Admissions non-EEA students

Admission procedure for 2025-2026 for non-EU/EEA candidates

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

First admission round:

- For all non-EU/EEA applicants: submitting portfolio application online for assessment.

Second admission round:

- For all candidates: entrance examination. 

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

Application through Studielink starts in November

Application for our bachelor programme 2025-2026 starts in November . All candidates for our bachelor programme first have to apply through Studielink. So, 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. Participation in our admission procedure does not obligate you to study with us. 

Once you 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 (this is what you choose when you want to apply directly for the 2nd/3rd year 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.

Residence permit

Students from all non-EU/EEA countries are OBLIGED to apply for a residence permit through the International Office of the Gerrit Rietveld Academie to study in the full-time bachelor program. They cannot study in our part-time programme, unless they already have a valid residence permit for the Netherlands on other grounds, which allows for studying.

Non-EU/EEA students applying for 2024-2025 had to have a provable amount of €23,400.- on their bank account to apply for their residence permit!

More information about a residence permit.

Proof of English proficiency

Candidates are obliged to provide proof of English proficiency during the application process. We accept one of the three options explained below:

• Proof A = a copy of your European high school/secondary diploma, with English as exam subject, level B2 or higher - to be submitted before mid-July 2025, or in case proof A cannot be provided;
• Proof B = proof that English is your mother tongue and/or completed high school in a native-speaking country (high school diploma of native-speaking country) - to be submitted before mid-July 2025, or, in case proof A or B cannot be provided;
• Proof C = your valid Academic IELTS certificate, with minimum overall band score of 6.0, with at least 6.0 for Speaking - to be submitted by July 2025 if you participate in our online consultations for the first admission round. NOTE: If you do the first admission round through the online portfolio machine, proof C has to be submitted with your portfolio application before the portfolio deadlines that are mentioned below! WE DO NOT accept TOEFL or University of Cambridge ESOL Examination language tests as IELTS replacement!

NOTE: if you cannot provide proof A or B as described above, you are obliged to provide proof C. If you do the first admission round by submitting your portfolio application online through the portfolio machine, and you cannot provide proof A or B as described above, your proof C must be submitted before the portfolio application deadline - otherwise your portfolio application will not be taken into consideration!

Selection of works for the 1st admission round

For the 1st admission round through the online portfoliomachine 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 works, at least 20 pieces (but hopefully 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: 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, not only assignment-based work, but also 'free work' based on your own ideas.

1st admission round through portfolio-machine : submitting your portfolio

For the 1st admission round, all non-EU/EEA candidates have to submit a portfolio application for assessment in our online 'portfolio machine'. On the basis of the submitted portfolio application, the admissions committee will determine whether the candidate will be invited to participate in the entrance examination.

But first, you have to register through Studielink (see info above). Once you have registered through Studielink, you will receive automatic e-mails with information about the next steps and how to submit your portfolio application for assessment.

Portfolios for the Basicyear can be submitted in our online portfolio machine before the deadline in December (see below). 2nd/3rd year candidates can submit their portfolios from mid-December onwards until the deadline mentioned below. The guidelines for the selection of works that are outlined above, under Selection of works for the 1st admission round, also apply here.

NOTE: you can only apply for the 2nd year, if you completed at least 1 bachelor year of studies in fine arts/design successfully (by July 2025 at the latest).

Deadlines to submit your portfolio

For application 1st bachelor Basicyear fulltime 2025-2026, for non-EU/EEA applicants:

- PORTFOLIOMACHINE opens before mid-November.

- DEADLINE to submit your portfolio = 17 December 2024.

For applicaton 2nd/3rd year fulltime 2025-2026, for all applicants:

- PORTFOLIOMACHINE opens mid-January.

- DEADLINE to submit your portfolio for 2nd/3rd year = 1 March 2025!

We urge you to submit your portfolio application a.s.a.p., well before the deadline! Definitely do not wait until last-minute, to avoid missing the deadline due to unexpected technical problems. Only applications submitted before the deadline will be taken into consideration!

Second admission round: entrance examinaton

If you receive a positive assessment of your portfolio, you pass on to the second admission round; the entrance examination. After submitting the additional questionnaire in the Osiris application website, your participation in the 2nd round is guaranteed and your entrance exam will be scheduled.

Dates entrance exams

The entrance exams are scheduled in:

• the week of 17-21 March 2025 (& extra round iin the week of 14-17 April) - for candidates full-time Basicyear:
• the week of 14-17 April, 2025 (15 & 17 April) - for candidates DOGtime (extra round on 20-21 May);
• the week of 19-23 May, 2025 for 2nd/3rd programme year candidates full-time. NOTE: exact date varies per department.

Two weeks before the exam week, registered candidates who passed the first round successfully will receive all relevant information by e-mail. Candidates for the first bachelor course year will then also receive the home assignments.

Information about entrance exam

In principle, all candidates are required 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 exam.

NOTE: Candidates living outside of the EU, who are unable to attend the entrance exam in person, can send a request to do the entrance exam long-distance, to apply[at]rietveldacademie.nl (at least 3 weeks before the exam week).

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.

The result of the assessments will be sent by e-mail, within one month after the exam week.

Application for a higher year

In principle, all candidates who have studied at an art academy at bachelor level, and completed at least the 1st bachelor year of studies successfully (before their possible studies here), can apply for entrance into the 2nd (and by exception 3rd) year (instead of the 1st bachelor Basicyear). After successful participation in the entrance exam, you do have to complete your 1st bachelor year and submit proof of this in your application in Osiris, before the start of your possible studies here.

Code of conduct 

NL-scholarship for non-EU/EEA students

In cooperation with Nuffic, the Gerrit Rietveld Academie can award a total of 3 NL Scholarships (formerly known as 'Holland Scholarship') of 5,000 Euros to new bachelor students from outside of the EU/EEA.

During the application procedure for the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, candidates who passed the first admission round successfully, will receive an e-mail with an application form (before end April).

Questions? Contact: apply[at]rietveldacademie.nl