Information for refugee students

Prospective students with prior education obtained outside of the Netherlands normally pay an application fee.If you are a status holder with a Dutch asylum residence permit you do not have to pay this application fee when you apply for a degree programme.

A bachelor's degree from a Dutch university can give direct admission if its study programme matches your Master of interest and you have followed the right courses. Master's programmes may have a strict selection procedure.

Do you have a foreign degree? Then International Student Admissions will check whether you can be admitted. They do this by checking whether your degree is at least equivalent to a Dutch bachelor's degree and by checking whether your study background matches the Master’s programme. After their assessment, your application goes to the Graduate School who, upon reviewing all the information, will make a final decision regarding admission into the programme. 

Are you still in the process of civic integration? Then you can sometimes apply for a free diploma evaluation through the IDW (International Credential Evaluation). However, the final decision regarding admission into the programme lies with International Students Admissions. In addition to the IDW’s degree evaluation, they also take your exact educational background into consideration.

In order for you to enroll in a Dutch-taught master’s programme, you must be proficient in both Dutch and English at a specific level. With a Dutch bachelor diploma, you do not need to submit proof of language proficiency. 

Do you have a foreign diploma? Then you must be able to prove that your Dutch and English are good enough.

Dutch language proficiency requirements
All programs accept the following proof of Dutch language proficiency:

• NT2, programme 2 (Dutch as a second language, level 2).
  This test is administered by DUO, the executive agency of the Dutch Ministry of Education. You are advised to register with DUO as soon as possible. 
• Certificate Dutch as a Foreign Language: 'Educatief Professioneel' or 'Educatief Startbekwaam'.

If Dutch is your native language but you do not have a Dutch degree, please contact International Student Admissions for more information.
You can find the specific requirements for each programme under 'Admission and Enrollment' on the specific programme pages.

English language proficiency requirements
All programmes accept proof of English language proficiency from IELTS, TOEFL, and Cambridge. Minimum scores vary by programme. You can find the specific requirements for each master programme under 'Admission and Enrollment' on the specific programme pages.

To enroll into an English-taught master's programme, you must be proficient in English. With a Dutch bachelor’s degree, you do not need to submit proof of language proficiency.

Do you have a foreign diploma? Then you have to prove that your English is good enough, unless you meet one of the exceptions. For instance, if you have an International Baccalaureate degree or if you obtained your prior education in a country where English is the official language. You can find the exceptions on the specific programme pages under 'Admission and enrollment'.

All programmes accept proof of English proficiency from IELTS, TOEFL, and Cambridge.  You can find the specific requirements for each programme under 'Admission and Enrollment' on the specific programme pages.

You can be rejected for a Master's programme for several reasons. For example, if your diploma does not (completely) meet the requirements or if your language proficiency is not sufficient.

Conditional admission
Sometimes you may receive a conditional admission, meaning that you still need to meet an additional requirement before you can start your studies. For example, you might receive conditional admission if you have not yet submitted a language diploma. In that case, you will have some time to take a language exam and submit your diploma. If you don't pass the language exam in time, you are not allowed to start your studies.

Pre-Master's Programmes
Sometimes students with a foreign bachelor's diploma must first complete a pre-master's programme before they are admitted to a master's programme at UU. For instance, when pursuing a master's programme that is not directly aligned with their bachelor's programme. Or when you foreign bachelor diploma is not equivalent to a Dutch bachelor diploma.

A pre-master's programme lasts up to 1 year and consists of various bachelor courses. The admission committee of the master's programme determines whether you are eligible for a pre-master, and what it should include. They will consider your specific academic background and put together a pre-master programme based on that.

A pre-master is tailored for a specific master's programme. Therefore, you do not receive a university bachelor's diploma after completing your pre-master. It also does not automatically grant you access to other master's programmes. Not all master's programmes offer a pre-master, so always check the information page of the master's programme to see if this is the case.

Here is an overview of programmes with pre-masters.
Note: Some pre-masters can only be taken in Dutch.

If you have questions about admission to or content of a pre-master, you can contact the programme coordinator. The contact details can be found on the information page of the master's programme under 'Contact.'

Rejected: now what?
In some cases you cannot follow a pre-master’s programme. For example, when you are missing too many courses to reach the right academic level through a pre-master’s programme. In that case, unfortunately, you will not be admitted to the programme.
Sometimes you can be rejected for one master programme, but accepted for another that better suits your academic background. And sometimes you can follow a master programme at HBO-level, such as at the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences.