Admission procedure 2024-2025 for Dutch candidates

The admission procedure for the bachelor's programme of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie consists of two rounds:

First admission round:

- for Basicyear & DOGtime candidates: assessment of your work during online consultation interview;

- for full-time 2nd/3rd year candidates: assessment of your work after submitting your portfolio online;

Second admission round:

- For all candidates: the entrance examination.

For all information regarding these admission rounds, dates, deadlines, etc., scroll down in the text below.

Application through Studielink

Application for  our bachelor programme 2024-2025 is open. All candidates for our bachelor programme have to apply through Studielink first. To start your application, first go to the Studielink website: www.studielink.nl to read their guidelines to register. NOTE: once you've started an application, you can still decide to withdraw or change it and start an application for other academies too. So participation in our admission procedure does not obligate you to study with us. 

Once you are registered in Studielink, you have to start your application for our bachelor programme in Studielink, with the blue button 'Add new course'. Put 'Gerrit Rietveld Academie' in the search filter to find our courses (so do not search with 'basicyear' or the name of a specific department).

If you use the search filter 'Gerrit Rietveld Academie', you will generate the two choices below:

- Fine Arts & Design fulltime, or;

- Fine Arts & Design parttime (= DOGtime).

Select your choice for fulltime or parttime, and then you have to select the next choice:

- first year;

- advanced year (which you select if you want to apply for the 2nd/3rd year, directly into one of our departments).

NOTE: In Studielink, you cannot select a specific department! So you only choose for our bachelor fulltime or parttime, and for first year or advanced year. You will indicate your choice for a specific department after starting your application in Studielink, when you have to fill out the application questionnaire on the closed application page of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie. 

Once you started your application in Studielink, you will receive automatic e-mails with info about the next steps in your application process. If you are applying for a higher year, you will be asked to indicate your department choice on our closed application page.

Questions? Contact: apply[at]rietveldacademie.nl

First admission round: consultation interviews

Our regular online consultations for application 2024-2025 run from mid-November 2023 till mid-February 2024. NOTE: we offer a limited number of extra consultations after mid-February for late candidates!

Appointments can be booked by all Dutch applicants for the 1st bachelor Basicyear or for DOGtime (part-time 1st year or higher year) once Studielink is open for application, and maximally 3 weeks in advance only.

NOTE: To book an appointment, first, you have to register for our bachelor programme through Studielink. Once you have registered through Studielink, you will receive an automatic e-mail with the link to the appointment form. If no dates appear when selecting a week on the appointment form, it means all slots are fully booked in that week and you have to wait for a new week to be released on the form. New dates are released weekly on Fridays, around noon.

OUR ADVICE: don't wait too long and book your appointment before the X-mas break, so you have more time to prepare for the entrance exam and don't run the risk that all consultations are fully booked, and realizing that you are too late to participate in our admission procedure.

Which candidates should book a consultation appointment?

All Dutch candidates for the 1st bachelor Basicyear full-time, or DOGtime (part-time, 1st year or higher year) have to book a consultation appointment. Our regular consultations for 2024-2025 run from November 2023 till mid-February 2024. We'll offer extra consultations after mid-February!

NOTE: Dutch candidates who want to apply for the 2nd/3rd year full-time, have to submit a portfolio in our online portfolio machine for the first admission round (so no consultation appointment). Scroll down below, to First admission round: submitting your portfolio for info.

Book your consultation appointment

You can only book your consultation appointment after you completed your registration through Studielink.

Appointments can be booked maximally 3 weeks in advance only, and on the basis of availability.

What can you expect from the online consultation interview?

The online interview is conducted through Microsoft Teams with the aim to assess your possible suitability for our academy, which you will discuss with a teacher. You can show as much of your work as possible on camera (make sure you collected your work in the room with you before the interview), and in Teams you can also share files to show digital work.

If your work receives a positive assessment, you pass on to the second admission round; the entrance examination. To be scheduled for the entrance exam, you have to provide the required information and documentation in your Osiris application first.

