Binding Study Advice (BSA)

The Binding Study Advice (BSA) at the end of your first bachelor year indicates whether you may continue your studies or not. The BSA is issued by the programme director (see EER article 7.4.7), based on the number of EC you have obtained. In one academic year, you can obtain 60 EC.

Do you have (personal) problems and/or circumstances that affect your studies?

It is important that you contact your Study Advisor as soon as possible in situations like this, so that they are aware of your circumstances and can help you.

Interim Study Advice

In your first year of enrolment in a BSc programme, you will receive an Interim Study Advice before 31 January. You get:

  • a positive Interim Study Advice in case of 15 EC or more
  • a progress warning in case of 7.5 EC
  • a negative Interim Study Advice in case of 0 EC

This advice indicates your study progress and is not binding. In case of a negative Interim Study Advice, you will be advised to discontinue your studies.

BSA procedure

For academic year 2024-2025, the norm is 45 EC. You will receive the BSA decision at the end of July at your UU e-mail address.

Force majeure situation and postponed BSA

If there is a proven force majeure situation, which have been reported in time to the Study Advisor, it is possible to qualify for a postponed BSA. The programme director takes a reported force majeure situation into account when issuing the BSA. With a postponed BSA, a final BSA will be issued at the end of the second year. If you have received a negative BSA, and wish to be considered for a postponed BSA, you can object to the negative BSA decision. Read more about the procedure in the drop-down below.

Terminate your enrolment before 1 February

Do you doubt whether you can meet the number of credits required for a positive BSA? If so, you can choose to terminate your enrolment before 1 February. If you do this before 1 February of your first academic year by submitting a deregistration request no later than 31 January, you will not receive any binding study advice that academic year. This means that you can re-enrol in this programme at a later date.

Student travel product and DUO grant

If you terminate your enrolment before 1 February in your first academic year, you can use the DUO 1 February regulation. You will then not have to pay back your student travel product and any supplementary grant from DUO.