VU Amsterdam - Exchange

The Illinois study abroad office will nominate you to Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, at which time VU will email you with instructions on filling out their application. Below are some important notes about the host application process.

• • Among other things, Vrije Universiteit will require from you: a copy of passport, passport photo, and transcript.

  • Once you have been nominated/accepted for exchange, you can contact VU's Incoming Team at incoming@vu.nl with questions related to the exchange application, course selection, arrival/introduction program, etc.

  • For Fall: the VU Incoming Exchange team will contact the nominated students at the end of March/early April from incoming@vu.nl with instructions for submitting applications.

Any questions about visas can be sent to: studentimmigration@vu.nl

Please adhere to all deadlines as it can affect admission decision, student visa and housing placement processes.

The academic calendar is the same for both Vrije Universiteit-Amsterdam Exchange and Direct Enroll Students.

Program Dates

Spring 2022

• • February 7, 2022-July 1, 2022

  • Students are expected to arrive on the Thursday before so that they can attend orientation and introduction events.

Fall 2022 Classes (are expected to) start in August 2022 and end in January 2023. The exact dates are TBD.

• • A two week arrival/orientation program precedes the start of classes in the fall semester.

Vrije Universiteit does arrange airport pick-up for Exchange students, provided you arrive on select days/times. VU will provide more detailed info about this via email.

VU has a 1-2 week orientation program before the start of the Fall and Spring semester.

All students who apply on time will be offered a room through the university, at various locations throughout the city.

Accommodation consists of single, furnished rooms with private or shared bathrooms. In most cases, bathroom, kitchen and living room must be shared with other students. It is common that men and women live together in the same student house. Here is a more detailed overview of the types of accommodation with the Exchange program. Below are some important notes on contacting housing:

• • Students are responsible for paying monthly rent, which ranges depending on the type of accommodation. This is paid directly to Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Take another look at the budget for this program (which fees are billable to your student account? which fees are not billable?), and our site with a detailed explanation of a study abroad budget.

  • VU housing contracts are offered on a 6-month basis. If students return home before the 6 month period ends, they are still required to pay for the housing they don’t need. This is due to Amsterdam’s extreme housing shortage, which makes it very difficult to individually cater housing contracts. For this reason, it is standard practice to offer housing contracts in 6-month intervals. Your transcript will not be sent from VU to Illinois if you have an outstanding financial balance for VU housing.

  • Nominated/accepted students can contact studentaccomodation@vu.nl with questions about accommodation,

Registration

The Vrije Universiteit international office will send you detailed information about how to enroll in classes, but you can take a look at an overview of the process on their courses web page.

Academic Structure

• • VU offers over 140 courses taught in English, allowing many options for exchange students in various majors or courses of study. Here are the recommended minor programs, which are offered in Fall.

  • The VU Amsterdam semester is made up of 3 periods. A regular workload for the first 2 periods is 12 ECTS per period (i.e. 2 courses each period). Students can finish the program after the first 2 periods or take 1 additional course during period 3.

  • The end date depends on students’ exam schedules, which depend on which courses they take. However, the last possible exam date for period 2 is December 18. Should students choose to stay for period 3 in January, then the last exam date is January 29 (however, in the past, all Illinois students return home after period 2).

  • Credit and Grade equivalency

NOTE: We advise students not to book a flight home before the last exam date, or at least to wait to book a return date until they know their definite exam schedule.

Transcripts

Transcripts be sent to Illinois automatically after the end of the program. However, the time for receipt and processing can take a few months. Be patient, and you can track to see when your transcript is received by the Office of the Registrar by when the digital copy is uploaded into your My Study Abroad documents.

Spring Specific Updates

• • In Spring semester VU offers less courses for exchange students than in Fall, and no minor programs.

  • VU cannot guarantee student placement in all course options students try to register for. Please consult with your academic advisor, set plan B courses and pay special attention to deadlines as availability is limited in the Spring.

  • A full workload is 30 ECTS.

For exchange students, there are not any separate social programs during the semester. Depending on availability, the Semester in Amsterdam (Direct Enroll) social activities are sometimes opened up to exchange students at a cost. Below are some options for exchange students.

• • Buddy program: Students who sign up for the program will have a (Dutch) buddy throughout the semester who can help them with academic and social issues. The buddy program organizes social activities which exchange students can participate in with their buddy, free of charge (e.g. pub quiz, international potluck, karaoke, etc.)

  • The Erasmus Student Network at VU organizes social activities and plans trips.

To view the campus, hear students and faculty share their experiences and more, please visit this VU Amsterdam official youtube channel , the VU instagram page or the VU international student youtube channel.

