Register/deregister for courses and exams

Information about registration and deregistration

• Problems with registering (registering not possible, courses not found, courses are full)

  Possible reasons why you cannot register for courses:

  • You can only register during the registration period.
  • If your registration status shows ‘Complete registration’, you need to finalise your registration.
  • You can only register for courses within your study programme or as an extracurricular course. For other courses, you must request permission from the Education Office of the offering faculty in question. 
  • You do not meet the entry requirements for a course. Would you like to submit a substantiated request for exemption from the entrance requirements of a course? Then please use this form.

  Course not found in the registration module?

  You cannot find any courses in the registration module? Then try the following:

  • Check that you have selected the correct programme and year in the start screen.
  • Search within all courses: some courses may not be among the preselected courses.
  • Search within extracurricular subjects: courses outside your programme may be offered extracurricularly.
  • Search in minors: use the ‘Search in minors’ button to find available minors and corresponding courses.
  • Check the Study Guide: if a course is in the Study Guide but not in the registration module, contact the Student Desk.
  • Still can't find the course or minor you are looking for? Then they are not available for your programme. If you want to take them, please submit a request to participate.

  Is the course full?

  • You can only register if there is enough capacity. 
  • Capacity is usually increased quickly; try again the next day to register. 
  • Is the course still full? Then submit a request to the faculty to increase capacity, but only if all groups in a section are full.
    • Submit a request course = full
    • Submit a request as a subsidiary student
  • You cannot submit a request for courses with a maximum number of participants. If there is a maximum number of participants, this is stated in the  Study Guide.

• Too late to register

  You cannot register through the registration module after the registration deadline. Only if you register in time, your participation in the education is guaranteed.

  Step 1. Late placement

  As of period 2 for some courses you have the option for late placement. This means you can submit a request to be registered for the course after the registration period has closed. The period in which you can submit a request for a late placement varies: from a minimum of 1 week to a maximum of 4 weeks after the closing date for registration. Depending on the number of places available, your request may be honored. If it is not possible to resit a course, this is indicated in the Study Guide.

  You can submit a request for late placement in the registration module. Go to the course in question in the registration module and click on the button 'Request for late placement'. This button appears when the regular registration period for the course has closed. At the latest in the week before the start of the course you will receive a message whether your request for an extra place has been approved. 

  Look at the bottom of this page under the heading 'Registration conditions per faculty' to read the additional rules per faculty.

  Step 2. Substantiated request

  If your late placement request is rejected ór if late placement is not possible and you are too late to register, you can submit a substantiated request to be included.

  A substantiated request will only be honored if it meets the conditions set out in the Regulations for (de)registration for Education and Examinations. If your application is granted, you will be registered.

  Your application will only be considered if you provide evidence of force majeure (such as your long-term illness or the death of a close relative) or disproportionate consequences for your study progress. A request will only be honored if there is sufficient capacity in the lecture halls for the course in question.

  Form substantiated request

• Substantiated request rejected

  If your substantiated request is not accepted, you will not be registered and will not be allowed to participate in the course and/or examination. If you do take part, it is at your own risk and you should take into account these consequences:

  • If you participate in a course without enrolling, you are not entitled to access the educational activities and the available educational materials.
  • If you participate in an examination without signing up, you will not receive a result. 
  • If you want to participate in an examination without having registered, you may be denied access.

  More information can be found on the page Complaint, Appeal and Objection.

• Register for a minor, pre-master or as a contract student

  • More information about registration for a minor can be found here. 
  • For some premasters, you can register for the courses yourself via the registration module. For other premasters, the process of registering is different. Check the Registration conditions per faculty below, or look up your premaster in the Study Guide. 
  • As a contract student, its is not possible to register for courses by yourself. The Education Office of your faculty will register you for you.

  Please consult the information at the bottom of this page under Registration conditions per faculty for the specific conditions of your faculty.

• Register as a subsidiary student

  If you, as a student from another university, want to take course(s) at VU Amsterdam as a subsidiary student, indicate which course(s) you want to take when registering. After approval, the courses are scheduled, after which you can register for the courses in the registration module.

  You cannot add courses in the registration module. If you want to take an extra course within the academic year for which you are registered, go to your profile to add the desired course. If an earlier application for a minor has not yet been approved, you also have the option to delete the application here.

  For more information, see Secondary subjects (or a minor) at VU Amsterdam.

• Register for an extracurricular course

  These are courses that fall outside your study programme. Therefore, these courses do not count towards your degree. You can only register for courses outside your programme if they are also offered extracurricularly. 

  If you wish to include these courses in your curriculum (i.e. these courses count towards the ECTs required for your degree), you must first request permission from the Examination Board of your faculty.  

  You need to register for these courses via the registration module. If you are unable to register for the course, there may be certain requirements. Please send a request to the Educational office of the faculty that provides the course.

• Partaking in several study programmes at the same time

  Are you partaking in two or more programmes at the same time, or do you wish to do so? That is possible. Below you can read how to arrange this.

  Visit your academic advisor

  Visit the academic advisor for advice. They can help you plan and combine the courses you have in mind and provide you with tips and advice.

  Ask the lecturer for the digital learning materials of lectures

  If lectures coincide, decide which lecture you will attend. Ask the lecturer of the lecture you missed to make the available digital learning resources available quickly so that you can prepare for the remaining lectures.

  Change of workgroup

  Are workgroups at the same time? Try to switch from working groups. Depending on the method of registration, you can arrange this yourself or contact the education office or the lecturer.

  Take action on overlapping exams

  It sometimes happens that exams of courses you are taking, take place on the same day and time. What to do in case of overlapping exams, see Information about exams.

  TIP: As soon as the schedule is available, check you exam and resit dates! Most faculties have a deadline of three weeks before the exam takes place in order to contact them and make preparations for overlapping exams. 

Registration conditions per faculty

Would you like to know more?