Amsterdam University College

Application Guidelines 2024-2025

CONTENTS

WELCOME AND IMPORTANT DATES......................................................... 3

BEFORE YOU START............................................................................... 5

WHAT YOU NEED FOR YOUR APPLICATION............................................... 6

REQUIRED INFORMATION...................................................................... 8

MOTIVATION, PERSONAL STUDY PLAN & YOUR INTERESTS....................... 10

DOCUMENT UPLOADS........................................................................... 12

RECOMMENDER REGISTRATION............................................................. 14

AFTER SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION................................................. 15

WELCOME TO AMSTERDAM UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

Thank you for your interest in applying to Amsterdam University College! In this document, we will explain what
you need to know before starting your application and guide you through the procedure of applying.

Applications to AUC are completed online through our application system supported by Embark. You can follow
the link to the online application form to create a personal login and Embark account. You do not have to com-
plete your application in one session. You can save it and come back to it as often as you want before submitting
it. Please note that all information is required unless stated otherwise.

TIMELINE FOR APPLYING: SEPTEMBER 2025

Applications are submitted and reviewed according to the following timeline:
• Early-bird applications: Deadline for submission is 1 December 2024. The review period will take place
until 1 February 2025. Acceptance/rejection/waiting list decisions will be rendered in the first week of
February 2025.
• Regular applications: Deadline for submission is 1 February 2025. The review period will take place until 1
April 2025. Acceptance/rejection/waiting list decisions will be rendered in the first week of April 2025.
• Late applications: The late application form will open on 1 March, with a deadline for submission of 1 May
2025. The review period will take place until 1 June 2025. Acceptance/rejection decisions will be rendered
in the first week of June 2025. Please note that the late application round will have additional conditions an
applicant must meet. See "What are the differences between the deadlines?" below for more information.

IMPORTANT DATES

YOU WANT TO START AT AUC IN: SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION BY: DECISION ON ADMISSION BY:

• SEPTEMBER 2025 • 1 DECEMBER 2024 (early bird) • FIRST WEEK FEBRUARY 2025
(early bird)
• 1 FEBRUARY 2025 (regular) • FIRST WEEK APRIL 2025
(regular)
• 1 MAY 2025 (late) • FIRST WEEK JUNE 2025
(late)

What are the differences between the deadlines? You can read more about the differences between applying for
the 'early-bird' deadline and the regular deadline on our website here. For the late deadline, only candidates with an
EU/EEA nationality will be considered and there are restrictions on which major you can apply for. Full details of the
conditions for the late application deadline will be posted on our website here on 1 March 2025.

TIP 1: USE A VALID EMAIL ADDRESS THAT WILL REMAIN ACCESSIBLE

The email address you use for your login will be used for all email correspondence. Please use an email
address that you check regularly and that will remain valid until after your desired start date at AUC.

TIP 2: WHITE LIST IMPORTANT ADDRESSES

Make sure that both the embark.com and auc.nl domains, and info@auc.nl and servicedesk@auc.nl, are on
your email ‘white list’ so that messages do not end up in your 'Bulk' or 'Junk' folders by accident.

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Before you start

4
BEFORE YOU START

APPLICATION PREPARATION
• You will save time if you collect all of the documents you need to submit (see checklist on Page 6) in
digital/scanned format before starting.
• Any documents you send to us that are not in English, Dutch, German or French must be accompanied by
an official translation in English.
• Your recommendation is completed online. Please make sure your recommender knows in advance that
they will receive a personal login by email and that they will need to complete a short form online.

ONLINE APPLICATION FORM

Follow the link on the AUC website to the online application form and follow the instructions to log in and start
completing your application. Several sections of the online application form ask about your personal data: name,
date of birth, nationality, address, educational background and qualifications, other interests and so on. You also
have to indicate which major you're applying for (Sciences, Social Sciences or Humanities).

