Coronavirus - international admissions
We recognize that these are highly unusual times and understand that you may have concerns and questions about your upcoming start at Utrecht University. We are working hard to answer your questions and are committed to supporting you and ensuring that the admissions process continues as smoothly as possible. It is our intention to follow the normal application process, while allowing for flexibility where we can.
Applications for September 2020 are now closed. Below you will find the answers to frequently asked questions about admission and application in relation to coronavirus developments. This FAQ offers the answers (as far as possible) to the most frequently asked questions. The list will be updated continuously.
The deadline to meet the conditions of admission (such as sending hard copies) is 1 September 2020, with the exception of prospective Bachelor’s students applying for a limited enrolment programme. You can find the conditions of your admission and the relevant deadline and sending instructions in your letter of conditional acceptance.
The deadline certified hard copies of your final diploma and transcript is 31 August 2020. Your documents must have reached Utrecht University by this date. This is an extended deadline, and it also applies to you if your letter of conditional admission states 1 June 2020. Please see our After you apply page for more information on how to obtain a certified copy.
If you have already graduated, we strongly recommend you to send your certified hard copies as soon as possible. The sooner we receive these, the sooner you can receive your letter of unconditional admission.
If you are graduating in the summer of 2020 and your diploma will not be issued before 31 August 2020, please contact us at admissionsoffice@uu.nl.
The deadline to send the results of English proficiency tests or other additional exams was 1 June 2020. Unfortunately, it is not possible to extend this deadline. If you are a non-EU student and are intending on studying fully online during the first semester (with permission from your programme coordinator) and are not yet applying for a visa since you will only travel to Utrecht in 2021, you may submit your English test results until 31 August 2020.
Utrecht University is actively monitoring these developments, and we are aware of many exam sessions having been cancelled in the spring and summer of 2020. If you are able to graduate and will receive your diploma despite the cancellation of the exam session, this event will not have an impact on your eligibility. Therefore as long as you meet the conditions in your letter of admission (in a timely manner), you can be unconditionally admitted.
Do note that if you applied for a limited enrolment or selective programme, you will still need to be selected by your programme.
EU/EEA students have until 1 September 2020 to send us sufficient test results. As test centres are now reopening in many locations across Europe, we remain hopeful that it will be possible to take the necessary exams in time.
If you are a non-EU student and are intending on studying fully online during the first semester (with permission from your programme coordinator) and are not yet applying for a visa since you will only travel to Utrecht in 2021, you may submit your English test results until 31 August 2020.
If you were planning to take a TOEFL test, you can opt for taking the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition. We accept this test as an alternative to taking TOEFL in a test centre. Please check with ETS whether this test is available in your location.
Should circumstances change, we will review the situation again.
As the deadline for us to receive the certified copies is 31 August / 1 September 2020, we suggest you wait and keep in touch with your school about when they can make the certified copies for you. In case your school will not be able to open in time, we can also accept certified copies made by a public notary.
Please do not send us your original documents. All hardcopy documents that are sent to us become the property of Utrecht University, and we cannot guarantee that we can return them to you.
In accordance with the guidelines of the Dutch government, most of our staff will be working remotely until 1 September. This will unfortunately result in the slower processing of physical documents that are being sent to the office of International Student Admissions.
Regardless of this delay, we do advise you to send us the required documents as instructed in your letter of conditional admission. We will confirm their arrival as soon as possible.
The Dutch government has announced that the central exam component of the State Exams will be cancelled. Candidates will, however, still be able to take part in the so-called ‘college-exams’ and certificates will be awarded based on the results of this component. For more information, we suggest you contact DUO.
For the latest updates about courses and/or exams at Boswell Beta and CCVX please refer to their respective websites.
Our goal is to minimize study delay as much as possible for all our admitted students. If you are unable to travel to Utrecht due to travel or other restrictions, you may be able to start your programme online in the first semester and join us in Utrecht for the start of the second semester (1 February 2021). Please contact your programme coordinator in your faculty to explore this option.
You may also consider deferring your application to the next available start date of your programme. For limited enrolment and selective programmes please contact the coordinator of your programme to learn about possibilities for deferral. For other programmes please contact International Student Admissions for more information.
It is also possible to cancel your application completely. You can do this even if you have previously accepted the offer of admission in OSIRIS Online Application. Make sure that you cancel your application in Studielink before 1 September 2020. If you authorized a direct debit collection of the tuition fee, this will then also be cancelled automatically. In case you have already paid the tuition fees, we will refund this amount fully (provided you cancelled before 1 September 2020).
Please note that the application fee is non-refundable. However, if you defer your current application or submit a new one for the next academic year, you will not have to pay this fee again.
