To be eligible for admission to AUC, you will need to meet certain requirements. These include your educational background (secondary school diploma), level of English and maths. The level and type of maths is the only admission requirement that varies based on the major you apply for.

You should check to see if you meet the admissions requirements for your major (especially maths) before starting your application.

Deficiencies in English and/or maths
Small deficiencies in meeting our English and/or maths requirements will not prevent your application from being reviewed. We require that you rectify all deficiencies before 1 July when starting in September of that year by sending the appropriate proofs. Should your level of English and/or maths indicate too large of a deficiency in meeting the minimum requirements for the major you are applying for, your application will be rejected. You will be given an opportunity to appeal to this decision, along with providing an accepted proof of proficiency, within six weeks. Exceptions can be made if there is a specific reason for the deficiency, such as health-related issues and/or other unforeseen circumstances or incidents.

To be considered for admission to AUC, you must first complete and submit your application together with the required documentation using the online application system Embark. You will not use Studielink while applying to AUC. Please read the Application Guidelines carefully before you start working on your application.

Initial check
After you have submitted your application, we will first check if your previous education meets the general minimum entry requirements for a Bachelor's degree programme at a Dutch research university. Along with checking the minimum entry requirements, we will also check if you have sent all of the information we need to assess your application and that your application package is complete. Finally, we will check whether we have received your recommendation in order to proceed with processing your candidature for admission.

Procedure for reviewing applications
If your application package is complete and your previous education meets the general minimum entry requirements, we will begin reviewing your application.

AUC reviews applications in two batches that correspond with the two application deadlines. Applications from those who apply as ‘early birds’ (meaning you have submitted a complete application before 1 December) will start to be processed in the first week of December. Applications for those who apply for the regular deadline (meaning you have submitted a complete application before 1 February) will start to be processed in the first week of February.  

In some cases, AUC may open a third “late” deadline after 1 February. Late applications are processed in a third batch, but there is no guarantee that this option will be available every year. If a late deadline is offered, additional criteria or restrictions (such as limited availability for certain majors) may apply. Applications submitted on time (prior to 1 February) are given priority when being reviewed and when offers are made. 

Review process
All completed applications submitted on time for a given deadline are reviewed by academic tutors under the guidance of AUC’s Admissions Committee. Each application is first independently reviewed by two admissions tutors based on clearly defined criteria as described in the policy on admissions. If the two tutors reviewing a certain application agree as to whether the applicant should be offered a place at AUC, they then put the applicant forward to the Admissions Committee for consideration in the cohort. Should the two reviewers diverge in their decision, the Admissions Committee will investigate whether the candidate qualifies for an offer.

Based on the recommendations of the admissions tutors, the Admissions Committee decides on the number of offers to be made based on the criteria and composition of all possible applicants in a cohort, per batch.

Order of processing
Early-bird applicants are processed first, and an initial round of offers are made based on the quality of their applications. The next round of processing occurs after the regular deadline has passed. Once all regular deadline applications have been reviewed by admissions tutors, the Admissions Committee will make offers based on the overall composition of the incoming cohort and consideration of specific criteria to maintain balance in a cohort (i.e. how many students apply for each major). It is also possible that an applicant who applied as an early bird is not directly made an offer, is not rejected, but is rather transferred to additional rounds of consideration for a possible offer. 

In the case of a late deadline, applicants are then reviewed as a third batch and offers will be made based on the composition of the cohort after the early and regular rounds in order to balance the cohort. Should there be a waitlist for a certain major after the initial rounds of offers, those applicants on the waitlist will be given priority over any late-deadline applicants when being considered for admission for that major.

After an application has been reviewed by both the admissions tutors and Admissions Committee, a decision on admission will be sent to all applicants. For early birds (submitting a complete application before 1 December), the decision on admission will be sent in the first week of February. For applicants applying for the regular deadline (submitting a complete application before 1 February), the decision on admission will be sent in the first week of April. Should there be a late deadline, decisions on admission are issued one month after the late deadline. 

Offer of a place at AUC
Should a candidate receive a positive decision on admission from the AUC Admissions Committee, they  be offered a place to study at AUC. All offers made are conditional, meaning a candidate will need to meet the minimum diploma requirements (i.e. completing their secondary school programme on time), in addition to any possible English or maths requirements, before starting their studies at AUC. An offer letter will specify conditions of admission and how the student can meet them. Please note that all materials, including final grades, transcripts and additional proofs for maths/English must be received by 1 July. 

Wait-list option
In certain cases, candidates may receive a message that they have the option of being placed on a waitlist. For early-bird applicants, their application will then be considered with the regular deadline candidate batch and a decision on admission will be issued in the first week of April. For regular deadline candidates, there is no ranking among the students on the waitlist. In case another candidate in the cohort decides not to accept their offer to attend AUC, an offer of a place will be made to a candidate on the waitlist. Please note that there is no cost to remaining on the waitlist, but there is also no guarantee of being made an offer if an applicant exercises this option.

No offer and opportunity to appeal
Should a candidate not receive an offer of a place at AUC, and not be placed on the waitlist, they will be informed by the Admissions Office as to why an offer was not made. In this letter, they will also receive information on how they can appeal this decision if desired.

Online information sessions for students who have received an offer to study at AUC

If a student receives a (conditional) offer to study at AUC, they will be invited to attend an online information session (in February for early-bird applicants; in April for regular deadline applicants). While not mandatory to attend, the online information sessions will further explain the conditions of the offer, how to accept the offer and what they can expect while preparing to start at AUC.

If an applicant decides that AUC is the right programme for them, they will need to officially accept their offer in Embark and confirm their intent to study at AUC within the deadline stated in the offer letter. For early-bird applicants, they will typically need to respond by mid-February as to whether they will accept their offer for the coming year. Regular deadline applicants will typically need to respond by mid-April. Late-deadline applicants will have one week after receiving their offer to respond. 

Additional time for accepting an offer
In exceptional circumstances, a candidate may request additional time to respond to their offer. However, they must make a special request for this to be granted by contacting the Admissions Office as soon as it’s clear that they won’t be able to make their decision within the given time frame.

Not responding to an offer on time
Should an applicant not respond to their offer on time, their offer will be rescinded. Once this happens, they will no longer have the option of accepting their place at AUC.  

Paying the housing fee
As a residential programme, all students are guaranteed three years of on-campus housing. Students who accept their offer must pay a one-time housing fee of EUR 700 that covers the administrative costs of organising and reserving their room. This fee needs to be paid to AUC by 1 May. You can read more on the housing fee via the link below.

Starting enrolment procedures at AUC
As soon as an applicant accepts their offer, we start the procedures to complete their enrolment at AUC as part of both the University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Our Admissions Office contacts the applicant regarding which documents they must submit and instructs them on practical matters before starting their studies at AUC, including enrolment via Studielink, how to pay their tuition, arranging a residence permit (if necessary) and registering for on-campus housing. They will also be invited to attend campus visits in May [optional] and the Introduction Week in August [mandatory].

Campus visits for students who accepted their offer

While optional, the campus visits organised in May will allow you to further get to know AUC, the community and other students who have accepted their offer. You’ll be able to visit the campus, speak with academic staff members, meet current AUC students, tour the student residences and ask any final questions you may have before starting at AUC.