Study abroad

For this you will use the form concerning the inclusion of courses taken abroad. In this form you can also find the conditions that these courses taken abroad need to meet. Please read this carefully.

You should email:

• The form concerning the inclusion of courses taken abroad
• Links to all the course descriptions
• A link to the webpage stating the creditsystem of the foreign university
• A link to the webpage stating the grading system of the foreign university

To Examencommissie.rechten@uu.nl

Using all this information combined with your official Transcript of Records, the Board of Examiners can process your courses taken abroad and your results.

The official regulations concerning electives can be found in the Education and Examination Regulations (EER)

Master’s student: you ask permission through sending in the form (including course descriptions) to the Board of Examiners before you leave to go abroad.

The official regulations concerning electives can be found in the Education and Examination Regulations (EER)

What is the difference between the study plan and the form concerning the inclusion of courses taken abroad?

The study plan is part of the registration procedure for your exchange. You think about what you want to do and you discuss this planning with the study advisor. This happens during the selection phase. No rights with relation to the inclusion of certain courses can be derived from this study plan.Therefore. the study plan is not the definitive list of courses nor official confirmation of approval for these courses. 

Using the form concerning the inclusion of courses taken abroad, you ask for official permission from the Board of Examiners to include these courses in your study programme. After they have accepted this form, they will review your choice of courses. The final approval comes when they receive the official Transcript of Records and it becomes clear what your results are. Insufficient grades will also be registered.

What conditions do I need to meet when selecting my courses?

On the back of the form concerning the inclusion of courses taken abroad you can find all the conditions you need to be aware of.

How do I know whether there will be content overlap between certain courses?

This is something you first need to figure out yourself by comparing course descriptions. You can follow two courses that are in some ways similar, as long as they do not have the exact same content. So there can be some overlap between courses. Overlap can however lead to EC deduction.

What happens when my course content overlaps?

If the Board of Examiners suspects there is overlap between certain courses, they will ask for advice form the course coordinator of the course taught in Utrecht. When there is very little overlap, EC can be deducted, but both courses still count towards your degree. When there is too much or full overlap regarding the content of the courses, the Board will not approve the inclusion of the foreign course in your Master’s programme. These EC will not count towards your degree and the course will not be registered in OSIRIS.

Why do I need to send in course descriptions?

Please send in the course descriptions digitally (through direct links) when possible. We use the course descriptions to check whether you do not take any courses that have too much overlap with the courses you take in Utrecht and to see what level we can attach to the course. If the course descriptions are very brief, we ask you to check whether there is more available information on said course. It can be difficult to retrieve such information, but you can perhaps also look at course handbooks or other materials. If this is not possible, you can send whatever information you did manage to find (preferably digitally). Upon the processing of your transcripts, you will receive word from the Board of Examiners as to whether these course descriptions suffice.

What do I do when the course descriptions are not written in English?

When the original language of the course descriptions is English, you can simply send them in. This also counts for French, Italian, Spanish, and German. If they are written in another language still, then please consult with the Board of Examiners. As a result of this you can for instance be asked to deliver an English translation that is signed off by the teacher of said course.

What is the study load of courses abroad?

If the foreign credits are listed as EC, this study load will be copied when processing the foreign courses. If the study load at a foreign university is expressed differently, this will be reworked to EC. This conversion method can be found in the official credit conversion table. More information can be found in the Education and Examination Regulations (EER).

What can happen when I send in my form concerning the inclusion of courses taken abroad after I come back from my exchange?

The Board of Examiners asks students going on exchanges to send in the form with the purpose of including courses taken abroad as soon as your choice of courses is finalised. This happens at the start of your exchange, before you leave.

When will be foreign courses get processed?

A partner university will most often send the transcript to the International Office. They will put the transcript in OSIRIS. The Board of Examiners does not get notified when this happens, so please inform us when you receive word that your transcript has been received. After we have received the transcript, your courses taken abroad will be registered. Before you go back to the Netherlands, we recommend you ask for for an official transcript of your marks from the administration system of the foreign university. The Board of Examiners only accepts original Transcripts of Records, or ones sent directly from the foreign university.

Can I graduate immediately following my exchange?

It is possible that you want to graduate directly following your exchange. However, the Board of Examiners often sees that problems may arise because of the foreign university sending in the Transcript of Records too late for you to graduate immediately. It is very important that you are well informed on how and when to collect and deliver the Transcript of Records, see the question above.

An exchange is a part of your study programme, so it needs to be finished before you are able to graduate.

Do you want to know more about the procedure, the choosing of courses, the level of courses, the study load and the processing of your results and graduation?

• You can read the back of the form with corncerning the inclusion courses taken abroad within your programme
• Click on the heading ‘How do I get permission to include foreign courses in my study programme?’