Orientation
You will meet your fellow students and your tutor during the orientation. You will also receive information about all sorts of practical matters, such as ICT, academic supervision and the binding recommendation regarding the continuation of studies.
Dear student,
It is our pleasure to inform you that you have been (un)conditionally admitted to our Bachelor’s programme in Literary Studies. Congratulations!
Utrecht University is closely following national and international developments pertaining to the corona virus. On Utrecht University’s corona webpage, you will find an overview of the course information with respect to the corona virus. In addition, the Faculty of Humanities provides updates on the Humanities corona webpage.
We would like to invite you to the programme’s orientation days in the first week of September 2022, during which we hope to make you feel as welcome as possible. By mid-July you will receive more detailed information. International students will also receive an invitation for the UU Warm Welcome. During orientation you will get to know our teachers, your fellow students and our study society Euphorion and its activities. For now, you can take a look at our page for new students. The Euphorion website and Facebook page also provide glimpses of the many activities they organize.
Getting up to speed
You will be informed about the required readings for your classes in block 1 in due course, but if you would like to do some reading during the summer months, we recommend the following books:
- The Life of Texts
Brillenburg Wurth, Kiene and Rigney, Ann, Amsterdam University Press, 2019
[NB: This is available as an e-Book at the UU library]
- Homer, The Odyssey, translated by E.V. Rieu, Penguin Classics 2009
- Vergil, Aeneid, Penguin Classics or other recent edition
- Ali Smith, Spring, Penguin Books, 2019; a later edition is also fine
For international students
- Check our Welcome to Utrecht website for practical information on your arrival, housing and student life in Utrecht.
- In spring and summer, Utrecht University will be hosting several pre-departure meetings online. These meetings are for all our future students and will help you prepare for your stay abroad, providing you with practical information about life in Utrecht and The Netherlands. You will receive an invitation.
- Want to connect with your future classmates? Check out the Goin’ App to get to know peers and experience the UU community before your arrival.
Are you not joining us?
Have you decided not to join our programme in September? That’s very unfortunate! Would you be so kind to help us and yourself by cancelling your application in Studielink?
Students with special needs
If you have a disability, such as dyslexia, that may affect your study progress or your access to our education, you can apply for special facilities and support.
You can apply for practical provisions via Osiris Student from July 1. Please also make an appointment with your study advisor. If you cannot log in to Osiris Student yet, make an appointment with your study advisor anyway. Any information you provide will remain confidential.
Questions?
Should you have any questions concerning the application procedure please contact the Student Desk (if you have a Dutch educational background) or our Admissions Office (if you have a non-Dutch educational background). If you have any questions concerning the programme please contact B.Bagchi@uu.nl and P.A.L.Bijl@uu.nl.
We wish you a good summer and look forward to meeting you in September!
Kind regards,
Dr. Barnita Bagchi
Programme coordinator BA Literary Studies
Utrecht University
Dr. Paul Bijl
Programme coordinator BA Literary Studies 2022-23
Utrecht University
These are the books you need for the courses in block 1 and 2:
o M. de Pourcq & S. Levie, European Literary History: an Introduction. Routledge, 2018
o W. Ong, Orality and Literacy. The technologizing of the Word. Routledge, 2012
o Homer, The Odyssey (tr. E.V. Rieu), Penguin Classic
o Virgil, The Aeneid (tr. D. West), Penguin Classic
o Beowulf, tr. J.J.R. Tolkien. Harpercollins, 2015
o Chrétien de Troyes, Yvain or the Knight with the lion, tr. W.W. Kibler, in Chrétien de Troyes, Arthurian romances. Penguin Classic.
The BSA at the end of the first year determines whether you may continue with your studies. The BSA is a decision by the Board of Examiners about the continuation of your studies, based on your study progress.
Due to the corona crisis, the BSA standard for the 2021-2022 academic year has been lowered from 45 EC to 37.5 EC. This also applies to students who previously received a deferred BSA.
The BSA this year is determined as follows:
- positive BSA: at least 37,5 EC at the end of the academic year. Credits associated with exemptions or courses from previous years do not count.
- negative BSA: less than 37,5 EC at the end of the academic year.
You will also receive a positive BSA if you have completed the first-year program of your study at the end of this year. Both previously obtained results and exemptions are taken into account.
You will receive your BSA at the end of July at your students.uu.nl e-mailadress.
Negative BSA
If your binding study recommendation comes back negative, you may not enrol in the degree programme again for another four years.
Interim study recommendation
At an earlier point during the academic year, you will receive what is called the 'interim study recommendation'. This recommendation is not binding. It is issued in December or January of the first year of study, and is based on the results of the first study period. You will receive:
- a positive interim recommendation for 15 EC or more;
- a progress warning for 7.5 EC;
- a negative interim recommendation for 0 EC.
Terminating your enrolment before February 1st
If you want to drop out of your current degree programme and you terminate your enrolment before February 1st (through Studielink), you will not receive a binding study advice and will be able to make a fresh start with the degree programme next year. Please note that this only applies in the first year that you are registered for your current degree programme.
Students who receive a warning or a negative recommendation are advised to contact their tutor and/or Study Advisor. The tutor can provide additional information on study progress. The Study Advisor can help with a wide range of questions on faculty regulations and the more organisational aspects of the programme, such as drawing up a realistic study plan. Students can also make an appointment to see the Study Advisor to discuss any personal or social circumstances that affect their studies.
Stopping your degree programme
Students who wish to cease their studies (or who must do so following a negative BSA) are advised to discuss the matter with the Study Advisor. The Study Advisor can also provide information on options for studying something else at Utrecht University, or studying at a different institution.
If you know (or suspect) that you will not be able to meet the BSA criteria due to personal circumstances, you may ask the Board of Examiners to take this into consideration when making their decision. However, it is important that you report and present evidence of these circumstances to the Study Advisor as soon as possible after they appear.
Special circumstances include:
- illness
- pregnancy
- functional disorder
- serious family circumstances
- top-level sport
- management activities (for student organisations with full legal capacity, or as part of the organisation or management of Utrecht University, the faculty or the study programme)
Notifying the Board of Examiners
Further information on how to notify the Board of Examiners will follow in May 2023. Interviews with the Board of Examiners will take place in late June or early July 2023.
More information
Read more about the binding study advice (BSA) and special circumstances in Article 7.4 of the General Education and Examination Regulations for Bachelor's degree programmes.