FAQ

After the faculty has received the nomination by your home university, you will receive a link to our online application by email. This email will also include instructions on how to apply. See also this page.

• application deadline for the autumn semester is: 15 April
• application deadline for the spring semester is: 15 September

See also this page.

You cannot apply as an exchange student if your university doesn’t have a partnership agreement with Utrecht University. In such a case, you can apply as a visiting student. For more information, contact the International Office Geosciences.

The Utrecht University website offers you information about housing, visa / residence permit and health insurance. Also check out Preparation and arrival.

During your stay in Utrecht you can expect to spend € 800 to € 1,200 a month on living expenses. You’ll find an overview here.

• Semester 1 (Autumn) starts in the first week of September (starting with a mandatory orientation by the faculty and university) and ends on 31  January.  
• Semester 2 (Spring) starts the first week of February (starting with a mandatory orientation by the faculty and university) and ends on 30 June.

Also check out the academic calendar.

All students who are enrolled at Utrecht University receive a digital student card. You will find this in the My-UU app. More information about the digital student card can be found here.

If you know that you will have to leave Utrecht before the end of the semester – for instance, because you have an overlap with your home university’s programme – you should mention this in your application form. The International Office Geosciences will contact the course coordinators for you and inform them. At the beginning of your course(s), you too must talk to the course coordinator to make arrangements for completing your last course(s) before your early eixt. Several options may be open, such as testing your acquired knowledge in another way, passing the course for a reduced number of credits, or taking a home exam/assignment.

You do not have to enrol for courses yourself: the International Office Geosciences will enrol you in the courses. 

The majority of your courses should be at the Faculty of Geosciences, but it is possible to take a few courses at another faculty. Please note that other faculties have other enrolment periods, so you should inform the International Office Geosciences of your wishes when applying.

Each course has a different set of assessments, which may include essays, practicals, exams, group and individual work. You’ll find this information for each course in the Course Catalogue. Also check out the general information about marks and credits.

You’ll find the course schedules here, at the latest two weeks before the course period begins. Courses that are missing in the overview have not been published yet. More information on the courses will be provided on Blackboard (see icon at the bottom of this page).

The International Office Geosciences can’t unfortunately facilitate theses, research projects or internships for exchange students. This does not mean, however, that such projects are out of the question, but you will have to arrange for them yourself by contacting the lecturers directly. Please note that supervising exchange students for such projects is not part of the lecturers’ professional responsibilities, so they usually give them low priority, which means you might get “no” for an answer. Note also that your home university will always be responsible for the final assessment of your project.

Please contact the International Office Geosciences: international.geo@uu.nl.