Vrije University - Summer graduate programs

About

VU Amsterdam Summer School runs in July and offers a unique on-campus learning experience. Courses are one and two weeks long.

Introduction

VU Amsterdam Summer School offers interactive small-scale courses at Bachelor's and Master's levels.

Our one and two-week courses cover multiple themes and are offered by all nine faculties of the university. Bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D. students, as well as professionals, are all welcome to apply. From start to finish, we will be here to support you. In addition to the courses, we offer exciting social activities! Will you join us?

There are many reasons why joining a summer school is beneficial for you. Whether you are looking to upskill and develop yourself personally or academically, our summer school is the place to go. Here are a few of the top benefits of enrolling in VU Amsterdam Summer School:

Gain study credits;
Expand your knowledge and understanding of a certain topic;
Build your (international) network and meet peers from all over the world;
Keep your brain active during the summer months and avoid summer learning loss;
Experience studying at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam;
Engage with leading lecturers;
Upgrade your CV.

Join our social activities!

Additional to the courses, we offer exciting social activities to make sure you have a spectacular summer school experience! Make sure to join our social program to meet fellow students from all over the world.

A pick-up service from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, an informal welcome, and a closing event is included in the tuition fee. But we also offer additional optional activities to discover Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Dutch culture. Continue reading to find out what social activities we organize for you!

Registrations for the social program will open in Spring (15 April latest). The social program will be based on a first-come-first-serve basis (the earliest you apply and pay for your course, the earlier you can select your social activities).

Accommodation

If you plan to study at VU Amsterdam it is essential to think of a place to live. Unfortunately, finding a room in Amsterdam is difficult and stressful. The housing market in the Netherlands is extremely tense, especially in Amsterdam. Many Dutch and international students are searching for student rooms. Housing prices are high: rental prices at the private market often start at €750 and up. Start your search early and be prepared to search in surrounding villages and towns. We advise you not to come to the Netherlands if you do not have a permanent accommodation before the start of your study program.

Welcome to Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Summer and Winter Schools

Last chance to apply!

Ready for your summer adventure?

Applying to VU Amsterdam Summer School is as easy as clicking the blue 'Apply now' button at the top of any page of your chosen course and filling in our online application form.

Required documents

In the application form you will be asked to provide the following two documents (no larger than 1 MB per document):

Curriculum Vitae/Résumé (mostly important for us to understand your educational background)
Transcript of records (a print screen of your most recent grades is sufficient and needs to include your name and the name of your university)

These documents will be shared with the professors before the start of the course.

If doubts remain about the academic level of the student, VU Amsterdam Summer School reserves the right to ask for additional documents and/or a telephone/video interview.

Some courses have their own set of additional entry requirements, which you can find on the relevant admissions page for each course.

Course application deadline

15 May (23:59 CEST)

Course confirmation in May

In mid-May you will be informed if your chosen course will run or not. In the unfortunate case that your course is cancelled (in case it does not reach the minimum number of participants) you will be able to move to another course, depending on availability, or get a refund.

How to Apply

Scholarships and Funding

Equal Access Scholarship

Application Procedure

Application for the Equal Access Scholarship will open in Febraury

Great that you are interested in applying for the Equal Access Scholarship. You can apply to the scholarship between 12 February and 1 April. Please be aware that it is only possible to select one course.

The results of the scholarship selection will be announced in May. Since we have a limited number of scholarships available for a large number of applicants, we suggest - if possible! - to complete your payment at the time of your course application to guarantee your place in the course. However, if you are not able to come without the scholarship, you can just wait until the announcement. If you would like to come, regardless of whether you will be granted the scholarship, it is best to secure your place in the course by completing your payment via our regular application form. If the scholarship is granted to you, the tuition and accommodation fees will be reimbursed.

Deadline to submit your Equal Access Scholarship application: 31 March (23:59 CET).

Requirements

When you apply via the Equal Access Scholarship application form you will be requested to upload the following documents:

Curriculum Vitae/Résumé (CV) stating your educational background.
Professional Letter of Reference Including:
- His/her/their experience working with you (either in an academic, professional, or volunteer setting)
- His/her/their motivation for recommending you for the scholarship
- Complete contact information
When filling out the scholarship form, we will ask the following questions*:
- Why are you interested in joining VU Amsterdam Summer School?
- What’s your motivation for selecting this course?
- How you will use the information you learn to make a positive impact in the future for both you and your community?
- Why do you deserve this scholarship?

Please stick to a maximum of 150 words per question.

Green Travel Grant

At VU Amsterdam Summer School we are also committed to VU's sustainability goals and we aim to reduce the environmental impact of mobility, and specifically, student travel. Therefore, we are thrilled to offer Green Travel Grants to encourage sustainable travel for students attending our summer school.

Where can I apply?

Once the courses have been confirmed to run in mid-May or June, we will send out a newsletter to our participants with a link where they can apply for either funding for train travel or funding for bus travel.

The application period will last two weeks, and we will select the winners via a lottery system. More information on the specific deadlines can be found in the newsletter we send out in May.

How does it work?

