Summer schools and other opportunities abroad

Summer schools, winter schools and single courses abroad

• Winter School 2025 – Helsinki & Lund

  Have you completed at least one year of business-related studies and are you interested in learning more about sustainability? Then have a look at this winter school, where you will spend one week in Lund, Sweden and one week in Helsinki, Finland.

  • Dates: 12-25 January 2025
  • 4 spots available (with a tuition fee waiver)

  The course consists of two modules and amounts to 6 ECTS (3 ECTS per module):

  • The Darkness of Business (13-17 January) at Lund School of Economics and Management
  • Sustainable Finance (20-24 January) at Hanken School of Economics

  Please note: you will have to take both modules. 

  The Winter School also includes   

  • An online introduction meeting in December   
  • A pre-assignment, handed out during the introduction meeting   
  • An assignment to be completed after the course  
  • A social and extra-curricular programme   

  Prerequisites:

  The courses require active participation in group work and discussions and therefore a very good command of English is expected, corresponding to CEFR C1 level/ minimum 95 iBT (internet-based test), both oral and in writing. Participants also must have completed at least one year of business-related studies before the start of Winter School.   

  Application deadline:

  In order for us to nominate you for this winter school, please apply via this form before the 27^th of September. If we have selected you and nominated you, you will have to apply at the partner university before the 18^th of October.

  You will need the following documents for the application at the partner university (before the 18th of October):

  • transcripts of completed courses    
  • a copy of the passport  
  • a list of ongoing courses    

  You can find more information here.

• King's College London

  This Summer School offers around 20 different modules in different subject areas, such as health and life sciences, law, media & culture, business and management, psychology, politics and more. The Summer School is divided in two different sessions, from which you can choose one:

  • Session One: 1 - 12 July 2024
  • Session Two: 15 - 26 July 2024
  • Places available: 4
  • GPA requirement: 7

  You will need to pay for all personal expenses, such as for example accommodation, food, transportation etc. 

  Depending on the approval of your exam board, you can earn up to 7,5 ECTS. Please find more information about this summer school here or in the PDF above. 

  You will have to be nominated for this summer school (see 'application procedure' below). Please note that the application deadline for this summer school is on the 31st of March. If you’re interested in this programme or have any questions, please send an email to outgoing@vu.nl.

• SMU – Singapore Global Summer Programme

  If you would like to learn more about Asian history, economy, entrepreneurship or films then this is the Summer School for you. Next to the courses, there will also be company visits, networking sessions, and social/cultural activities.

  • Dates: 24th of June - 19th of July 2024
  • Places available: 4

  The costs for this programme are:

  • Application fee of SGD 150 (approx. 93 EUR, to be paid when applying online)
  • Miscellaneous fee of SDG 230 (approx. 149 EUR, payable in April/May)
  • Personal expenses (flight, visa, accommodation, food, insurance etc.)

  Depending on the approval of your exam board, you can earn between 6 – 7.5 ECTS per course. You can find more information here or in our Summer School PDF above.

  You will have to be nominated for this summer school (see 'application procedure' below). If you’re interested in this programme or have any questions, please send an email to outgoing@vu.nl. The application deadline for this summer school is the 4th of March. 

• SKKU – Seoul, South Korea

  The Summer School at the SKKU offers for example courses in business and economics, computer and data science, Korean studies and Korean language. Next to the classes, the university also arranges many cultural activities.

  • Dates: 28th of June - 26th of July 2024
  • Places available: 5

  The costs for this programme are:

  • Application Fee of 100,000 KRW (approx. 75 EUR)
  • Fee for insurance and social programme: 300,000 KRW (ca. 220 EUR)
  • Personal expenses (flight, visa, accommodation, food, insurance etc.)

  Depending on the approval of your exam board, you can earn 3 ECTS per course and follow a maximum of 3 courses. You can find more information here or in our Summer School PDF above.

