In & around the academy

Students enjoy a lot of freedom and autonomy at the academy, this has given birth to strong student initiatives and a small but tight-knit community within the school. Students are regularly on campus together and outside campus together. Amsterdam provides a great backdrop to make friends and strong relationships.

Student initiatives

There are many student unions in the academy. There are new groups being made all the time but some that are already active are, The Black student Union, The Student Council, The asian union, The Garden Department and the Rietveld Football club.

Student life in Amsterdam

Amsterdam has around 870,000 inhabitants, it has all the advantages of a major metropolitan centre while retaining a cosy, small-scale feel. Riding a bike is an essential part of life in Amsterdam, and because of the size of the city everything can be reached in around 20 minutes by bike, depending on how fast you are. Like most European capitals Amsterdam is quite expensive, both in housing and daily costs such as food and clothes. But there are many cheap alternatives in the city.

There are many museums and shops and attractions in Amsterdam, there's also many parks and canals to go and spend time in. There's lots of swimming to be done in the summer, and sometimes in the winter you can ice skate on the canals. The Netherlands is a very small country as well so you are only ever a short trip on the train to a beach or forest or another city.