Language proficiency requirements

All international applicants are asked to provide a valid English language proficiency test with a sufficient score to prove that they meet the English language requirement for admission to a Bachelor's programme.

Only applicants who have obtained or will obtain the following qualifications prior to the start of their university enrolment are exempt from the English test:

Exempted from the English language test requirement are holders of:

• A (Pre-university) diploma obtained after successfully completing English-taught education in Canada, the USA, the UK, New Zealand, Ireland, or Australia 
• A Bachelor's diploma obtained after completing an English-taught programme
• International Baccalaureate Diploma (English-taught)

Sufficient command of the English language can also be evidenced by successful completion of one of the following:

• Advanced Placement (AP) College Board exam: English Language and Composition or English Literature and Composition with minimum grade 3 if obtained as part of a diploma that meets our diploma requirement (high school diploma + 4 AP exams grade 3-5)
• Austrian Reifezeugnis or Reifeprüfungszeugnis awarded by an Allgemeinbildende Höhere Schule (AHS) with English as modern foreign language (Lebende Fremdsprache) as part of the final examination (Reifeprüfung)
• Belgian Algemeen Secondair Onderwijs (ASO)
• Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam (CAPE) if the diploma meets our diploma requirement (Three double units in General/Academic subjects with an overall grade of I-V) as listed here
• Danish Studentereksamenbevis (STX) or Bevis for Højere Forberedelseseksamen with English A/B as part of the final examination
• Dutch Secondary education state exam VWO English language and literature
• Dutch pre-university VWO diploma (including VWO English language and literature)
• European Baccalaureate (English as L1 or L2, minimum grade 6)
• Finnish Ylioppilastutkintotodistus / Matriculation Examination Certificate / Studentexamenbevis with English (basic or advanced level) as part of the Matriculation examination
• French International Option Baccalaureate (OIB) or Baccalauréat Français International (BIF) - British or American section
• GCE A-level (AQA, Pearson, WJEC, CCEA, Cambridge) or Cambridge International A-level in 'English Language' or 'English Language & Literature' with minimum grade C if obtained as part of a diploma that meets our diploma requirement (3 academic A-levels minimum grade C) as listed here
• German Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife - English Grundkurs as Prüfungsfach in the Abitur or English at advanced level (erhöhtem Anforderungsniveau (eA)/Leistungsfach)
• International Baccalaureate Diploma (English-taught)
• Luxembourgish Diplôme de Fin d'Études Secondaires (Génerales/Classiques) with English as part of the final examination
• Singapore - Cambridge General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE A Level) with the requirements as mentioned on our website
• South African National Senior Certificate (NSC) from UMALUSI or IEB that meets our diploma requirement (with 7 examination courses and an overall average result of 70%, no result lower than 65%) only in combination with the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) Advanced Programme Certificate or Further Studies Certificate in English with a result of at least 55%
• Surinamese VWO diploma
• Swedish Högskoleförberedande Examen från Gymnasieskolan in one of the six programmes as mentioned our website with English 5, 6, and 7 as part of the final examination.

If you believe you qualify for an exemption of the English language test, you can upload supporting documents in the English language test section of your application in the VU Dashboard. We will manually process your request. If the request is not approved, you will be asked to send us a sufficient English language test score as a condition for admission.

VU Amsterdam only accepts the following recognised English proficiency tests, with these minimal requirements:

• IELTS (academic): 6.5 overall
  Note: the IELTS Online Academic and the online IELTS Indicator tests are not accepted. IELTS One Skill Retake is also not accepted.
• TOEFL internet-based test: 92
  Note: TOEFL Essentials and TOEFL iBT Home Edition are not accepted. MyBestScore is also not accepted.
• TOEFL paper-based test: 580
• Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)/C2 Proficiency: minimum score of 180
• Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)/C1 Advanced: minimum score of 180
• VU English proficiency test: TOEFL ITP: 580  (only the TOEFL ITP test from VU Amsterdam is accepted)
  Note: the TOEFL ITP test is a different test than the TOEFL iBT. The VU TOEFL ITP  is not accepted for students who require a study visa/residence permit to study at VU Amsterdam. For international EU/EEA students only the VU campus version is accepted.

For the selective Bachelor's programmes Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) and Law in Society the English language requirements are higher! 

Test Validity

TOEFL and IELTS tests must have been completed no more than two years before September 1st of the year in which your course starts. Note that the TOEFL MyBestScore and IELTS One Skill Retake are not accepted.

The TOEFL-ITP exam is offered by the VU Taalloket and takes place at the university. The test is only valid for admission to VU Amsterdam. 

PPE is a programme with additional English language requirements based on its special feature: small-scale and intensive education.

All international applicants are asked to provide a valid English language proficiency test with a sufficient score to prove that they meet the English language requirement for admission to the Bachelor's programme Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE).

