Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

The university is authorised by the IND to support residence permit applications for international students. This means the university has to check whether students continue to meet the requirements of their residence permit and report certain changes to the IND.

The Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy applies to all non-EU/EEA students who have a residence permit for study purposes at Utrecht University. These students are required to:

  • Maintain satisfactory academic progress toward their degree requirements each year they are enrolled.
  • Remain in good standing with the university (i.e. pay their tuition fee on time and meet other university requirements).
Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

EC requirement

The IND requires students with a residence permit for study purposes to obtain at least 50% of the nominal number of credits each academic year in order to maintain their residence permit.

  • For students who starts their studies in September, the minimum requirement is 30 EC.
  • For students who start their studies in February, the minimum requirement is 15 EC.
  • Please note that EC awarded through course exemptions (‘vrijstellingen)’ do not count towards this minimum requirement.

First-year bachelor's students

First-year bachelor’s students must (also) meet the requirements of the Binding Study Advice (BSA). For more information, see your programme’s Education and Examination Regulations (EER) https://students.uu.nl/en/practical-matters/policies-and-procedures/student-charter.

If you do not meet the requirement

According to Dutch law, the university is required to report to the IND if students do not make sufficient study progress. Based on the information from Utrecht University, the IND will then revoke the residence permit. Consequently, you will need to leave the Netherlands within 28 days of the revocation notification. However, if the residence permit is valid for less than 3 months after UU has reported to the IND, it is generally not revoked because it will expire automatically within a short period of time.

Note: If you have questions about extending your residence permit for study purposes, please refer to the information provided here.

Exceptions due to unforeseen circumstances

If you are delayed in your studies due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g. prolonged illness, a disability, or serious family circumstances), you must contact your study advisor as soon as possible. Your study advisor can assess whether your situation qualifies for an exception to the SAP requirement. 

Please note that exceptions can only be granted in specific circumstances and are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Timeline

Before 1 May

If you expect early in the academic year that you may not meet the EC requirement, we encourage you to contact your study adviser as soon as possible to discuss your situation and the options available to you.

If you decide to discontinue your studies, make sure to terminate your enrolment in Studielink before 1 May. This will ensure that you are not reported to the IND for unsatisfactory academic progress.

1 May – 31 August

If you deregister (terminate your enrolment) in Studielink during this period, we will check if you meet the minimum academic progress requirements before we report your deregistration as a student at Utrecht University to the IND. 

  • If you do meet the minimum academic progress requirements, we will only inform the IND that you are no longer enrolled as a student at Utrecht University.  
    • You will then be able to obtain a new residence permit for study purposes through Utrecht University in the future (including for a different study programme).
  • If you do not meet the minimum academic progress requirements, we will inform the IND that you have made insufficient progress. 

    • You will then not be able to obtain a residence permit for study purposes through Utrecht University in the future (including for a different study programme). 

Note that when you terminate your enrolment, your residence permit will be revoked by the IND, and you will need to leave the Netherlands. You will not be reimbursed for any tuition fees if you terminate your enrolment after May.

1 October

The Visa Office will report non-EU/EEA students who have a residence permit for study purposes at Utrecht University with unsatisfactory academic progress to the IND. 

FAQ

Contact

The Satisfactory Academic Progress check is done by the Visa Office, the student counsellors, and the study advisor(s).
 

  • For questions about your residence permit, please contact: visa@uu.nl.
  • For questions about your study progress and/or discussing unforeseen circumstances which may impact your studies, please contact your study advisor. You can find the contact details for your study advisor(s) here.  
  • For any other questions regarding the SAP, please contact a student counsellor:  studentcounsellors@uu.nl