrolment, we recommend that you read the following information prior to starting your studies:

  • Financing your studies
  • The International Onboarding Guide is full of practical information about your stay here like insurance, medical care, etc. 

Steps after your admission - Master

• Deadlines

  Please find the deadlines to complete your admission below.

  Deadlines for students who need a study visa or residence permit

  Check if you need a study visa.

  1. Accept your offer in your VU dashboard: confirm your participation in your personal dashboard on vu.nl before 1 June in order to apply for a visa. Visa applications are possible from 1 April onwards.
  2. Complete admission: make sure to meet all admission requirements before the appropriate deadline. Students who need a study visa will need to meet the English language requirement 1 June. If you have a deficiency in one or more subjects you will have to eliminate these deficiencies also before 1 June.
  3. Finalise enrolment: finalise your enrolment by paying the tuition fees before 31 August.

  Deadlines for students who do not need a study visa/residence permit 

  1. Accept your offer in your personal VU dashboard: confirm your participation as soon as possible as it will help us to know if you are planning to join us. 
  2. Complete admission: make sure to meet all admission requirements before 31 August.
  3. Finalise enrolment: finalise your enrolment by paying the tuition fees before 31 August.

  Deadlines for students who wish to apply for housing

  There is no specific deadline for the housing application but keep in mind that VU housing options are limited. VU Accommodation is assigned on a first paid, first served system based on the housing fee payment date. You can only apply for VU Accommodation after you have confirmed your participation in your dashboard, so we recommend you to confirm your participation as soon as you have received the admission decision if you wish to make use of this service.
  
  VU Accommodation - How to apply

• Step 1: Confirm your participation and apply for student services

  If you are informed that you received an offer from our university, you are one step closer to being admitted to your programme. There are three types of offers:

  1. Conditional offer: a conditional offer means that based on your previous education you are eligible for admission, but still need to fulfill one or more of the admission requirements in order to be fully admitted to the programme. This offer will become an unconditional offer when you have met all the condition(s) for admission before the appropriate deadline(s) stated in your offer letter, including submitting a certified copy of your diploma.
     
     For example: you receive a conditional offer which states that you still need to submit an English proficiency test with a sufficient passing score. Once you have successfully achieved the required results, you can contact your International Student Advisor. Your International Student Advisor will verify your scores and change your admission status accordingly.
     
     
  2. Conditional offer with one or more deficiencies: if you receive this offer one or more deficiencies were identified in your prior education, meaning there are substantial differences between your education and the demands of the Master's programme you applied for. Before you can continue with accepting your offer (confirming participation in your VU Dashboard), you will have to eliminate these deficiencies by the appropriate deadline. In practice this means you can only use our Accommodation and Visa services after you have taken care of the deficiencies. The same goes for our VUFP/HSP scholarships: you can only apply for them once any deficiencies have been eliminated.
     
  3. Unconditional offer: Congratulations! You have met all the admission requirements and provided the Student Administration department with a certified paper copy of your diploma. To finalise your enrolment, the only thing left to arrange is the payment of the tuition fee. 
     
     
  4. Conditional offer with multiple applications or multiple conditional offers: if you receive a conditional offer for one programme, you are still able to apply for other programmes within the application deadline. This will not affect your standing conditional offer. If you receive multiple conditional offers, you can amend your choice of which one to accept until 31 August. 

  Confirm your participation and apply for student services 

  Once you have been (conditionally) admitted you can accept your offer by confirming your participation in the application portal of your VU dashboard. This will enable you to apply for Accommodation and Visa services. Note that if you have one or more deficiencies you can only apply for our services after you have eliminated them.

  Deferring your offer

  If for any reason you are unable to start in the academic year that you have applied for, you may be able to defer this offer of admission to the following academic year. In that case, you can withdraw your current application and reapply from October 1st onwards for the next year. Your application fee is valid for 2 years, which means you do not need to pay it again when you reapply next year. Please inform your International Student Advisor if you wish to defer your offer, so we can send you further instructions.

• Step 2: Complete your admission

  In most cases, students still need to send a few documents to complete their admission. This is mentioned in your admission letter. Examples are a certified copy of the diploma +  an English language test result (the latter can be sent by email).

  Please make sure to include your student number in all correspondence via postal mail and email. Your student number can for instance be found in the subject line of your admission letter.

