University of Amsterdam
Global Exchange Programme
Information sheet 2017-2018
Postal address
Mail Address University of Amsterdam
Student Services
International Student Affairs
Valckenierstraat 59
1018 XE AMSTERDAM
The Netherlands
Visiting Address Roetersstraat 11
1018 WB Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Information
Website www.uva.nl/globalexchange
[email protected] (outbound student mobility)
Telephone + 31 20 525 8080
Team
Director Ms. Willeke Jeeninga
Partnership agreements and exchange balance
Coordinator Global Mr. Guido de Wilde
Programmes General programme management and student advising
Outbound Mobility Ms. Ingeborg de Brieder – Senior Liaison Officer
Ms. Loura Penning –Liaison Officer
Inbound Mobility Mr. Maarten Terpstra – Liaison Officer
Ms. Loura Penning – Liaison Officer
Transcripts Ms. Lara Neervoort – Global Exchange Assistant
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About the UvA
World-class education Founded on a tradition of highly integrated academics, the University of
Amsterdam enjoys a global reputation for cutting-edge research, high-
quality teaching and a broad range of degree programmes. Our open,
tolerant and international academic tradition dates back to 1632, and
continues strong today thanks to our thriving community of independent
thinkers. Now, with more than 31,000 students, we are considered one
of the best research universities in the world. We strive for excellence in
teaching and research, and are proud to offer you one of the largest
selections of English-taught programmes in continental Europe.
Studying in Amsterdam Amsterdam provides an ideal environment for academic study. As the
capital city with a population over 790.000 inhabitants Amsterdam is the
financial, creative and cultural heart of the Netherlands. It is also home
to numerous (international) companies, institutions and museums. The
city boasts beautiful architecture and more than 150 canals, lending
Amsterdam its unique and charming historical ambience. The people of
Amsterdam are easy going and welcoming to foreigners since English is
the city’s second language. Getting around is easy using the extensive
public transport system, or you can explore the city by bike, discovering
places no cars, buses or trams can take you.
Exchange The Global Exchange Programme is an extensive network of 90 non-
European partner universities facilitating student exchanges. Ambitious
students at one of our partner universities are encouraged to participate
in a challenging and inspiring academic exchange programme at the UvA.
Academic tradition Academic climate
Deadlines
Nomination period and Semester 1: 1 February - 1 April
deadline Semester 2: 15 August - 15 September
(by host university)
Application period and Semester 1: 15 March - 15 April
deadline Semester 2: 1 September - 1 October
Application
Nomination Official nomination from the home university is a strict requirement to be
procedure eligible to apply for the Global Exchange Programme. Nominations forms
will be emailed to partner universities before the nomination deadline.
Application and admission
Application Application instructions will be sent directly to the student’s email
procedure address during the application period.
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Required documents • Completed Global Exchange application form
(Soft copy / digital scans) • Certified copies of academic transcripts of all universities attended
• Letter of motivation
• Copy of CV/Resume
• Copy of valid passport / ID card
For non-native speakers of English:
• Certified copy of English language test results
Programme information
Language of instruction English
Level Most courses are on bachelor (undergraduate) level. The availability of
master (graduate) courses differ per department, admission is done on
case-by-case basis. Please consult the UvA international office as soon as
possible.
An exception is the Amsterdam Law School (ALS); exchange students can
only take master’s courses at the Amsterdam Law School and do not
need a completed bachelor’s degree, however, students do need to have
at least two full years of academic background in Law.
Departments open to • Amsterdam University College - Liberal Arts & Science
exchange students • Child Development and Education
• Communication Science
• Economics and Business
• Humanities
• Law
• Psychology
• Science - Interdisciplinary Studies
• Social Science
Course information Courses
Course placement All incoming students are advised to be as flexible as possible with their
course selection. We aim to register students for preferred courses but
we cannot guaranteed course placement. Placement is generally not
confirmed until right before the start of the semester.
Course selection Students are advised to select courses from one academic department at
the UvA. In certain cases it is possible to take one or two courses in
another department, but this can only be arranged on a case-by-case
basis by your academic advisor and is dependent on availability of
courses.
