How to apply for an exchange 2026/2027?

In February, all partner institutes with which we have a contract will receive an email to nominate their students for an exchange at Gerrit Rietveld. The nomination deadline is April 6th, 2026, 10 AM. 

Nominated students will receive information on where to upload their portfolio and motivation before April 15th 2026.  Students will have the time until April 27th 2026, 10 AM to upload the required documents.  

If the partner institute has not received the invitation to nominate their students, please contact the international office: international@rietveldacademie.nl 

Application deadlines for Fall AND Spring semester 2026-2027

  • April 6, 2026, 10 AM: All students have to be nominated by the international office of our partner institutes before April 6th. See the email sent to all partners for the link. 
  • April 7-15, 2026: Students will receive an email with a link to upload all required documents.   
  • April 27, 2026, 10 AM: Deadline for students to upload all required documents.

    NOTE: an exchange at our Fine Arts and Architectural Design departments is only possible in the 1st semester. 

The Portfolio Application in OSIRIS  

  • A short motivation of max. 300 words: Why would the student like to go on an exchange at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie? Why do they choose this department? What are their goals/expectations for the exchange period?
  • A portfolio: a varied selection of design/art works of the past three years. One PDF document, max. 50 MB.
  • 1-minute selfie: The students can show one of their works in the room/space where they work and tell something about it. A directly accessible URL on YouTube or Vimeo. 
  • If applicable: a website, audio/video files. 
  • Copy of the most recent official and certified academic transcript from the home institution. If the official academic documents are in a language other than English, we will require an official English translation of the documents (including grades and grading scheme). 
  • Copy of Passport: The Passport/ID card must have at least 6 months' validity beyond the end of the exchange program. Please note that you should commence your passport renewal if your passport is due to expire before December 2026. 

Conditions

  • You are studying as a bachelor student at one of the art academies with which the Gerrit Rietveld Academie has an exchange agreement
  • You have written permission from your academy to apply for an exchange semester
  • Your portfolio is complete and submitted prior to the deadline
  • Your portfolio is approved by our admissions board
  • For non-EU candidates, it is compulsory to apply for a residence permit via the International Office of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie (you can find more information here).
  • You submitted a proof of English proficiency. See the section below for more information.

Proof of English proficiency

Candidates need to provide proof of English proficiency during the application process. We accept:

  • a copy of your European high school/secondary school diploma, with English as exam subject (before 1 May 2025)
  • or your Academic IELTS certificate, with minimum overall band score of 6.0, with at least 6.0 for Speaking (IELTS before 1 May 2026) at the latest, or
  • or proof that English is your mother tongue (f.e. a copy of your passport, or high school diploma of English speaking country), which has to be submitted with your portfolio application.

NOTE: we do not accept TOEFL!