After you have provided the requested information, you will continue to the 'Document Uploads' page where you
will be asked to submit the three sets of documents required from all applicants:

1. Your motivation to study at AUC, personal study plan and your interests
2. Official transcripts/certified copies of diplomas/most recent grade lists (secondary education or
university)
3. Proof of identity (copy of passport/ID card)

PLEASE NOTE
• You only need to upload scans/digital versions of your qualifications at this stage. If your application is
successful, we will ask for officially certified paper copies of your qualifications plus the originals of any
official translations. Any documentation you send to AUC for your application becomes the property of
AUC and cannot be returned, so please do not send your original diplomas.
• If your situation changes during the application process, please inform the AUC Admissions Office by
emailing servicedesk@auc.nl.

TIP 3: HOW TO CONTACT AUC ADMISSIONS

If you run into issues or have questions about the application form, you can always reach out to the AUC
Admissions Office via the following channels:
• Web: auc.nl/contact
• Email: servicedesk@auc.nl
• Office hours: Online or by telephone

5
What you need for your
application
When preparing your application, it will help to have the following information and documents ready:

☐ Gather all details and documents related to your personal data: full name (as in your passport),
address, nationality, date of birth, details of your educational background (schools attended, dates of
attendance, diplomas received [or to be received]).

☐ Choose your major (Sciences, Social Sciences or Humanities) including your three preferred fields of
study.

☐ Check our English and Maths requirements (How will you meet the maths requirements for your desired
major?).

☐ Prepare your motivation, personal study plan and your interests in a digital format that can be copied
and pasted into the text boxes in the application form. You can find more information on what to include in
these documents on Page 10.

☐ Scan/digitise all documents you will submit and have them ready, including:

• Your educational diplomas/certificates, grade transcripts for secondary school and beyond,
including maths grades. If you have not yet taken your final exams, please submit your most recent
school reports and grade transcripts. If you are currently attending university, please be sure to
submit those grade transcripts as well.
• Proof of identity (copy of your passport or national identity card).
• Official English translations of documents (if required).

6
Required information

7
REQUIRED INFORMATION

PERSONAL INFORMATION
In this section, we ask for personal information such as your full name, date of birth, nationality, etc. If you have a
current passport from an EU/EEA country, please give this as your first or main nationality.

EDUCATION
Information about your educational background is crucial for the assessment of your application. We ask that you
list all schools that you have attended in the last 4 years with details of the diplomas/certificates you have obtained
or will obtain. Please start by listing the highest level of education and continue listing previous education. Note
that the information and documentation provided are used to assess your eligibility for admission to a Dutch
research university. You therefore need to ensure sufficient information is provided to assess this, including
university or college transcripts, College Board AP certificates, university entrance exams, plus clear information
on the education system and the diploma (to be) awarded. If you are transferring from another university, please
be sure to provide grade transcripts from your current university.

TIP 4: CHECK YOUR DIPLOMA

Unsure if your diploma meets the university entrance requirements? Check the AUC website here for general
guidance on diplomas that are considered equivalent to the Dutch VWO diploma.

ENGLISH PROFICIENCY AND MATHS REQUIREMENTS (SUBMIT ANY PROOFS BY 1 JULY 2025)
You must have an excellent level of English when you start your studies at AUC. You may apply to AUC before you
have proof that your proficiency meets our requirements as long as you can send us proof before 1 July 2025.
Please see our website here for full details on our English requirements.

In addition to an excellent command of English, you must enter AUC with sufficient knowledge in mathematics
for your desired major. You will need to provide proof that you meet these requirements before you start at AUC.
Please see our website here for full details on our maths requirements. If your specific maths programme is
not listed on our website, you will need to take an OMPT (Online Mathematics Placement Test) and submit the
results of the test indicated for your major. You do not need to have the results of the OMPT when submitting your
application but you will need to provide these before 1 July 2025.. It is important we receive the passing results on
time or you will not be able to start at AUC. Further details about the OMPT and the required level per major can
be found on our website here.