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Limited enrolment Due to a high demand and space constraints, Amsterdam University
College (Liberal Arts & Science) has limited access and therefore reserves
the right to review applications on motivation, background, study
progress and GPA.
Not open Medicine, Dentistry, Graduate School of Social Science, MSc. Business
Studies.
Dutch language
Dutch Language Each semester, the Institute for Dutch Language Education (INTT) of the
courses UvA offers extensive Dutch courses (non-credit baring) for international
students at absolute beginners, beginners, intermediate and advanced
level.
Costs & reimbursement The costs for the semi-intensive course (recommended) is €300* and
need to be paid in advance. All Global Exchange students may apply for a
one time reimbursement of €300* upon successful completion of the
course.
However, Intensive Dutch summer courses are not eligible for this
scholarship and has to be financed by the student.
(*Price is based on last year’s costs and is subject to change.)
Application Applications go through the Office of International Student Affairs. The
application form can be found on the INTT website
Dutch Culture and The following Dutch Culture and Society courses are open for students
Society courses without a humanities background.
Dutch Culture and Society courses:
1. Dutch Culture and Society in European Context ( 6 ECTS)
2. The Netherlands in the world ( 6 ECTS)
3. Reading the city: Amsterdam literary classics (6 ECTS)
4. All-Time Bestsellers from Amsterdam (6 ECTS)
Credits, grading & transcripts
Full time course load A full time workload for UvA students is 30 EC (European Credits).
Exchange students generally take between 24 EC and 30 EC. If students
wish to take less than 24 EC, permission is needed from the home
university and their UvA academic advisor.
Course requirements According to Dutch immigration guidelines, students need to be enrolled
in at least 18 EC per semester in order to be eligible for the student’s
residence permit.
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Early leave If students finish a fulltime course load before the end of the semester
(eg. in the first two blocks of the semester), they are allowed to return
home earlier. Although the lease contracts cannot be shortened and
cover (almost) the entire semester.
Credits per course Generally 6 or 12 EC per course
Grading system Most faculties at UvA use a grading system ranging from 1-10 (5.5 is a
pass), Amsterdam University College uses the US letter system. Some
courses may also be taken on a pass/non-pass basis.
Re-sits All students at the UvA are allowed to re-sit exams if the initial grade is
not sufficient to pass the course. Re-sitting an exam to improve a grade
that already counts as a pass (>5.5) is not possible. For more information
about rules & regulations please consult the host faculty at the UvA.
Transcripts Official transcripts are automatically send to the exchange office of the
home university approximately 6 weeks after the end of the semester.
emic Calendar
Disability or Chronic illness
Counselling UvA offers support, for example counselling or examination
& arrangements for those who need it.
Examination By providing this kind of support we strive to offer you a pleasant study
arrangements program without any study delay. A disability or chronic condition need
not prevent you from studying
How can I apply for a To request an examination or another arrangement, you can make
provision an appointment with a student counsellor.
This can be through a referral from the student adviser or directly.
The student counsellor will advise the contact person of your
programme, based on your medical report or submitted dyslexia report,
about your eligibility for the arrangement(s) and the period of validity of
this/these arrangement(s). d n
event you from graduating
Contact Student counsellor
Academic Calendar
Semester system Two semesters, each comprising three blocks of 8, 8 and 4 weeks.
Semester 1 End of August 2017 – End of January 2018
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Exams: end of each block
Semester 2 Early February 2018 – End of June 2018
Exams: end of each block
Collective days off Academic calendar
Entrance requirements
Language Non-native speakers of English should provide proof of proficiency in the
requirements English language by means of a TOEFL an IELTS. For specific entrance
requirements see: Courses
Entrance • Student must have completed at least 120 ECTS (or the equivalent
Requirements in local credits) at the time of departure for study abroad. Students
should have a grade point average of 3.0 (US system) and a relevant
academic background in the proposed field of study.
Entrance • Requirement for students wishing to take courses on the
requirements Master/Graduate level: Completed Bachelor/Undergraduate degree
(continued) in the proposed field of study (excepts Amsterdam Law School).
