About
The University of Amsterdam (UvA) is a public university located in Amsterdam, the capital of The Netherlands. Founded in 1632 and becoming a national university in 1961, UvA has a long and prestigious history, interwoven within Amsterdam, its founding city. Discover more about UvA’s history here.
Almost four centuries after its founding, UvA has grown to over 34,000 students, 6,000 staff and over a hundred different nationalities. It’s current ethos focusses on fostering a curious and open mind among students, and creating a sustainable future. This includes investing in digitalisation, infrastructure and innovative teaching techniques to increase student interaction and learning accessebility.
Consult UvA on QS World Rankings to learn more about their current world ranking and academic reputation in different subject areas.
Location
UvA has four open campuses integrated within the city. These are divided by faculty.
- Roeterseiland Campus: Social Sciences
- City Centre Campus: Arts
- Amsterdam Science Park Campus: Science
- Amsterdam UMC: Medical Sciences
Queen Mary students attending UvA on exchange will be based in the City Centre Campus.
Learn more about the UvA campuses with their Campus Tour App.
Level of competitiveness
This destination is only open to students in the School of English and Drama.
Very competitive ***
The level of competitiveness (Less competitive * / Competitive ** / Very competitive ***) refers to one's chances of being allocated an exchange space at this partner. This is an approximation determined by the number of applications received for this destination during the last academic year versus the total number of exchange spaces available to Queen Mary students.
Language of Instruction
All courses as part of the School of English and Drama agreement will be taught in English.
Around 90% of Dutch people speak English – Amsterdam is a particularly popular city for travel, so you should have little to no problems navigating the city in English. However, it would still be useful to learn some basic Dutch. UvA offers Dutch language courses for students at the Institute for Dutch Language Education (INTT) at a range of levels. These courses focus on practical communication and immersive learning, as well as providing an introduction to Dutch culture.
Academic Calendar
Consult UvA’s full academic calendar.
Semester One: September – February
Semester Two: February - July
UvA have a busy week-long orientation program for incoming exchange students, held in late August. They also have one-off social events for exchange students held on a regular basis.
The Faculty of Humanities also holds faculty-specific orientation events for exchange students – this will be communicated to incoming students directly.
Courses
All students must take courses within the Faculty of Humanities.
Courses for Bachelor students can be found here.
Courses for Masters students can be found here.
Students should prepare a second choice of course as attendance on their first choice cannot be guaranteed if numbers are high. Placement is generally not confirmed until just before the start of the semester.
Restrictions
This destination is only open to students in the School of English and Drama.
Credits
Students must enroll on a full courseload: 30 ECTS per semester / 60 ECTS for the full academic year (equivalent to 60 Queen Mary credits per semester / 120 Queen Mary credits for the full academic year). 1 ECT equates approximately to 28 working hours.
Most courses at UvA are worth 6 or 12 ECTS.
Grading
The Dutch grading scale ranges from 1 to 10. Generally, a 5.5 is considered a passing grade.
UvA grading scale:
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8.5 - 10
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excellent
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7.5 - 8.4
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good
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6.5 - 7.4
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satisfactory
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5.5 - 6.4
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sufficient
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1.0 - 5.4
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fail
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Read more about grading at UvA.
Queen Mary student feedback
Blog posts on Queen Mary Global Bloggers
Emily in the Netherlands (different host institution, but relevant to the city)
Amsterdam is a vibrant and beautiful city, steeped in history. The city is famous for its elaborate canal system and brightly coloured narrow houses with gabled facades. The city has a long artistic heritage that is still upheld today – Amsterdam’s Museum district houses the Van Gogh Museum, works by Rembrandt and Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum, and modern art at the Stedelijk. It is an interesting place to live with endless amounts to do. UvA describes it as a ‘capital city with a small-town feel’, particularly noting its reputation for safety and public facilities.