Only applicants who have obtained or will obtain the following qualifications prior to the start of their university enrolment are exempt from the English test:

Exempted from the English language test requirement are holders of:

• A (Pre-university) diploma obtained after successfully completing English-taught education in Canada, the USA, the UK, New Zealand, Ireland, or Australia
• International Baccalaureate Diploma (English-taught)
• A Bachelor's diploma obtained after completing an English-taught programme

Accepted English language tests

VU Amsterdam only accepts the following recognised English proficiency tests for the PPE programme, with these minimal requirements:

• IELTS (academic): 6.5 with at least 6.0 for each of the four components 
  Note: the IELTS Online Academic and the online IELTS Indicator tests are not accepted. IELTS One Skill Retake is also not accepted.
• TOEFL iBT: 92 with minimum scores of 20 for each component
  Note: TOEFL Essentials and TOEFL iBT Home Edition are not accepted. MyBestScore is also not accepted.
• VU English proficiency test: TOEFL ITP:  580 (only the TOEFL ITP test from VU Amsterdam is accepted)
  Note: the TOEFL ITP test is a different test than the official TOEFL test (TOEFL iBT). The VU TOEFL ITP  is not accepted for students who require a study visa/residence permit to study at VU Amsterdam. For international EU/EEA students only the VU campus version is accepted.
• Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)/C1 Advanced: minimum score 180
• Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)/C2 Proficiency: minimum score 180

Test Validity

TOEFL and IELTS tests must have been completed no more than two years before September 1st of the year in which your course starts. Note that the TOEFL MyBestScore and IELTS One Skill Retake are not accepted.

The TOEFL-ITP exam is offered by the VU Taalloket and takes place at the university. The test is only valid for admission to VU Amsterdam. 

Sufficient command of the English language can also be evidenced by successful completion of one of the following:

• Advanced Placement (AP) College Board exam: English Language and Composition or English Literature and Composition with minimum grade 3 if obtained as part of a diploma that meets our diploma requirement (high school diploma + 4 AP exams grade 3-5)
• Belgian Algemeen Secondair Onderwijs (ASO) with a minimum grade 70/100 for English
• Dutch pre-university VWO-diploma (voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs) with a minimum grade 7 as their final grade for English language and literature
• European Baccalaureate (English as L1 or L2, minimum grade 6)
• French International Option Baccalaureate (OIB) or Baccalauréat Français International (BIF) - British or American section with a passing grade for English
• GCE A-level (AQA, Pearson, WJEC, CCEA, Cambridge) or Cambridge International A-level in 'English Language' or 'English Language & Literature' with minimum grade B if obtained as part of a diploma that meets our diploma requirement (3 academic A-levels minimum grade C)
• German Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife - English Grundkurs as Prüfungsfach in the Abitur or English at advanced level (erhöhtem Anforderungsniveau (eA)/Leistungsfach) with a minimum final grade 11

If you believe you qualify for an exemption of the English language test, you can upload supporting documents in the English language test section of your application in the VU Dashboard. We will manually process your request. If the request is not approved, you will be asked to send us a sufficient English language test score as a condition for admission.

Law in Society is a programme with additional English language requirements based on its special educational concept.

All international applicants are asked to provide a valid English language proficiency test with a sufficient score to prove that they meet the English language requirement for admission to the Bachelor's programme Law in Society.

Only applicants who have obtained or will obtain the following qualifications prior to the start of their university enrolment are exempt from the English test:

Exempted from the English language test requirement are holders of:

• A (Pre-university) diploma obtained after successfully completing English-taught education in Canada, the USA, the UK, New Zealand, Ireland, or Australia
• International Baccalaureate Diploma (English-taught)
• A Bachelor's diploma obtained after completing an English-taught programme

Accepted English language tests

VU Amsterdam only accepts the following recognised English proficiency tests, with these minimal requirements:

• IELTS (academic): 6.5  (with at least 7.0 for reading)
  Note: the IELTS Online Academic and the online IELTS Indicator tests are not accepted. IELTS One Skill Retake is also not accepted.
• TOEFL internet-based test: 92 (with at least 24 for reading)
  Note: TOEFL Essentials and TOEFL iBT Home Edition are not accepted. MyBestScore is also not accepted.
• TOEFL paper-based test: 580 (with at least 64 for reading)
• VU English proficiency test: TOEFL ITP: 580 (with at least 64 for reading)  (only the TOEFL ITP test from VU Amsterdam is accepted)
  Note: the TOEFL ITP test is a different test than the official TOEFL test (TOEFL iBT). The VU TOEFL ITP  is not accepted for students who require a study visa/residence permit to study at VU Amsterdam. For international EU/EEA students only the VU campus version is accepted.
• Cambridge Advanced English (CAE)/C1 Advanced: minimum score of 180
• Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)/C2 Proficiency: minimum score of 180

Test Validity

TOEFL and IELTS tests must have been completed no more than two years before September 1st of the year in which your course starts. Note that the TOEFL MyBestScore and IELTS One Skill Retake are not accepted.

The TOEFL-ITP exam is offered by the VU Taalloket and takes place at the university. The test is only valid for admission to VU Amsterdam.