• Each host faculty might have additional requirements. Please review
additional requirements per faculty of choice to see if further
conditions apply. Requirements are explained in the document for
courses and faculty criteria. Entry requirements
Arrival & Orientation
Recommended arrival Semester 1: Mid-August
dates Semester 2: Last week of January
Airport pick up The University of Amsterdam offers a pick-up service from Schiphol
(Amsterdam airport) during the recommended arrival dates.
Airport pick up
Introduction Right after the recommended arrival dates
period www.isn-amsterdam.nl
Faculty Generally one week before the start of the semester
Introduction
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Accommodation
University housing The UvA guarantees accommodation for Global Exchange students
applying before the ‘early bird’ deadline. Housing
Types of rooms For our international students, each year we reserve a range of furnished
accommodation in Amsterdam and its surrounding area. We work with
different housing corporations whom offers various type of rooms,
including shared rooms, private rooms with shared facilities and private
rooms with private facilities.
We would like to emphasize that there are not enough rooms available
to accommodate all students within the city centre. 50% of the students
is placed outside of the city centre. The housing allocation is done be the
three housing corporations based on your indicated budget. Housing
prices in Amsterdam are not based on location instead based on a so-
called point system, it measures the quality of the room, for instance
state and type of sanitary, room surface.
Contract periods Contract periods are fixed for the duration of the signed lease agreement
and run for almost the entire semester. It is not possible to shorten the
contract if a student decides to arrive late, or leave early before the end
of the semester.
Housing application fee One semester €285 (early birds) / €340 (regular)
with reservation
Two semesters €475 (early birds) / €555 (regular)
with reservation
*Price is based on last year’s costs
and is subject to change.
Approximate costs The rental prices range from approximately €2000 to €3200 per
semester, depending on room type. An additional administration fee of
€150 applies for each new contract.
Housing application The UvA uses an online application system to process all applications for
student accommodation. Once admitted to the Global Exchange
Programme at the UvA, students will receive an email with a link to this
online application .
Insurance
Health The UvA does not have a mandatory health insurance plan, but
maintaining sufficient health insurance is mandatory. The UvA has special
agreements for exchange students with certain insurance companies. For
more information see Insurance
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Liability Having sufficient liability insurance is mandatory in the Netherlands, in
case of damage to other people or property.
Immigration procedures
Assistance UvA Student Services assists all students with immigration procedures.
The online application will start around four months before the beginning
of each semester. For more information see Visa
Visa Based up on the country of citizenship, students may need to apply for an
(travel to Amsterdam) entry visa. To find out whether you need a visa to travel to the
Netherlands as a student, please use the Visa-wizard
Residence Permit / All non-European/European Economic Area (non-EU/EEA) students will
WHS permit have to apply for a residence permit to legally reside and study in the
Netherlands for a semester or full year. Students with the Australian,
New Zealand and Canadian nationality may also apply for the Working
Holiday Scheme permit (WHS permit) instead of the regular residence
permit.
Chinese nationals Students with a Chinese passport also need to apply for a NUFFIC
certificate. Nuffic website
Ambassadors programme
Exchange Ambassadors As an ambassador, you will contribute according to your talents and
Programme interests. Working with other ambassadors in a mixed group of local and
international students, you might get involved in advising students,
organising events, writing articles or producing a newsletter. In return,
you will receive training to help develop or enhance your intercultural,
networking, project planning and professional skills. In 2015 the Global
Exchange Ambassador Programme won the prestigious Orange Carpet
Award for the sector Higher Education. Ambassadors
Estimated living expenses
Provided figurers are rough estimates, and based upon previous academic year
Residence permit € 340
(including Visa)
Housing € 2,000 – € 3,200 per semester
Application fee (early bird) € 285 (one semester) € 475 (full year)
Administration fee € 150 (housing corporation)
Refundable room deposit Equal to monthly rent (ranges from € 380 to € 650)
Personal expenses € 400 – € 500 per month
(including food)
Books € 75 per month
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Public Transport / Travel € 70 per month (if not using a bike)
Bicycle € 150 (2ndhand, including lock)
Insurance € 50 per month