Accommodation
UvA warns that the housing situation in Amsterdam is extremely challenging, with affordable housing being scarce. UvA advises students should not come to Amsterdam for their studies unless they have secured proper housing.
UvA has a small number of university-owned rooms for students available. The alternative option is to rent independently.
UvA Housing
UvA has reserved a number of rooms with reliable housing providers in the Amsterdam area; enough to accommodate roughly half of incoming international students each year. They encourage students to apply to Uva *and* search for independent housing at the same time; months in advance of arrival.
The window to apply for UvA housing is extremely limited - usually a little over a week. The first application window is within the month of November. Students who apply are entered into a lottery, although certain students (eg. Students on certain scholarships) will be prioritised. Read more about applying for housing with UvA.
The Application Procedure:
Students considered eligible for student housing will receive an email with the link to the application form 1-2 days before the application starting date. If a student hasn’t yet received their UvA offer, they may receive this email after the start of the application period (the application deadline will remain the same). Students must also pay the one-off UvA housing fee (between 200 and 400 Euro), which will be refunded if no accommodation could be offered or if the application was withdrawn before a housing offer was made.
Please note this email may be sent to students’ UvA email address, if they have one.
INDEPENDENT HOUSING
UvA regularly updates their independent housing webpage with guides and services aimed at helping students find accommodation in Amsterdam. Like many cities, housing is more common and affordable the further away from the city centre you are; UvA recommends students consider renting in nearby towns like Diemen, Zaandam, Almere, Purmerend, Haarlem and Hoofddorp. UvA have also provided a useful webinar about finding accommodation in Amsterdam. Watch the recording here.
UvA highly recommends the ESN – Erasmus Student Network (also helpful for non-Erasmus students) as the place for students to start their accommodation search. ESN have compiled a list of Facebook groups and housing websites, including lesser-known housing alternatives, such as short-stay accommodation and rooms swaps for students travelling internationally. Visit the ESN webpage.
ASVA (Amsterdam student union) provides information and advice for students searching for a room and can act as the intermediary between students and landlords. They also run a Facebook group for students searching for rooms. Learn more about what they can offer.
Please note: Housing scams are common in Amsterdam. Students should be on their guard for offers that sound too good to be true, request large sums up front, or are vague or non-responsive. UvA recommends this municipal webpage as a comprehensive guide to avoiding housing scams.
Important: Finding and safely securing private accommodation in Amsterdam is competitive and challenging, given the high student population and finite number of private rental offerings. Queen Mary students are advised to follow the partner's guidance as soon as possible to begin their accommodation search safely and without delay, following their nomination to the partner. Read this information page by UvA about accommodation options and searching.
Cost of living
The University of Amsterdam provides information on the cost of living as a student here. You can find more general, up-to-date information about the cost of living in Amsterdam here.
Please consult the estimated minimum and maximum cost of living figures for this destination country available in our “Estimated Costs of Living” document available on our Finance page.
Support services
UvA has a good range of student support services, including student counsellors, careers advisors, and a central student service desk. Find the landing page for all support services here.
Activities and Societies
The Erasmus Student Network (ESN) - which is also open to non-Erasmus students – organises cultural and social activities for international students in Amsterdam. These include day trips to famous Dutch landmarks, Dutch lessons, celebrations around Dutch national holidays and a variety of interesting lectures. There is also a weekly drink in a bar and a big party three times a semester. They also run a buddy system, pairing new students with those established in Amsterdam to exchange cultures and introduce them to the city. Find an overview of ESN here or visit their website to find out more.
Student Societies
There are a number of student societies at UvA over a wide range of fields and interest. These include identity-based societies (Eg. LGBTQ, Ethno-cultural, religious), subject-based academic societies, social engagement groups and general interest. Find the full list of societies, broken down into themes and faculties, on this webpage.
The SSA (Studenten Sport Amsterdam) manages sports societies within the university and city, from amateur to tournament level. Find an overview here or visit their website to find out more.
