- It evolved from the Athenaeum Illustre (1632)
- 28,000+ students, 5,000 staff
- Ranks among the largest comprehensive universities in Europe
- One of the world’s intellectual hubs
- It belongs to the League of European Research Universities and maintains intensive contact with universities all over the world
- Firmly rooted in the city of Amsterdam
- Consistently ranked among the world’s best universities in global rankings
Visa + Requirements|Travel advice + advisories
Partner university’s areas of study
- Language assessment is required if enrolling in Dutch coursework
Eligibility and Timing
Terms Offered
Who can go?
- Students must have a minimum cumulative average of 75% and be entering their third year or above when starting their exchange at UvA (i.e. Arts students may not apply in their first year)
- Non-native speakers of English should provide proof of proficiency in the English language by means of a TOEFL, an IELTS or a CAE test report. Check the English language scorecard requirements stated in the Course and Faculty Criteria available under Language Requirement
- Exchange students must take courses from within their assigned department/Faculty
- It's recommended to review the UvA faculty criteria. Find the updated PDF on their website under Entry Requirements.
- Additional information can be found on our page under "Courses + Transfer Credits" --> "Course information and restrictions
Term Dates
- Semester 1: Early September to Late December
- Semester 2: Early February to Late June
See the UvA Academic Calendar.
Timing
- Commerce: When applying to Go Global, UBC-V Commerce students must select 'University of Amsterdam-COMM' on their application
- The semesters are divided in blocks of 8 + 8 + 4 weeks: with proper planning and flexibility in choosing courses, students can complete 30 ECTS (fulltime semester course load) in the first two periods, making the last period of 4 weeks optional (January and June)
- Students selecting to study at the Amsterdam University College can return to UBC in time for Term 2 as many courses are offered within the first blocks of the semester
Credits
Course equivalency formula
- ECTS credits divided by 2 = UBC credits (i.e. 30 ECTS = 15 UBC credits)
Credit transfer process
The transfer credit process takes approximately 16 weeks following each submission deadline. You should allow sufficient time to meet important deadlines that may affect you (e.g. application for graduation, registration in courses that require prerequisites that you took on exchange, entry to a major/honours program, etc.)
For more information about Go Global transfer credit
Grading scheme
- 8 - 10 = excellent
- 7.5 - 8 = very good
- 7 - 7.5 = good
- 6 - 7 = satisfactory
- 5.5 - 6 = sufficient
- less than 5.5 = fail
Passing grade
5.5Course Information
* Students who have special requirements or require academic accommodation should contact a Go Global advisor regarding their needs at least six weeks prior to the application deadline.
Type of Go Global Experiences
Course information and restrictions
- Exchange students can only be registered at one academic department at UvA, and must select courses from within that department. Exchange students are expected to take courses from within their assigned department/faculty. Taking one or two courses in other faculties may be possible and will be considered on a case-by-case basis after acceptance.
- Once students are accepted by the University of Amsterdam, they can choose to enroll in the Amsterdam University College (AUC), a joint institute for the UvA
- The AUC's Liberal Arts and Science programs are taught in English
- As of Spring 2019, the Interdisciplinary study programme PPLE (Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics) is now also open to inbound global exchange students
- Students must select a faculty to study within while at Amsterdam. The options are:
- Humanities (requires min 30 UBC credits completed in humanities areas like history, philosophy, culture, languages, literature, etc before going on exchange)
- Social Sciences (requires min 30 UBC credits completed in social sciences areas like political science, sociology, economics, etc before going on exchange)
- Psychology (requires min 30 UBC credits completed in PSYC before going on exchange)
- Economics and Business (all UBC Commerce students must choose this option)
- Science (requires min 30 UBC credits completed in Science areas before going on exchange)
- Amsterdam University College (general arts & sciences)
Full course load information
- 30 ECTS credits per semester
Transfer Credits And Equivalent Courses At This University
Check out the courses that previous students have transferred back to UBC in the last 5 years using our Course Search Tool. If you don't see a particular course you listed, it simply means you need to submit it as a new course request through the Transfer Credit Portal while on your Go Global experience. For more information, please visit the Go Global Transfer Credit webpage.
Exchange Tuition
- 15 credits or equivalent full-time program fee per term, paid to UBC
- Some exceptions may apply
Scholarships and awards
The Go Global Award $1000
All students accepted to Go Global for Exchange, Research Abroad, or Study Abroad travel programs are automatically considered for this award. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you'll be notified of your award after you're accepted to Go Global and after you get nominated to apply to the partner university.
Additional Awards
Students who are eligible for awards may receive one UBC or UBC-affiliated international learning award. If you're eligible, you are always offered the highest-value award. Unless stated otherwise, you need to meet eligibility criteria set out by the University Senate regarding awards.
Check out international learning awards and eligibility.
Information for US students:
If you are a student from the United States, please check the US Department of Education Lookup Tool to ensure that any partner institution you wish to attend on Exchange is Title IV ‘eligible’ for Federal Student Aid for the year in which you intend to study there. For institutions outside of the US, select “Foreign Country” from the “State” dropdown menu.
If you attend an eligible institution, then you may receive Title IV federal student loans while on Exchange.
If you attend an ineligible institution:
- You will not be eligible for US federal student loans,
- You may invalidate any US student aid you have previously received for your studies at UBC,
- You may be required to immediately begin repaying your US student loans, and
- You may not be eligible for any future US student aid for the remainder of your studies at UBC.
Additional Fees
Students are required to obtain additional medical insurance from UvA to meet Dutch immigration requirements. Please see www.uva.nl/insurance.
Housing notes
- The UvA offers accommodation for exchange students who submit an application for housing before the deadline, subject to availability. Note that assignment of housing space is allocated through a lottery system and is not guaranteed.
- Successful candidates will receive an offer 2 months before the start of the semester.
- Costs per month vary based on the type of accommodation you receive
- More information on living expenses can be found here