To learn more about cultural engagement opportunities in Amsterdam, visit the Netherlands Tourism Board or Trip Advisor.

On Academics

• • You definitely don't need to know the Dutch language but you end up learning a tiny bit while you're there. Structure was very different to the American system because most courses do not take attendance (iClickers), there is rarely homework, usually no midterms, and most of the grade just depends on the final. There is definitely a greater sense of responsibility and self‐discipline with making sure you're on top of what's happening in class because nobody checks that you're keeping up. The exams could be stressful because of how important they were but were usually graded fairly and not impossibly difficult‐ just analytical. You couldn't just regurgitate information or ramble on a written exam, for example, because they want to‐the‐point answers.

  • I had classes split into two periods. My first 8 weeks I had class Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. My second period I had a two‐week course that was every day, and then I had another 8‐week course that met every Monday and Tuesday.

On Housing

• • I lived in a flat in a student campus and there were 12 other international students living on my floor. I had my own bedroom and shared amenities like a kitchen, living room, and bathroom.

  • The leasing office is incredibly difficult to communicate with, so remember that. However, choose Uilenstede if you want to constantly be with people and are sociable and outgoing.

  • I lived at Uilenstede, which is a dorm/apartment‐style housing that is offered by my university. The surrounding area was very pleasant and nice, with a nearby gym, grocery store, and a was a 7‐minute bike ride from campus. I lived in a single room, which was very nice. I shared a floor with 11 other residents, all coming from different countries and backgrounds, which was a really positive experience. However, we all shared one kitchen and small bathroom space, which was rarely clean. My flatmates and I created a system of rotating who gets to help clean, but people didn't always follow through and that made living at the Uilenstede dorms not as pleasant. Besides that, I absolutely loved living at Uilenstede and meeting all the international students!

General

• • Amsterdam is a really good city to live on the edge of. The city itself can be quite hectic but the people are extremely genuine and always willing to help out and show you around.

  • Men and women are equal in the Netherlands. Also, people of all professions/socio‐economic status, age, and [different] races are considered equal. The Dutch are very tolerant but that doesn't exactly mean that they are completely non‐judgmental.

  • Unfortunately you had to pay to use their gym.

  • There was a student group called ESN which organized trips abroad. I went to Prague, Budapest, Vienna, and Berlin with them and the groups were all international students so I met a lot of people that way. There was also plenty of interaction in class with Dutch students.

  • I liked that it was a smaller program and there weren't a lot of U of I students on it. I think if there was a bigger group of us, I wouldn't have branched out and met so many people from so many different places and backgrounds. I liked that I barely spoke to any Americans while I was there. I definitely liked the housing situation the least but all the alternatives are way more expensive so I didn't mind dealing with it.

  • Although I don't encourage enforcing stereotypes, you are more likely to encounter hard drugs in Amsterdam(not just marijuana like everyone thinks) but avoiding them isn't an issue. A lot of people also like to travel when going to Europe and I would say plan trips beforehand if you can ‐ tickets will usually be cheaper and you won't have to worry about planning later. Definitely get a museum card, even if you're not a museum person you will eventually go to the multiple world famous museums in Amsterdam. It's only 60 euro and you will save a lot of money and you can get in as many times as you want. I would also encourage exploration beyond the tourist centers ‐ the entire city is always infested with tourists, I think more so than most places, so it's hard to find non‐touristy places, but they do exist and Amsterdam is more than marijuana unlike what most people think. Also get a bike! I didn't and I regret it, you can get along without one but it's the best form of transportation there.

On Course recommendations: (Which course(s) that you completed abroad did you find most interesting/meaningful?)

• • Digital Anthropology and CISD

  • I thought Behaviour and the Brain was the most interesting because we looked at worldwide statistics, looked at the neuroscience behind it, and discussed the consequences of addiction and different opinions on treating it.

  • Sex Works: Anti‐Trafficking EU Anti‐Discriminatory Law Holocaust: History & Memory Digital Anthropology

  • I loved digital anthropology and sex work in the times of anti-trafficking

  • Sustainable development.

  • Intercultural communication and international relations from below. Intercultural communication was outside my major and I learned a lot about how culture is studied and categorized. Culture is a huge topic in history so it was a whole new perspective for me. International relations from below was a great experience because of how the class was taught. The discussions were always interesting because of the diversity in the class (unlike at U of I) and it also implemented studies from scholars of different academic backgrounds which was different for me.

  • The global health Minor and courses offered is very interesting and a great view on the topic.

  • Humanities courses that allowed for open dialogue with other students. Also, courses that are about the city I was in were fantastic!