ADVICE: we strongly advise you to study our complete website and at least take note of our academy philosophy (which can be found at menu option About) before participating in our first admission round.

To maximize your chances, we advise you not to wait too long, and book your consultation appointment before the Christmas break. The consultation teacher can give recommendations on how to prepare for the entrance examination (second round of the selection procedure). If you participate early, you have more time to prepare for the examination.

NOTE: 2nd/3rd year full-time candidates have to submit a portfolio application for the 1st round, instead of the consultation appointment (scroll down for info below).

Selection of works for the first admission round

For the 1st admission round (for both consultation and portfolio machine), please show a wide variety of visual work, as diverse as possible, preferably no older than three years. Do not just show final results: initial sketches, ideas and plans can also provide insight. Be sure to show plenty of work, at least 20 pieces (but possibly more!). These can be drawings, sketches, design sketches, sketch books, paintings, photographs, collages, graphics, textiles, garments, ceramics, items of jewellery, floor plans, models and, if applicable, texts (NOTE: at a later stage, texts will be assessed by the department Image & Language so the main focus will be on your visual work). NOTE: when applying for the basicyear, it is important to show work that is not too one-sided, so not only photography or only graphic work, but also 'free work'.

First admission round: submitting your portfolio

Dutch candidates applying for the 2nd or 3rd year full-time, have to submit their portfolio in our online portfolio machine, for assessment by the department you applied for. First, you have to register through Studielink and then you will receive automatic e-mails with information about the next steps and how to submit your portfolio application for assessment.

Deadline to submit your portfolio for 2nd/3rd year

PORTFOLIOMACHINE is available from 8 January.

DEADLINE to submit your portfolio application = 1 March 2024.

NOTE: for EU/EEA applicants this deadline is extended to 15 March 2024!

We do urge you to submit your portfolio well before the deadline! Definitely do not wait until last-minute, to avoid missing the deadline due to unexpected technical problems. 

Second admission round: the entrance examination (for all candidates)

After a positive assessment of your portfolio in the first admission round, you pass on to the second admission round; the entrance examination. Once you provided all the required information and documentation through the Osiris application page, your participation in the second round is guaranteed and your entrance exam will be scheduled.

Dates entrance exams

The entrance exams will be scheduled in:

  • the week of 18-22 March 2024 (extra round 15-19 April 2024) - for candidates full-time Basicyear;
  • the week of 15-19 April 2024 (16 & 18 April) - for candidates DOGtime (extra round 21-22 May 2024);
  • the week of 21-24 May 2024 - for 2nd/3rd full-time programme year candidates. NOTE: the exact date varies per department.

NOTE: approximately 2 weeks before the exam week, registered candidates who passed the first round successfully will receive all relevant information by email. Candidates for the first bachelor course year will then also receive the home assignments. 

Information about entrance exam

All candidates are obliged to attend their entrance exam in person at our academy in Amsterdam (on 1 morning or afternoon in the exam week). Bring an elaborate and diverse selection of your art/design work of the past 3 years, including the home assignments, to the entrance exam.

With your input during the entrance exam,  the admissions committee hopes to gather enough information about your visual abilities, your work and the various media you have worked with, your work process and outcome of the home assignments (if applicable), your motivation, background, sources of inspiration, expectations of the study programme, and the quality of your English communication, so we can get an idea of your possible suitability for our programme.

One month after the exam week, the exam results will communicated by e-mail.

Application for entrance into 2nd or 3rd bachelor year

In principle, all candidates who have studied at an art academy at bachelor level, and have completed the 1st bachelor year of studies successfully (before their possible studies here), can apply for entrance into the 2nd (or in exceptional cases the 3rd) year (instead of the 1st bachelor Basicyear). NOTE: in our bachelor program the 2nd year is the first department/specialization year of the 4 year full-time BA course.

After successful participation in the entrance exam, you do have to complete your 1st bachelor year of art/design studies and submit proof of this in your application in Osiris, before the start of your possible studies here.

 

Contact: apply[at]rietveldacademie.nl