Students who complete the OMPT and include the results in their application will be prioritised in the offer
selection rounds. This means that students who submit their OMPT results before 1 December (for the early-bird
deadline), before 1 February (for the regular deadline) or before 1 May (for the late deadline) will have priority in
being made an offer of admission over those who plan to take the exam later (i.e. those who have only indicated
that they intend to take the OMPT and submit their results before 1 July 2025, but do not have the results at
the time of submission). Please note that all applications submitted before the respective deadlines will still be
reviewed even without the results of an OMPT.

TIP 5: HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR MATHS BEFORE THE DEADLINE

Need to improve your maths to meet the requirements for your desired major? See our website here for more
details on available options to help you.

TIP 6: INFORM AUC IF YOU CHANGE HOW YOU WILL MEET YOUR MATHS REQUIREMENT
Already submitted your application and want to change how you will prove that you meet the requirements?
Inform AUC as soon as possible (in writing) of your new plans by emailing servicedesk@auc.nl.
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REQUIRED INFORMATION (CONTINUED)

ACADEMIC FOCUS & OTHER INTERESTS

Which academic area(s) interest you the most and what would you like the focus of your studies to be at AUC?
Please make sure you have read and carefully considered the information available on AUC’s academic programme
and have thought about the choices for your study programme. One of the most important decisions you will
make is choosing your major: Sciences, Social Sciences or Humanities. Your choice of major will significantly
influence the courses you take at AUC. In addition, the Admissions Committee will assess your application in
the context of your major to ensure that you are well-matched to your desired study programme, and to create
a balance of the different majors in the cohort. Please select your major with care (and make sure you will meet
the maths requirements before your desired start date) as it is not allowed to change major until you start your
studies at AUC, and even then you will need to meet additional requirements. We also ask you to select three
corresponding fields of study within your major. Please note that the fields of study are not binding and you will
have a chance to change or confirm your selections should you be accepted to AUC.

As there is a strong focus on community involvement at AUC, your activities outside of the classroom are also of
interest to us. If you are taking or will take a 'gap year' before starting your studies, have work experience, provided
care or support for family or community members, or served as a volunteer, please describe your activities in
the relevant section. We are also interested in hearing about your hobbies or interests, such as sports or cultural
activities, and about your involvement in clubs and community groups.

REQUESTING A TRANSFER OF CREDIT

If you have already completed courses at a university programme, you may be eligible to transfer credits to
AUC. You can apply for a transfer of credit ranging from 6 ecp (equivalent to a single course) up to 60 ecp
(equivalent to a full academic year). Note that not all courses completed at a university can be considered for
a transfer of credit. Depending on your educational background, a certain amount of university-level studies
may be required for admission to a Dutch research university. University-level studies that are necessary for
admission cannot be considered for transfers of credit. Furthermore, the programme and courses from which
your credits were obtained must meet certain criteria before a transfer of credit can be approved. You can
read more about the conditions for transfers of credit, including the necessary documentation, on our website
here. Note that all transfer of credit requests must be received by 15 June. We strongly advise you not to make
your decision to attend AUC contingent on receiving transfer credits. The deadline for submitting transfer of
credit requests is later than the deadline for accepting an offer of admission to AUC. This means you will not
know until starting at AUC whether credits from previous studies will count towards your degree programme.

APPLYING FOR A SCHOLARSHIP FROM THE AUC SCHOLARSHIP FUND (ASF)

ASF Scholarships help support diversity and equitable access to the AUC programme through full and partial
scholarships, and Talent Fellowships. You can find more information about applying for an ASF Scholarship on
our website here and more information about applying for a Talent Fellowship here. When applying for admission
to AUC, we ask that you inform us if you plan on applying for an ASF Scholarship or Talent Fellowship. Please
note that applying for an ASF Scholarship or Talent Fellowship does not have any influence on your application
for admission to AUC. The AUC Admissions Committee and ASF Board are separate entities and do not share
information regarding the content of your application or decision on admission.