Sufficient command of the English language can also be evidenced by successful completion of one of the following:

• Advanced Placement (AP) College Board exam: English Language and Composition or English Literature and Composition with minimum grade 3 if obtained as part of a diploma that meets our diploma requirement (high school diploma + 4 AP exams grade 3-5)
• Belgian Algemeen Secondair Onderwijs (ASO) with a minimum grade 70/100 for English
• Dutch pre-university VWO-diploma (voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs) with a minimum grade 7 as their final grade for English language and literature
• European Baccalaureate (English as L1 or L2, minimum grade 6)
• French International Option Baccalaureate (OIB) or Baccalauréat Français International (BIF) - British or American section with a passing grade for English
• GCE A-level (AQA, Pearson, WJEC, CCEA, Cambridge) or Cambridge International A-level in 'English Language' or 'English Language & Literature' with minimum grade B if obtained as part of a diploma that meets our diploma requirement (3 academic A-levels minimum grade C)
• German Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife - English Grundkurs as Prüfungsfach in the Abitur or English at advanced level (erhöhtem Anforderungsniveau (eA)/Leistungsfach) with a minimum final grade 11

If you believe you qualify for an exemption of the English language test, you can upload supporting documents in the English language test section of your application in the VU Dashboard. We will manually process your request. If the request is not approved, you will be asked to send us a sufficient English language test score as a condition for admission.

• For verification of your IELTS or TOEFL test results, please upload your results in the application section of your VU Dashboard.
• For verification of the TOEFL iBT please add our institution code before sending the report: 7947.
• For an online verification of your Cambridge test result please share your results with us through the Candidate Results Online website and send us an email to confirm you have done so.
• For verification of your diploma you can send the certified copy by post or bring the diploma to the Student Desk.

We do not need to receive the hard copy test results via postal mail if you share your results digitally.

Be aware of the fact that it can take a few weeks before you get the results of the English tests, so plan your test in time! 
Deadline for submission: 

• 1 June - for students who require a study visa/residence permit
• 15 August (preferred submission date) - for PPE applicants who do not require a study visa/residence permit 
• 31 August  - final deadline for students with the EU/EEA nationality and other students who do not require a study visa/residence permit  

Deadline for submission for Numerus Fixus programmes:

• 1 June - for students who require a study visa/residence permit
• 15 July - final deadline for students with the EU/EEA nationality and other students who do not require a study visa/residence permit  

Students with a Dutch previous education can proof Dutch language proficiency by submitting a VWO diploma.

When applying with other Dutch diplomas (such as the HBO-P) students will need to sit the State exam vo pre-university level examination in Dutch language and literature.

VU Amsterdam accepts the following subjects and school-leaving Dutch examinations for students with a non-Dutch previous education:

When you have a non-Dutch previous education and have not followed one of the aforementioned school subjects then you can sit one of the following two examinations:

•  State exam in Dutch as a second language, programme II (NT2-II) (information and application via DUO).
• Certificate of Dutch as Foreign Language (CNaVT), with Educatief Professioneel (EDUP) C1 (academic and professional language proficiency) or Educatief Startbekwaam (STRT) B2 (higher education language proficiency) profile. This examination is also held outside the Netherlands. (Information and application via www.cnavt.org).

Exception: NT2 II (Dutch as a second language) and Educatief Startbekwaam (STRT) B2 certificates will not be accepted for the Rechtsgeleerdheid (law) and Notarieel Recht (notarial civil law) Bachelor's degree programmes.

You send the certified copies to us by post, or bring them to the Student Desk. Certified test certificates bear a stamp and signature from an official institute to attest that the copy is the same as the original. The certificates can be certified by the administration of the institute that awarded the diploma or at the Student Desk. Bring the original and copy with you when you wish to have them certified by us.

State exam in Dutch as a second language, programme II (NT2-II)

This examination consists of four parts: reading, listening, speaking and writing skills. The examinations are held weekly (registration 6 weeks in advance, results 6 weeks after the exam).

If you consider applying to a selection-based Bachelor’s degree programme, then the NT2-II examination must be completed before June. This is because the department CBAP of DUO needs the results before 15 July, in order to keep you in the selection procedure.

If you have to take other entrance examinations, you will have to fulfil all the requirements before 15 July.

More information about the NT2-II exam (in Dutch).

CNaVT Certificate

The CNaVT (Certificaat Nederlands als Vreemde Taal) with the profiles ‘Educatief Startbekwaam’ (before called PTHO) or ‘Educatief Professioneel’ (before called PAT) are also accepted. The examinations can also be taken outside the Netherlands.

VU Amsterdam’s own department that will help you to prepare for the Dutch language proficiency examination.

The courses start late August and end in July the following year, progressing from beginner’s level courses through three or four follow-up courses of increasing difficulty. These Dutch language courses are meant primarily for prospective students who want to prepare themselves for a Bachelor's or Master's programme at VU Amsterdam. If you wish to take this course, you must contact the VU-NT2 Department.

For the beginner’s courses in particular there are usually more applicants than places available. Therefore we cannot guarantee a place if you apply late. You should bear in mind that it takes at least one year to learn Dutch.

More information about NT2 VU’s Dutch course.

VASVU is a programme for international students who want to study a Dutch Bachelor’s or pre-master’s programme but cannot be admitted directly. This preparatory year will prepare you for the entrance examinations of VU Amsterdam. Check the VASVU page for more information.