Utrecht University’s new academic year 2020-2021 starts on 31 August. You will then be able to start a bachelor's or master's programme or continue your current programme. We follow the instructions of the Dutch government and know that the measures taken due to the coronavirus have a major impact on education, but one thing we know for sure: your studies will continue, even during the corona crisis. Utrecht University plans to offer education online for those students who wish to start this academic year, but are not able to attend Utrecht University physically, because of travel restrictions or other difficulties caused by the corona pandemic. Thus, even if you cannot make it here by September 2020, you can start your programme online and join us on campus as soon as you are able to do so.
Study programmes will not be offering face-to-face matching activities this year. However, it is mandatory for all students (including internationals) who live in the Netherlands on 1 June 2020, to hand in an online matching form. Please visit our Matching information page for more details.
International students who will only move to the Netherlands after 1 June are still welcome to participate in online matching activities. See the above mentioned page for more information.
The university is working hard in these uncertain times to answer all relevant questions. If you have any specific questions about your application process, please contact admissionsoffice@uu.nl
The deadline to meet the conditions of admission (such as sending hard copies) is 1 September 2020. You can find the conditions of your admission and relevant sending instructions in your letter of conditional acceptance.
There are two deadlines that apply for the different conditions of admission.
The deadline certified hard copies of your final diploma and transcript is 31 August 2020. Your documents must have reached Utrecht University by this date. This is an extended deadline, and it also applies to you if your letter of conditional admission states 1 June 2020. Please see our After you apply page for more information on how to obtain a certified copy.
If you have already graduated, we strongly recommend you to send your certified hard copies as soon as possible. The sooner we receive these, the sooner you can receive your letter of unconditional admission.
The deadline to send the results of English proficiency tests or other additional exams was 1 June 2020. Unfortunately, it is not possible to extend this deadline. If you are a non-EU student and are intending on studying fully online during the first semester (with permission from your programme coordinator) and are not yet applying for a visa since you will only travel to Utrecht in 2021, you may submit your English test results until 31 August 2020.
Even if you are unsure whether you have the right documents or all of the required documents, make sure to submit your application as soon as possible and before the application deadline. We will then check if your application file is complete as it is. If we find that a document is missing from your application or does not meet the required standards, we will let you know by email and you will be able to upload a new document in OSIRIS Online Application.
You may also contact International Student Admissions at admissionsoffice@uu.nl for specific advice. Please be aware, however, that while we are working continuously to answer emails, there may unfortunately be some delays in our response due to the high number of applications and emails we are receiving at this time.
EU/EEA students have until 1 September 2020 to send us sufficient test results. As test centres are now reopening in many locations across Europe, we remain hopeful that it will be possible to take the necessary exams in time.
If you are a non-EU student and are intending on studying fully online during the first semester (with permission from your programme coordinator) and are not yet applying for a visa since you will only travel to Utrecht in 2021, you may submit your English test results until 31 August 2020.
If you were planning to take a TOEFL test, you can opt for taking the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition. We accept this test as an alternative to taking TOEFL in a test centre. Please check with ETS whether this test is available in your location.
Should circumstances change, we will review the situation again.
In accordance with the guidelines of the Dutch government, most of our staff will be working remotely until 1 September. This will unfortunately result in the slower processing of physical documents that are being sent to the office of International Student Admissions.
Regardless of this delay, we do advise you to send us the required documents as instructed in your letter of conditional admission. We will confirm their arrival as soon as possible.
As the deadline for us to receive the certified copies is 31 August / 1 September 2020, you may wait and keep in touch with your university about when they can make the certified copies for you.
If your school issues certified digital versions of diplomas and transcripts we can accept those instead of hard copies sent by post, as long as the digital documents can be verified online. Scans of your documents without a safe and reliable way to digitally verify them are not sufficient. You can find our guidelines and requirements on this page.
Alternatively, we can also accept certified copies made by a public notary.
Please do not send us your original documents. All hardcopy documents that are sent to us become the property of Utrecht University, and we cannot guarantee that we can return them to you.
Please visit the website of Utrecht Summer School for the latest updates.
In case your summer school course is cancelled, please contact your Graduate School to find out which consequences this has for your admissibility.
Our goal is to minimize study delay as much as possible for all our admitted students. If you are unable to travel to Utrecht due to travel or other restrictions, you may be able to start your programme online in the first semester and join us in Utrecht for the start of the second semester (1 February 2021). Please contact your programme coordinator in your faculty to explore this option.
You may also consider deferring your application to the next available start date of your programme. If you would like to defer your application, or you have further questions about a deferral, please contact the relevant Graduate School. You can find their contact details in your letter of conditional acceptance.
It is also possible to cancel your application completely. You can do this even if you have previously accepted the offer of admission in OSIRIS Online Application. Make sure that you cancel your application in Studielink before 1 September 2020. If you authorized a direct debit collection of the tuition fee, this will then also be cancelled automatically. In case you have already paid the tuition fees, we will refund this amount fully (provided you cancelled before 1 September 2020).
Please note that the application fee is non-refundable. However, if you defer your current application or submit a new one for the next academic year, you will not have to pay this fee again.