For students to receive the economic compensation they will need to submit their purchased travel tickets via email within two weeks after being selected as winners of the grant. Once the deadline to submit their tickets has passed, the students will receive the reimbursement.

View Scholarships

Visa Requirements

Some students may require an entry visa (or Schengen visa) to the Netherlands, depending on their nationality. Make sure to check if this is the situation for you via the Government of the Netherlands.

If you require an entry visa, you should apply by handing in a visa application form to the Dutch embassy or consulate in your country. Find a list of Dutch embassies. When your application to VU Amsterdam Summer School is confirmed you will receive a confirmation which you can use to request the visa. You will need to arrange the visa yourself.

If you are not required to apply for an entry visa, you are free to enter and stay in the Netherlands for 90 days.

Please make sure that you apply for the visa in time.

You can already apply for it when you get our acceptance letter which you can use in your visa application process.

In case you do not get a visa, the cancellation and refund policy for these cases is the same as for everyone.

We strongly recommend to hold on to booking your travel arrangements until your visa is approved and your on campus course has been confirmed to run.

Chiara from Italy

Hey, my name is Chiara and I’m from Naples, Italy. I am currently doing my Master’s degree in Political Philosophy at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona.

Right after graduating in Comparative Literature from King’s College London, I attended VU Amsterdam Summer School to pursue my interest in contemporary issues, also in view of my postgraduate course. When browsing on the VU website, the course “Governing Climate Change” immediately caught my attention. During the Fall 2018 semester, I took a class in environmental ethics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. That was my first exposure to an in-depth study of climate change and its present and future consequences. Having become really passionate about the topic, I did not think twice about applying for the 2-weeks course offered at VU Amsterdam, and the course completely met my expectations. “Governing Climate Change” was, in fact, highly intellectually stimulating and it enriched my understanding of the problem, giving me the opportunity to focus on it under the guidance and expertise of Professor Pattberg and Dr. Widerberg. Moreover, the intertwining of theory and practice, alternating and combining classes with excursions and games, made the course very dynamic and it had a positive impact on my overall learning experience.

I also had a lot of fun being the photographer and social media manager during Session 3. In this respect, in case you are passionate about photography and/or video-making, I highly suggest applying for a photographer/videographer scholarship, as it is a great way to meet students, work with an amazing team while also being able to express and share your own experience through creative shots. Finally, VU Summer School gave me the opportunity to exchange ideas with people from all over the world: from Africa to Australia, China, North, Central, and South America ⎼ even from Trinidad and Tobago!

It’s been an exciting, fun, and insightful experience.

Maria Thereza from Brazil

Hey, my name is Maria Thereza and I am currently a law student at the Federal University of Minas Gerais - UFMG in Brazil.

I participated with the photographer scholarship during the first session in the course of International Criminal Justice during the VU Summer School of 2019. This was a real life-changing opportunity for my professional career, the course showed me a whole new perspective of International Law that made me really enthusiastic to improve my studies in my university and to find the right Master's program.

Also, the experience of living in Amsterdam with all these new international friends and studying at VU Amsterdam (that has this amazing team and structure!) just made me more excited to do everything again, so I think this is an opportunity that everyone should have and I´m here to answer all your questions about the program and what should you expect in this journey!

Silva from Armenia

I am Silva from Armenia. I recently completed my internship at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and currently, I am a trainee at the European Court of Human Rights.

The VU Amsterdam University International Criminal Justice summer course has had a profound impact on my career and was one of the rewarding experiences of my life. Lectures taught by the professors of VU Amsterdam University, hearings at the ICC and STL, as well as meetings and discussions on different issues of International Criminal Law with the lawyers from the Office of Prosecutor and Defence, provided me with both theoretical and practical knowledge and, meanwhile, shaped and solidified my career goals. Another rewarding experience was a lecture taught by the ICC Judge on the achievements and challenges of the International Criminal Court. While the summer course lasted only two weeks, it covered a wide range of topics on current developments and challenges of International Criminal Justice.

The International Criminal Justice course is a perfect choice for both lawyers and those who have an interest in International Criminal law and International Peace and Justice. Would you like to have an amazing experience in International Criminal Law in Amsterdam and in the International City of Peace and Justice? VU Amsterdam University summer school is a perfect choice for you. Feel free to contact me and ask any questions you want. I will be happy to answer all your questions!

Amy from Australia

Hi, my name is Amy and I am completing a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.

I was fortunate enough to travel to the Netherlands and attend Vrije Universiteit’s amazing summer school this year (2019). I highly recommend their classes to anyone who is looking for something extra with their studies! It is an invaluable and exciting opportunity to develop, gain and engage with new knowledge, and be exposed to unique academic perspectives — while immersing in Dutch culture, exploring the beautiful cities in the Netherlands, getting outside your comfort zone, and creating new friendships with peers from around the world.

Due to my interest in psychology, I chose two classes called: Global Health, and The Beautiful Mind: Global Perceptions of Mental Health. These classes definitely gave me a chance to gain deeper insight into global health issues, while learning about mental health education and clinical systems in other countries. If you have any questions about the experience, always feel free to ask! I wish you all the best.