Study abroad
You can use (part of) the Electives to study abroad. Under certain conditions you can take courses abroad instead of a minor.
Always request approval!
You must always request approval from the Board of Examiners for the courses you are going to take abroad.
Options for going abroad
If you want to spend some time abroad for your studies, you can study abroad via an exchange programme. You will stay enrolled at Utrecht University and pay your tuition fees here.
You can choose between 2 types of destinations: faculty destinations (where you can study within your own study area) and university-wide destinations (where you can study other study areas). We collaborate with universities around the world.
If you do not want to study abroad for a whole semester, you can also opt to participate in a summer school abroad.
Deadline
The deadline for your application to study abroad is 1 December 2023.
Useful links
International Office Humanities on Instagram • Destinations • Study Abroad weeks • Study Plan • Motivation form • corona & exchange
You can prepare in different ways:
- In October, we presented 2 information sessions:
- The Study Abroad weeks: with workshops and information on the application procedure and how to choose a suitable destination.
- Until 1 December, we will also regularly send newsletters to those of you who attended the Study Abroad Weeks.
- Follow us on Instagram!
Choosing a destination
Our destination page has a list of all the places you can go. Use the following filters:
- All UU students
- Humanities
- Bachelor
Under Areas of study open to exchange students, you can see whether or not the destination is suitable for your programme. Also, check whether you meet the language requirements and whether you can take enough interesting subjects.
Conditions for going abroad
- During your exchange, you are enrolled as a full-time student at Utrecht University.
- You have completed at least 60 EC of your Bachelor before the start of your exchange.
- You must officially ask the Board of Examiners for approval for the courses you plan to take abroad, so that you can include them in your study programme.
Study Plan and motivation form
Once you have definitely decided that you want to go abroad, you have to fill in a Study Plan and a motivation form and have them approved:
- Study Plan: to apply for an exchange, you must draw up a study plan and have it approved by your study programme's contact abroad. As soon as you know which subjects you want to take, you can make an appointment with the Contact Person Abroad to look at your intended study plan and have it signed. It is often impossible to know for sure which courses will be offered during your exchange period. In that case, you can base your study plan on the information that is available at that moment.
- Motivation form: As part of your study abroad application at the Faculty of Humanities you have to complete a motivation form. Follow the instructions in the motivation form and make sure to complete all components before uploading it in your Osiris exchange application. The motivation form is an important part of the selection, especially if there are more applications than places.
For faculty destinations, we select on the basis of 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, we will draw lots for certain destinations.
If your first choice is a university-wide destination, we will forward your file to the university-wide International Office. If they have more applications than available places, selection will be based on drawing lots.
If there is overlap in your timetable at Utrecht and at your partner university, it is up to you to find a solution for this. The most convenient way is obviously to choose a university where you have no overlap in semesters.
Some possible solutions (but there is no guarantee that you can go abroad without study delay):
You are still abroad in semester 1 and have exams there, while block 3 starts again in Utrecht.
- Ask the partner university if you can take the exam in Utrecht. The International Office can arrange a room and supervision for this, provided you request this on time and the partner university also agrees.
- You can also ask the partner university if you can take the exam earlier or hand in the paper earlier. Make sure to talk about this with your partner university in time.
- Ask the course coordinators of the courses you will take in Block 3 whether it is possible to miss the beginning of the course or attend online, and make arrangements for possible additional assignments.
You still have courses in block 2 in Utrecht, while semester 2 abroad is already starting.
- Do not take courses in block 2 and make sure you gain the points you then miss in another way by taking additional courses in other blocks or abroad (this only works if you have no compulsory courses in the block before you go on exchange).
- Ask the course coordinators of the courses you take in block 2 whether it is possible to complete the course from abroad and make clear arrangements on how you can do this.
- If you get approval from your course coordinator to take a remote exam, you need to make sure that your partner university also gives approval, as they need to organise a room and supervision for this.
- Check with the partner university whether it is possible to start the exchange later (we do not recommend this, as it means you will also miss the introduction).
When you are selected for an exchange at a partner university and you have decided which courses you want to follow, you have to ask the Board of Examiners for approval of these courses, so that you can include them in your study programme. The Board of Examiners determines whether the courses are of sufficient academic level and verifies that they do not overlap with other courses in your program of study. You can submit the request for approval when you have been accepted to the partner university and you have enrolled in the courses. You do not need to ask for approval by the Board of Examiners of the courses stated on your study plan.