  You will have to be nominated for this summer school (see 'application procedure' below). Please note that the application deadline for this summer school is the 31st of March. If you’re interested in this programme or have any questions, please send an email to outgoing@vu.nl.

• University of Gothenburg - Sustainability Summer School 2024

  Are you a changemaker? Do you want to take action on sustainability and deepen your understanding of global challenges and the UN Sustainable Development Goals? Then apply for one of the 5-week courses of this summer school at the University of Gothenburg.

  • Dates: 27th of June - 2nd of August 2024
  • Places available: 2 (with a tuition fee waiver)

  This year's courses are:

  • Managing Migration
  • Digitalisation in a Changing World
  • Teaching Sustainable Development from a Global Perspective
  • Imagining justice for a sustainable world: perspectives from fiction, philosophy and religion
  • Biodiversity in Western Sweden

  What you need to know:

  • Accommodation is guaranteed and costs around 4000 SEK (approx. 360 EUR)
  • Application deadline at VU: 21st of February, please apply here. 
  • Please find more information about the courses here. For questions please contact outgoing@vu.nl. 

• Aurora - follow a course abroad at one of our Aurora network partner universities

  VU Amsterdam is part of the Aurora network. Together with our network of European partner universities, we are working on joint activities that strengthen societal engagement and impact within our universities.

  As a VU student, you can go abroad to follow a course at one of our Aurora partner universities, you can find an overview of the available courses on this website. Most of the time, Aurora courses do not have a course fee for VU Students, but please check this for the specific course that you are interested in in the course catalogue. 

  If you want to apply for one of the Aurora courses, please fill in this form. We will then get in contact with you. If you have questions, you can also send an email to outgoing@vu.nl. 

  Spring courses at the University of Innsbruck

  This is a fantastic opportunity for students across the Aurora network to engage in unique, high-quality courses designed to inspire, educate, and connect participants on an international level.

  For this semester, a total of three diverse courses will be offered at both Bachelor's and Master's levels, providing students with innovative learning experiences and opportunities to develop their academic and professional skills. The following is on offer:

  • Aurora on the go: Experiencing Europe in Brussels (ARISE) (Bachelor, 5 ECTS, on-site: 7-11 April)
  • Lecture series on Climate Protection (Master, 2,5 ECTS, online between 5 March and 18 June)
  • Sport, Tourism & Sustainable Event Management (Master, 5 ECTS, on-site: 31 March - 4 April)

  You can find more information including scholarship opportunities here. The application deadline is 21 January 2025. You can apply directly at the partner university for this summer school, you do not need to be nominated by us. After you have been accepted, please reach out to erasmus@vu.nl to start your scholarship process. Please also inform outgoing@vu.nl that you have been selected for one of the courses. 

  Summer School in Copenhagen

  Copenhagen Business School (CBS) invites you to join them on a journey of learning and cultural exploration this upcoming summer. 

  The following courses are open for applications:

  • An Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship (7.5 ECTS, 3 weeks)
  • Social Entrepreneurship and Business Model Innovation (7.5 ECTS, 3 weeks)
  • Business Responses to Climate Change (2.5 ECTS, 2 weeks)
  • Permaculture: A regenerative solution for business, community, and lifestyle (2.5 ECTS, 2 weeks)

  All courses start on 23 June 2025. The deadline to apply is 14 February 2025. You can apply by filling in this form. You can find more information on this summer school and the scholarship opportunities here. 

  Aurora Mobility Fund

  VU Amsterdam has limited funds available to support Aurora Mobility. If you are selected for a course, training or summer school at one of our Aurora partner universities, you might be eligible for the Aurora Mobility Fund. 

• NAHSS - Netherlands Asia Honours Summer School

  Gain knowledge on China and Southeast Asia to keep up with the advancements in a rapidly globalizing world! Each year, the Netherlands-Asia Honours Summer School (NAHSS) grants a group of 70-100 ambitious students of all disciplines and Dutch universities the opportunity to participate in this dynamic programme and prepare students for the Asian academic world, business life and culture.