TIP 7: DON'T WAIT TO APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS

Don’t wait for a decision on admission to AUC before applying for an ASF Scholarship. If you wait, you may miss
the scholarship application deadline of 1 April 2025 for starting your studies at AUC in September 2025.

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Motivation, personal study plan
& your interests
The prompts in this section are about getting to know you better as a person, understanding your study goals and
how AUC's programme matches what you want to accomplish. Not only do we want to make sure you understand
what you're applying for, but also to confirm that the programme AUC offers aligns with your expectations. Your
motivation, study plan and interests help us learn more about you while ensuring you're well-informed about
our academic programme. Please note that each section (A, B and C) should be no longer than 600 words each.

A. ACADEMIC MOTIVATION (3 PARTS)

1. In 200 words maximum, describe your academic interests and what motivates you to learn and
explore new subjects. Also give particular attention to subjects or topics that may fall outside of
your primary area of interest.
2. In 200 words maximum, describe why you decided to apply to a Liberal Arts and Sciences
programme. Please also explain why a standard, disciplinary programme would not be the best
fit for achieving your academic and/or career goals.
3. In 200 words maximum, explain and elaborate on how you believe the AUC programme can support
you in developing your academic interests as discussed in your reply to part 1 of this question.

B. PERSONAL STUDY PLAN

You may find making your study plan a challenging exercise, but it is important as it will help you
better understand the AUC curriculum and realise the freedom, as well as the limitations. There is
no right or wrong format for the study plan: you are free to create a table or explain your choices in a
narrative, and you may make use of any documents provided on our website. No matter which format
you choose, your study plan should demonstrate your understanding of the AUC curriculum. While
there is substantial choice in the curriculum, there are also several mandatory courses and course
types.

Keeping this in mind, please create your intended study plan for your first two years at AUC. This
plan should consist of 20 courses, ordered by semester, and should mention required courses and
elective courses (a tabular format is well-suited for this). You can find an overview of the curriculum
in the "Programme structure" section of our website. A particularly helpful diagram and explanation
can be found in the "Sample curriculum overview" which further explains course requirements
per major. Through your study plan, you can show that you have a good understanding of the
academic programme. Please note that you will not be required to follow this exact study plan if you
choose to enrol at AUC, as you will design your actual curriculum in consultation with your tutor.

C. YOUR INTERESTS
Tell us about your interests outside of academics. Which hobbies, passions or activities do you enjoy
outside of your studies? How do these interests contribute to your overall well-being and personal
growth? Do you have any specific goals, ambitions or achievements related to these interests? We are
eager to hear about what makes you unique and how your interests can enhance your experience at AUC
and contribute to our community.

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Document uploads

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DOCUMENT UPLOADS

You will be asked to upload various documents while completing your application. These documents are explained
below.

YOUR MOTIVATION, PERSONAL STUDY PLAN AND YOUR INTERESTS

Here you can introduce yourself to the AUC Admissions Committee as an individual, show your motivation, prove
that you have carefully considered the AUC programme, how it fits with your interests and demonstrate that you
know what it means to study at AUC. Your motivation, study plan and your interests should:
• Reflect your own ideas and be written by yourself (please avoid using generative AI technologies)
• Be no longer than 600 words per section (A, B and C are separate sections)

Please note that your motivation, study plan and your interests play an important part in the evaluation of your
application. Therefore, we advise you to:
• Read the information on the academic programme and prospective student sections of the AUC website
• Make sure to carefully look at the structure of the programme, course catalogue, Academic Standards and
Procedures, and Social and Academic Codes of Conduct
• Review the information on Page 10 of this document ('Motivation, personal study plan and your interests')
and think about each of the sections

SECONDARY EDUCATION
You will upload your secondary school diploma and grade transcripts. If you have not yet taken your final
exams, please provide your grade transcripts for the previous 2 years. If you are already studying at a university,
please upload your secondary school education here, and use the additional upload pages for your university
grade transcripts. Please note that predicted grades (common in some programmes such as the International
Baccalaureate) are not accepted and we kindly request that you do not submit them.