Utrecht University’s new academic year 2020-2021 starts on 31 August. You will then be able to start a bachelor's or master's programme or continue your current programme. We follow the instructions of the Dutch government and know that the measures taken due to the coronavirus have a major impact on education, but one thing we know for sure: your studies will continue, even during the corona crisis. Utrecht University plans to offer education online for those students who wish to start this academic year, but are not able to attend Utrecht University physically, because of travel restrictions or other difficulties caused by the corona pandemic. Thus, even if you cannot make it here by September 2020, you can start your programme online and join us on campus as soon as you are able to do so.
The university is working hard in these uncertain times to answer all relevant questions. If you have any specific questions about your application process, please contact admissionsoffice@uu.nl
The application procedures have been started up in the week of May 25, for non-EU/EEA students who have been (conditionally) admitted to an Utrecht University Bachelor or Master’s programme.
Please note that you must have accepted our offer, before the procedure can be started up for you. If you haven't yet confirmed your place in the programme, please do so urgently.
If you need a visa and/or residence permit to study in the Netherlands, the Visa Office will contact you directly with instructions and the process in May.
We cannot predict whether there will be any changes to matters such as travel regulations or the availability of Dutch embassies/consulates in affected areas. Should we become aware of precautions that can impact the visa/residence permit procedure, we will inform you.
If you need an MVV entry visa to travel to the Netherlands, we strongly recommend not to book your flight until you have received the MVV entry visa in your passport. This advice remains the same even if the processing times at the Dutch embassy/consulate are longer than customary due to the corona crisis.
If you do not need an MVV entry visa, we strongly recommend not to book your flight until we have informed you of a positive decision from the IND on your residence permit application, and the entry ban for non-essential travel to the Netherlands is lifted.
Before booking any flights, you should also check the latest travel policies of your own government for any restrictions about leaving (and returning to) your country. Be aware that as long as there are travel restrictions in place, the availability of flights to and from the Netherlands may be limited.
You will receive instructions on how to submit your visa application in May. All documents must be submitted and the necessary payments must be made for the Dutch Immigration Service (IND) to process your application. Therefore, please make sure you submit a complete digital application (including payment) as soon as possible as this will enable the Visa Office to submit your application with the IND.
We will notify you by email once the IND has informed us of their decision. This email will also include information on next steps, including scheduling an appointment at the embassy or consulate. We cannot predict whether changes will be made to travel regulations, the availability of Dutch embassies/consulates in affected areas and so on. The Visa Office will monitor this and inform you of any precautions that could affect this procedure. Be aware that there is no possibility for a visa refund once your visa application has been submitted to the IND.
It normally takes 2-5 weeks for the IND to process a visa application, however, this may take longer this summer due to the corona crisis.
Please already submit your digital application in Osiris in the meantime, so we can start checking your other documents. You may upload the Aon confirmation email as proof of insurance for now. Once your Aon Certificate is available, you can add it to your digital application.
No. There is currently no refund of the visa/residence permit application fee once the application has been submitted to the IND. If anything changes, students will be notified.
Yes, at this time you may enter the Netherlands with a valid MVV entry visa. The current travel restrictions do not apply to holders of a valid MVV.
Please note that the travel restrictions may be subject to change. Please visit the website of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the latest information on travel restrictions, before booking any flights. You should also check the latest travel policies of your own government for any restrictions about leaving (and returning to) your country. Be aware that as long as there are travel restrictions in place, the availability of flights to and from the Netherlands may be limited.
In response to the corona crisis, travel to the Netherlands may be restricted. Please visit the website of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the latest information on travel restrictions.
Before booking any flights, you should also check the latest travel policies of your own government for any restrictions about leaving (and returning to) your country. Be aware that as long as there are travel restrictions in place, the availability of flights to and from the Netherlands may be limited.
The university is working hard in these uncertain times to answer all relevant questions. If you have any specific questions about your application process, please contact admissionsoffice@uu.nl
All programmes for the academic year 2020-21 at Utrecht University will start as scheduled. To ensure student and staff safety we closely follow the regulations and instructions from the Dutch government. For this reason, for most degree programmes the first semester will be offered as a combination of online and on-campus education. Your programme coordinators are working hard to organise a feasible and attractive programme in this respect. You will hear more from them in the coming weeks, including more details about the activities planned on-campus and online.
If you are unable to travel to Utrecht due to travel or other restrictions, you can start your programme online in the first semester and join us in Utrecht for the start of the second semester (1st of February 2021). It’s too soon to oversee the full impact for those who cannot travel (yet). We will do our very best to minimize study delay.
If you require a visa / residence permit or if you require housing through UU you can only arrive in Utrecht at the beginning of the first semester or the beginning of the second semester.
Please consult the programme coordinator in your faculty or graduate school for further information.
The mode of education (on-campus/online) and travel difficulties do not affect our tuition fees or tuition fee payment deadlines. All tuition fees need to be paid according to the regular university regulations as outlined in your admission letter.