Deadlines

It is possible to apply for most Dutch undergraduate degrees  later than you would apply to British universities through the UCAS process.

Admissions for September 2017 opened on 1st October 2016 and will usually remain open right up until term starts. However, this is not true for all courses and particularly those where there are Numerus Fixus or other restrictions.

The first deadline for subjects such as medicine and other highly competitive subjects is usually on or around 15th January. This would also be the latest date to apply to some of the university colleges.

For degrees at research universities, the deadline for applying is usually 1st May if you have EU citizenship. It is typically a month earlier if you don't. For degrees at Universities of Applied Sciences you can often apply right up until 1st August although you do need to be registered with a Studielink account before 1st May. You can change your mind about the courses you wish to apply to at any time up until the deadlines mentioned but you will lose any offers you might have received if you do so.

In the past it has been possible to get students into courses even after these deadlines; in some cases students have been able to switch to a Dutch university during the clearing process in August. However, we do not recommend this as it can be difficult and there will inevitably be complications relating to accommodation and settling in. It is further complicated by the fact that the Dutch academic year typically starts in the first week of September which does not fit in particularly well with the English timetable for exam results and university entrance. In the worst case scenario, it may be possible but it would not be sensible to rely on there being availability at such a late stage.

Some courses have multiple entry points throughout the year. For example, it may be possible to start some courses in February at the beginning of the spring semester although there are very few English-taught courses where this is possible. Please contact the individual university to receive more information about deadlines for spring semester entry.