PROOF OF IDENTITY
In this section, you will upload a copy of your current valid passport (page with your photo) or national
ID card. If you have more than one passport, and/or a Dutch residence permit, please upload copies of
these as well (use additional upload pages if necessary). We require these documents so that we can
verify your identity. All of your data will be kept according to strict safeguards and in compliance with the
GDPR. Important: If you have a valid passport from an EU/EEA country, please make sure that you
upload it on this page. You should have also given this nationality as your main or first nationality in the
Personal Information section. This information will be used to determine the correct immigration protocol.

ADDITIONAL UPLOADS
You can use the additional upload pages to submit any other documents that you need or wish to include in your
application and bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. For example:
• Proof of English proficiency
• Proof of meeting the mathematics requirements
• Further diplomas, qualifications, transcripts, certificates, etc.

TIP 8: SEPARATE LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION? ADD IT AS AN UPLOAD

If you have an additional letter of recommendation, please submit this through the additional upload pages.
Please do not submit more than a total of two recommendations (one required, and one optional).

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Recommendation

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RECOMMENDER REGISTRATION

REGISTERING YOUR RECOMMENDER IN THE ONLINE SYSTEM

AUC uses an online recommendation system. We ask that you provide one academic recommendation for
your application (i.e. teacher, principal, headmaster and/or study adviser). You may also submit one additional
recommendation in the additional uploads section. The additional recommendation does not need to be registered
in the online recommendation system.

Please be sure to inform your recommender in advance that you will be registering them. They will receive an
email with a personal login to access the recommendation form. They will need to complete a short online form
which is confidential and submitted directly to AUC. When registering their name and email address, please be
sure that you click the ‘Invite Recommender’ button before you save or close the application form.

TIP 9: SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION AS SOON AS YOU HAVE REGISTERED YOUR RECOMMENDER
You can submit your application as soon as you have registered your recommender. You don’t have to wait
until they have completed their recommendation. However, we will only process your application after your
recommendation has been received.

TIP 10: MAKE SURE YOUR APPLICATION IS COMPLETE

Please remember that it's your responsibility to make sure that your application is complete before submitting
it. Double-check to ensure it is complete and all requested documents have been included. The Admissions
Office will not contact you should information or documents be missing from your application. Incomplete
applications will be rejected and applicants have only one chance to apply per cycle.

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AFTER SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION?

After submitting your application you will receive an automatic confirmation email. After a final technical check
by our Admissions Office, your complete application will be reviewed by two AUC Admissions Tutors who together
make a preliminary selection of students who may be eligible to study at AUC. Based on this preliminary selection,
the AUC Admissions Committee meets to ultimately determine which students receive an offer of a place to study
at AUC.

If you submit your complete application before 1 December 2024 (early-bird deadline), then you can expect
to receive an admissions decision by the end of the first week of February 2025. If you submit your complete
application before 1 February 2025 (regular deadline), then you can expect to receive an admissions decision by
the end of the first week of April 2025. If you submit your complete application before 1 May 2025 (late deadline),
then you can expect to receive an admissions decision by the end of the first week of June 2025. If you receive an
offer of a place to study at AUC, you will have around two weeks to accept the offer.

You can find an overview of the entire application procedure on our website here and more information on our
admissions policy here.

HOW TO CONTACT AUC ADMISSIONS

Web: auc.nl/contact
Email: servicedesk@auc.nl
Telephone: + 31 (0)20 525 8787 (Wednesdays, 16.30 tot 17.30)
Office hours: Zoom

POSTAL ADDRESS:
PO Box 94160
1090 GD Amsterdam
The Netherlands

VISITING ADDRESS:
Science Park 113
1098 XG Amsterdam
The Netherlands
www.auc.nl

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT STUDYING IN THE NETHERLANDS

• Study in NL website
• Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service website

15
Thank you
for applying
to Amsterdam
University
College!