Admissions
Application for the Orientation Course is available to Dutch and other EU/EEA-applicants (ranging from at least 16 to approximately 50 years of age).
You can apply for the Orientation Course 2026-2027 by filling out the application form here on our application portal. The admission interviews are scheduled on:
- Saturday afternoon, 6 June 2026, between 12.00 and 5.00 PM.
Application DEADLINE is: 1 May 2026.
After submitting your application, you'll receive an automatic e-mail confirmation with the home assignment and other relevant info.
PAY ATTENTION: students for this Saturday course are not eligible for Dutch study finance (Studiefinanciering), and attending the O-Course does not give you the right to apply for a Dutch residence permit. So, non-EU/EEA applicants can only be admitted to the O-Course if they already have a Dutch residence permit that is valid for the whole course period! You cannot apply for student visa on the basis of being admitted to this Saturday course!
Admission interview
The Orientation Course (on Saturday) is preceded by a selection round, for which you present a selection of your visual work, and the outcome of the home assigment during an interview with a course teacher. Next to the work, your motivation is crucial. The work you show may consist of, for example, sketches, doodles, photos, videos or three-dimensional work - in short, enough information on your visual capacities (at least 10 and no more than 30 pieces).
Course Fee
The 2025-2026 course fee is € 1,500.-.
NOTE: the course fee has to be paid in full before the start of the course and cannot be paid in instalments.
The Orientation Course is not part of our bachelor's program, so participants are not eligible to a student grant.
Info about the applicable Course Participant Charter can be found here (where you can download the Charter).
Time & dates 2025-2026
25 Saturday afternoons from 12pm - 5pm.
Class schedule for 2025-2026:
1. Saturday, 27 September 2025 (first class)
2. Saturday, 4 October 2025
3. Saturday, 11 October 2025
4. Saturday, 18 October 2025
(Autumn break)
5. Saturday, 1 November 2025
6. Saturday, 8 November 2025
7. Saturday, 15 November 2025
8. Saturday, 22 November 2025
9. Saturday, 29 November 2025
10. Saturday, 6 December 2025
11. Saturday, 13 December 2025
(Christmas break)
12. Saturday, 10 January 2026
13. Saturday, 17 January 2026
14. Saturday, 24 January 2026
15. Saturday, 31 January 2026
16. Saturday, 7 February 2026
17. Saturday, 14 February 2026
(Spring break)
18. Saturday, 7 March 2026
19. Saturday, 14 March 2026
20. Saturday, 21 March 2026
21. Saturday, 28 March 2026
(Easter weekend)
22. Saturday, 11 April 2026
23. Saturday, 18 April 2026
(May break)
24. Saturday, 9 May 2026
25. Saturday, 16 May 2026
Contact
For more information on application, admission and other practical matters, contact: apply[at]rietveldacademie.nl
For information on the Orientation Course, contact the head of the course, Marek van de Watering: marek.vandewatering[at]rietveldacademie.nl .