University of Amsterdam

Areas of Study: UVA offers a wide selection of programs including Actuarial Science, Anthropology, Archaeology, Art, Asian Studies, Astronomy, Business, Development Studies, Dutch Studies, Economics, European Studies, Film Studies, Geography, Gender Studies (within Poli Sci), History, International Relations, Journalism, Law, Literature, Media & Communication Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, Software Engineering, Sports Psychology, Sustainability Studies (Future Planet Studies), Urban Studies, Water Management, and more.

Course listings can be found under each faculty's drop down on the course selection site, as courses primarily must be taken from one faculty. 

Course requirements:
In Europe, full-time course load is typically 30 ECTS (European credits) per semester, and exchange students at UvA are typically expected to take 30 credits per semester. 6 ECTS = 3 UCalgary units (1 half-course).
The amount of credits each course is worth corresponds to the workload/contact hours, and can vary from 1-30 ECTS per course, so please be mindful of this in your selection.

Please note that in the Netherlands, approx. 75% of your courses should be taken within the same faculty, with the other 25% either within that same faculty or one other faculty, if you meet the prerequisites. Please note which Faculty you plan to take the majority of your courses from in the Course Selection field of your online application. At UvA, only Law students or students that have completed their undergrad are eligible to take Master/Graduate level courses. 

For more information on the pre-semester language course and semester language course, please see the FAQs. 

Please talk with your academic advisor about which courses work for your degree.

The academic year is divided into 2 semesters. Each semester is comprised of 3 blocks - two 8 week blocks, and a 4 week one. 

• First semester runs from late August to late January. It is possible for UCalgary Law students to complete the first semester in December, as well as any students taking a full time course load in the first block of each semester (however housing contracts must be paid through the full semester as they are not able to be reduced/shortened), but all other students must stay through January.
• Second semester runs from early February to late June.

Housing is very tight in Amsterdam so it is crucial that students respond immediately to emails and deadlines set by the UvA Housing Office. Housing is all off-campus and is typically either shared or private student flats, depending on whether living closer in the city or in the residential outskirts. Room types may include shared rooms, private rooms with shared facilities, and/or private rooms with private facilities. Housing is done via a lottery system.

Rent will vary but can be expected to fall around €400 to €1000 per month, depending on room type. Housing application fees vary but for 1 semester: €245, and for full year exchanges:  €485. 

Contract periods for student housing are fixed for the duration of the signed lease agreement and run for almost the entire semester. In rare cases students will be asked to move out before the end of the semester (due to cleaning purposes for the next semester). If needed, students will be offered appropriate accommodation. Please note that it is not possible to shorten the contract if you decide to arrive late, or leave early before the end of the term.

UvA also provides advice for students who want to arrange their own housing on the private market.

This exchange is open to regular, full-time students in any faculty at UCalgary, who have completed at least 2 full years (20 courses) at the post-secondary level, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (B). 

For applicants from the UCalgary Faculty of Law, an academic reference letter is required. Please click here to view the reference letter guidelines & submission instructions. It must be submitted at the time of your application to UCalgary.

Do I have to speak Dutch? 

UvA offers many courses in English and so no prior knowledge of Dutch is required for this exchange.

Is there a pre-semester Dutch language program?

Each semester the Institute for Dutch Language Education (INTT) at the UvA offers intensive Dutch courses (non‐credit bearing) at a variety of levels, from absolute beginner to more advanced courses. While the course is not required, it is strongly recommended, and thus exchange students may apply for a reimbursement of the full €290 program cost upon completion of the course. Applications for the course go through the Office of International Student Affairs. The application form can be found on the INTT website.

Additionally, each semester the Faculty of Humanities and INTT offer a combined course (Netherlands 1 or 2), consisting of a Dutch language component and a culture and society component. The combined course is worth 12 ECTS (European Credits - 2 UCalgary half courses). The Dutch language component is not offered without the culture and society component. However, the Dutch Culture and Society component is offered separately in a 6 ECTS course. Registration for these two courses is handled by the academic advisor of your UvA host department once you have been admitted to UvA (not using the INTT application form).

What resources are available to new students?

UVA publishes an online magazine called "Start" with plenty of information on Dutch life for incoming students.

The local International Student Network, ISN Amsterdam, organizes a range of events and trips throughout the semester, including an introduction week, Dutch buddies, cultural sharing activities, and more.

Also make sure to check out the "Study in Holland" page for more information!

What accessibility resources are available? 

UVA provides comprehensive support to students with disabilities or chronic illness. 

For information on accessibility and support services of campuses across Europe, please check out Inclusive Mobility. For city-specific services and places in Europe, the Jaccede interactive platform (website and/or smartphone app - both Android and iOS) also provides a searchable user-built database to identify important accessibility information of public places and locations.