  NAHSS 2024 delegates will dive into this year’s theme Navigating Change by conducting a consultancy project for one of our partners, following lectures by Southeast Asia and China experts and participating in a summer school programme in Asia.

  The NAHSS wants to create a truly global, inclusive and diverse programme and therefore will not only invite Dutch but also English-speaking students from their Dutch partner universities to join them from this year onwards!

  The NAHSS is organising two country wide information sessions this winter, one on the 13th of December and one on the 19th of December. For more information about these sessions and to register, please have a look at this website. 

  Visit their website www.nahss.nl for more information and follow them on LinkedIn and Instagram to stay up to date.

• NWIB Summer School 2023 – Rome, Florence, Athens

  Are you a second or third year bachelor student that wants to look beyond the borders of your own field, work with students from other Dutch universities, and develop your academic skills? Fancy doing all this in beautiful Rome, Florence or Athens? 

  The NWIB, or Dutch Scientific Institutes Abroad in English, are scientific posts of Dutch universities particularly situated around the Mediterranean. The institutes aim to support and realise scientific education and research, and make a substantial contribution to raising the profile of Dutch higher education abroad. In collaboration with Utrecht University the institutes in Rome, Florence and Athens developed an interdisciplinary Summer School for bachelor students, connecting their expertise in (art) history, archaeology and cultural heritage to a wide range of contemporary societal issues. Think of the inherent tension between religious practice and the economic need for tourism, or the complexities surrounding the preservation and ownership of cultural heritage (e.g. the Parthenon Marbles). But we also explore innovative academic themes such as the relationship between art history and medical practice: Can looking at art make you a better doctor or veterinarian?

  More information about this summer school opportunity will be published soon. 

• Application procedure

  Some Summer Schools, including the 3 exchange Summer Schools mentioned above (KCL, SMU, SKKU), will require a nomination by VU Amsterdam in order to qualify for the discount or tuition fee waiver they offer to VU students. If other Summer Schools ask you to be nominated, please send an e-mail to outgoing@vu.nl with the request to do so. Please mention your name, student number, the Summer School you would like to participate in and the courses you wish you take.

  How to apply for King's College London, SMU, SKKU or the summer course at the University of Gothenburg
  
  If you would like to apply for one of the summer schools mentioned above, please fill in this form. Please note that the application deadline for SMU is on the 4th of March. You can find the application deadlines for the other summer schools above. 

  How to apply for an Aurora course:

  If you want to apply for an Aurora course, please fill in this form. 

  Please note
  
  * Even when the tuition fee for a Summer School is waived, you are still responsible for paying for all your personal costs, like in most cases accommodation, travel, visa, food and other personal expenses.
  * Register your stay abroad via My Dashboard (Apps > Study/internship abroad > Register internship/free mover abroad) after you have been accepted by the Summer School.

• Other summer and winter schools abroad

  VU Amsterdam cooperates with partner universities around the world and many of them offer a Summer School programme. As a VU student you can often get interesting discounts at our partner universities, which makes taking a Summer School very attractive.
  
  In the "Summer Schools 2023" PDF document above, we present Summer Schools from our partner universities, which are generally more affordable. There are, however, many more Summer Schools available in the world, this is not a complete overview and you are welcome to look into Summer Schools from other universities. For instance on this website for Summer Schools in Europe.
  
  To apply for other Summer and Winter Schools, please:
  
  * Check the application deadline for the Summer School of your choice
  * Check if you meet the requirements the programme asks for
  * Check if nomination by the VU International Office is required
  * If nomination is not required, you can apply directly on the website of the partner university
  * If you apply directly at the partner university, please still inform us at outgoing@vu.nl
  * You are always responsible for paying for all your personal costs, like accommodation, travel, visa, food and other personal expenses.
  * Register your stay abroad via My Dashboard (Apps > Study/internship abroad > Register internship/free mover abroad) after you have been accepted by the Summer School.