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How to apply

Great that you are interested in our summer school! We kindly ask you for a bit more patience as we are still working on our 2021 programme. In December we will open for applications!. Would you like to receive a notification? Please send us your contact details by email. 


Did you find an online course of your interest? Great! You can submit your application through our online application form before 15 June 2020, 23.59 CET. When completing the form, you will immediately be transferred to a payment page in order to complete your application. If you want to apply for both sessions, you only need to fill out the form once. In the online application form you will be asked to provide the following two documents (no larger than 1 MB per document):

  • Curriculum Vitae/Résumé
  • Transcript of records (a print screen of your most recent grades is sufficient and needs to include your name and the name of your University)

The documents will be shared with the professors before the start of the course. If you have any questions regarding the procedure or anything else, let us know at [email protected]. We respond quickly. Your admission will be definite once we have reviewed your application on the basis of the entry requirements, availability in the courses, and once we have received your payment.

Before applying make sure to read the General Terms and Conditions.


Courses are taught at Bachelor, Advanced Bachelor and Master level, and are suitable for students as well as for PhD staff and professionals. Some courses are offered at both Bachelor and Master level. While submitting your application you are able to select the level. 

The following entry requirements are set: 

  • Bachelor: at least enrolled in 1st year of Bachelor studies 
  • Advanced Bachelor: at least enrolled in 2nd year of Bachelor studies 
  • Master: at least enrolled in final year of Bachelor studies - professionals need to have a Bachelor diploma

Individual courses may have their own entry requirements, please check the course descriptions. If you are having doubts about your academic level then please contact us via [email protected]. 

*If on the basis of the provided documents doubts remain about the academic level of the student, the VU Amsterdam Summer School reserves the right to ask for additional documents and/or a telephone/Skype interview.


It is not necessary to provide us with proof of your English. We do expect your English to be sufficient to understand classes and course literature. This means you should have at least a B2 level of English, as developed within the Common European Framework of References for Languages (CEFR). This is comparable to a Toefl internet test with a score of 92, or an IELTS score of 6.5.

Not sure if you need a visa? Visit this website of the government of The Netherlands. If you are not required to apply for an entry visa, you are free to enter and stay in The Netherlands and most other European Union countries for up to 90 days. If you do require an entry visa, you should apply and handing in a visa application form to the Dutch embassy or consulate in your country. After you have paid for your course, you can request an official letter of acceptance.

We always give a 100% refund in case you visa gets rejected. In order to refund you the paid fees, we do require a copy of the rejection letter issued by the embassy. Please be aware it’s your own responsibility to make a visa appointment in time! Enquire with your local embassy if it is possible to finalize your application well in time before the start of your course. When time constraints are the reason for not obtaining a visa, we follow our normal cancellation policy (see below).

If you have been accepted to VU Amsterdam Summer School and have paid the tuition fee, but due to unforeseen circumstances need to cancel, the following refunds will be given: 
  • Cancellation before 1 May: 100% of total fee will be refunded
  • Cancellation before 1 June: 50% of total fee will be refunded
  • Cancellation after 1 June: no refund will be given