  Certified copy of your diploma

  VU Amsterdam requires a certified copy of your diploma (not your original diploma) to verify your previous education – this copy should contain an original wet stamp and signature provided by the awarding institute (your school or university) as proof that it is a copy of the original document. If your diploma and grades transcript are not issued in English, German, Dutch, French or Spanish, please also submit an English translation by a sworn translator. Further specifications on what is accepted as a certified copy can be found on www.vu.nl/diploma.

  Please mention your student number when you send documents before the deadline mentioned in your admission decision via:

  • Postal mail to Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Attn. Student Administration, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  • In some cases digital verification is also accepted. Find more information on www.vu.nl/diploma
  • You can also hand in your certified documents at the Student Desk on the ground floor of the VU Main building.

  English test result (TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge Certificate)

  To meet the English language requirements of a programme you are asked to submit an English test certificate that meets the set minima for the study programme you're applying for. You can find all relevant information here.

  How to share your English test results

  • For  IELTS or TOEFL test results, please upload your results in your VU dashboard while applying.
  • For verification of TOEFL tests please add our institution code before sending the report: 7947 and also upload your results in your VU dashboard.
  • For an online verification of your Cambridge test result please share your results with us through the Candidate Results Online website and also upload your results in your VU dashboard.

  In general, we do not need to receive the hard copy test results via postal mail if you share your results digitally. 

  Deadline for submission:

  • Students who need a study visa or residence permit: 1 June
  • All other students: 31 August

  Please note: until we have received all documents, you will not be able to register for courses.
  
  Course registration opens mid-July. Please refer to this step-by-step explanation on how to register once you've met all conditions of your admission. 

  Detailed information on course registration and related topics can be found on this page. 

• Step 3: Pay the tuition fees

  Transfer the fees or arrange direct debit authorization in Studielink. The latter is only possible if you have a bank account from a bank in the SEPA area. The fees must be paid before 31 August.

  Read more about the payment options.

  Please note: once you have entered your payment details in Studielink (step 1), it may take up to 24 hours before the correct tuition fee amount is calculated. Once this is done, you will receive an e-mail asking you to confirm payment. This confirmation will authorize the actual payment which should be made on or before 31 August. Please contact the Student Desk if you require assistance.

• Step 4: Onboarding international students

  Are you getting ready to embark on a new and exciting chapter in your life by relocating to the Netherlands and enrolling at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam? Then our onboarding platform for international students is where you should begin!

  Student onboarding is the process of getting you adjusted to your new study environment's practical, social, and academic aspects. International students face challenges both within and beyond the classroom, ranging from unexpected language barriers to other academic integrity requirements to assimilating into the campus culture. Our onboarding programme will teach you how to get the most out of your time at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, both socially and academically. 

  On our Onboarding platform you will find an overview of all initiatives that are available and will help you prepare for your studies at VU Amsterdam. From the opportunity to take free online academic courses, to talking to current students, to interactive live sessions and academic workshops (and much more!).

  And don't forget to browse our International Onboarding Guide: your one-stop resource for all pre-arrival
  and orientation information.

• Step 5: Check if your enrolment is complete

  You will receive a notice from Studielink when your student registration is complete. Only after having received this notice, you'll know you've met all requirements for a full student registration. Your status in Studielink will change to 'enrolled'. The deadline for a full enrolment is 31 August. If you are not yet enrolled and do not know why, please contact your International Student Advisor for advice.

  Within one month of the enrolment being completed you will receive:

  • A declaration of registration (downloadable from your personal dashboard on vu.nl).
  • A student card (if you have uploaded a jpeg. document of your passport format photo in your personal VU dashboard)

  Please note: being in the possession of these two documents is not required in order to follow classes. However, having a valid enrolment is required. To confirm your ID at an exam you can either use your student card or your ID/passport in combination with a paper version of the Declaration of Registration (available from the Central Student Desk once your status is enrolled).

  Other Important things to think about

  Once you're all ready to start your studies at our university, there is always a few things that are handy to know about. Here are a few tips:

  • Apply for student finance (only applicable for Dutch / in some cases EU students)

  Other handy information: 

  • The International Onboarding Guide is full of practical information about your stay here like insurance, medical care, etc. 
  • Check your personal VU dashboard for an overview of all the important, practical and fun matters that will help you get your studies off to a great start! E.g: course registration deadlines, introduction activities etc.
  • Go through all the information on Onboarding page

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