Social and Behavioural Sciences

Each year the FSBS International Office organises an information session about studying abroad in October. All undergraduate students receive an email in September with an invitation to the information session. 

The session mainly focuses on undergraduate students and will be held in Dutch. Attending this information session is an important first step in finding out how to study abroad.

More information on the sessions and registration on our Dutch website.

Overview of all destinations for Social and Behavioural Science students.

In order to register for an exchange, you must formulate a ‘studyplan’. Please use the correct format. Two things should be included in your studyplan:

1. A detailed plan for the continuation of your studies in Utrecht, including which components (required and elective courses) you still need to complete to finish your study. In this plan you must also include:
2. The period in which you will be abroad, which courses you will take while there and how many credits are assigned to these courses.

Fill in your study plan as completely and in as much detail as possible.

If you would like help in drawing up your study plan, you can consult your tutor or one of the student advisors. If you have trouble selecting courses abroad, you can seek advice from the International Office.

Please note: A signature on the Studyplan is not needed for students of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. You can upload the studyplan without a signature. 

Please note: It can be difficult to find information on courses at the partner university and it is often impossible to find out in advance exactly which courses will be offered. In that case, base your choice on the courses offered in the previous year or on the courses you are able to find. After all, completing your study plan is not a definitive choice of subjects but an initial orientation to the courses you want to take while abroad.

Motivation form

As part of your study abroad application you’ll need to complete a motivation form (docx). Follow the instructions in the motivation form and make sure to complete all components before uploading it in your Osiris exchange application.

For faculty destinations, selection will be done based on your entire application, including the Study Plan and the Motivation Form. We always start with the first choice. In the event of over-registration and equal suitability, selection will be based on drawing lots.

If your first choice is a university-wide destination, your application will be forwarded to the university-wide International Office. If they have more applications than available places, selection will be based on drawing lots.

When you go on exchange, you are required to add the courses you took abroad to your study programme. In doing so, you will need the formal approval of the Board of Examiners.

As soon as you are sure which courses you want to take, you can request this formal approval from the Board of Examiners, which will determine whether the courses are at a sufficient academic level (Bachelor’s/Master’s). The Board will also check whether there is (too much) overlap with other components of your programme. If there is too much overlap, both overlapping components cannot be counted towards your diploma.

It is advisable to submit a course component for approval just before you leave or just after you arrive at the exchange university. After all, your request may be denied and it would be very unfortunate to hear this after you’ve already taken the course. If something changes during your stay, you must once again submit your request for approval to the Board of Examiners.

How do I gain approval?

Take the following steps to complete your application via Osiris Case:

• Log in with your Solis ID on OSIRIS Student.

• Click on 'Affairs' and then on the “+” icon in the bottom right corner.

• Choose 'Internship, study abroad and Exchange'.

• Now choose the form 'Application for approval of foreign courses' and fill it in.

You will receive a message from the Board of Examiners within two weeks with a decision regarding the approval of the courses have been approved for the optional course profile, including a level determination (level 1,2,3).

Your programme may have special rules or may offer special programmes abroad, so always check the specific information on studying abroad for your programme. The websites for the programmes are all in Dutch.

• Academische lerarenopleiding primair onderwijs
• Interdisciplinaire Sociale Wetenschap
• Culturele Antropologie en Ontwikkelingssociologie
• Onderwijswetenschappen
• Pedagogische Wetenschappen
• Psychologie
• Sociologie

Note: This information is for Bachelor students only, because the study abroad exchange programmes are only open for Bachelor students. If you are a Master student and interested in going abroad, please check the students website of your own Master programme for more information about the possibilities.