Approval
Are you planning to follow courses that are not part of your standard curriculum? Put in a request with the Board of Examiners to approve these courses, so that they can count toward your degree. Your can find your standard study programme in the Education and Examination Regulations.
Exemption
Have you completed master's courses or a master degree before you were registered as a student at Utrecht University? Or do you have relevant work experience? You may be eligible for exemption for some courses of your study programme.
Submitting a request
Log in in Osiris Student. Click on the arrow next to Cases in the top right-hand corner. You will see the My cases window. Then click on the button Start new case. Choose the type Request Board of Examiners and start the case. A new window will open. Make sure your pop-up blocker is turned off for the new window to open.
You can upload the necessary attachments in My Cases. You can upload the requested documents within the form. If uploading the document is not possible, you can hand it in at the Student Information Desk Humanities. State your student number and the application date on all documents.
When can you expect a decision?
The Board of Examiners decides on your request within six weeks from the date they have received your complete request. During the summer holidays (July and August) this period may be exceeded. You will receive the decision by e-mail and you will be able to see it in Osiris.
Questions?
If you have any questions regarding the decision, please contact the Humanities Student Desk.
Do you disagree with the decision?
If you disagree with the Board's decision you may submit a digital notice of appeal to the Examination Appeals Board of Utrecht University within 6 weeks of the day on which the decision was announced.
Put in a request for approval if you want to take courses that are not part of your standard study programme.
Courses within Utrecht University
Go to Osiris Student and submit your request (tab 'Cases'). State the courses that you wish to follow. Also indicate how you want to include these courses in your programme, e.g. as an elective, or instead of a compulsary course.
Courses from other Dutch or international universities
A request for approval of courses from other universities consists of two steps:
- Ask for approval prior to taking the course(s) you wish to follow.
- Upload course description(s), including information on the method(s) of assessment. The Board of Examiners will determine whether the courses are of sufficient academic level and verifies that they do not overlap with other courses in your study programme.
- After completion of the course(s), ask for registration of the obtained credits in Osiris by handing in your transcript listing the courses, grades and credits you have obtained. The Board of examiners only accepts original transcripts, certified copies, or digital transcripts that are emailed directly to Examensecretariaat.gw@uu.nl by the institution where you took the courses.
- A certified copy is a copy of the original transcript on which a stamp indicates that the copy is identical to the original. You can have a copy authenticated by the university that issued the transcript or by the Student Desk Humanities. In the latter case, bring the original transcript with you.
If you have taken different courses than those previously approved by the Board of Examiners, you must put in a new request for approval through Osiris > Case.
Translation to EC takes place on the basis of this conversion table and the information available on the transcript.
Please note that grades from foreign universities are not translated to the Dutch scale (1-10). Instead, they will be converted to the alphanumerical results Pass/Fail.
Exemption may be granted on the basis of credits accumulated before you were registered at Utrecht University, or on the basis of relevant work experience. The Board of Examiners will always assess wether you have fullfilled the learning goals of a specific course or part of the programme, before granting an exemption.
Previously accumulated credits
Go to Osiris Student and submit your request (tab 'Cases'). Hand in a certified transcript (= a list with the courses, grades and credits you have obtained) at the Student Desk, Drift 10. You can ask the Student Desk Humanities to certify a copy upon showing the original transcript and/or diploma. A scan or copy of a certified document will not be accepted.
Work experience
If your application for exemption is based on relevant work experience, upload a copy of your employment contract and a description of the relevant work experience. Depending on the course or component for which you are requesting an exemption, the Board of Examiners may ask for further documentation.
International Office Humanities
internationaloffice.hum@uu.nl. Please keep in mind that it can take up to 4 working days to receive a reply from us. Make sure you do not wait until the last moment when you want to get a document signed! Always mention your student number. | |
| Mailing address | Drift 10, 3512 BS Utrecht |
| Staff |
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| Walk-in office hours | Our front desk is open every Thursday from 11.00-12.00. |
| Appointment with an Exchange Coordinator | It is not possible to make an appointment at the moment. For questions, please email us at internationaloffice.hum@uu.nl |
For information about studying abroad and approval of your study plan, please contact dr. Mícheál O Flaithearta.