Frequently Asked Questions

Below are a few frequently asked questions we receive from incoming and prospective LLB students. If you ever have a question that you are having difficulty finding the answer to, incoming students can email our LLB Study Advisers at LLB rug.nl, and prospective students should fill in our information request form.

1. What does GPA mean?
GPA means Grade Point Average. This is the average of all the marks of your pre-university education. You cumulate all the marks you have, and divide this by the total number of marks. So if you for instance have 8 marks on your transcript of studies (2 sixes, 3 sevens, 1 eight and 2 nines, on a scale of 1 to 10), you will have to take the total of that (59) and divide that by the number of marks you have (8). Your GPA will then be 59 divided by 8, which is 7.3.

2. Are there any scholarship possibilities?
You can check the University of Groningen Grantfinder for scholarship possibilities.

3. How can I arrange my MVV, residence permit, and/or visa?
For full, and up-to-date information about all issues related to necessary permits and visas, please visit the visa and residence permit webpages of the university website, which are maintained by the Immigration Service Desk (ISD)

4. How can I find accommodation?
The University of Groningen does not have a campus, nor offers dormitories for student acommodation. All students are responsible for securing their own accommodation for the duration of their studies. You can find more information and advise about accomodation here.

5. What about health insurance?
For more information about health insurance, please read here.

6. When will I be registered at the University?
Please follow the instructions in the Step-by-step guide for incoming LLB students to register for your studies.

7. How much will the living costs be?
Living expenses for international students can vary based on choice of accommodation and personal preferences and needs. However, you can find a rough estimate of living costs for international students in Groningen here.

8. Can I get a part-time job in Groningen?
Part-time jobs can be hard to find in Groningen, especially when you do not speak Dutch. Many students try to find jobs here, but there is no guarantee that they will be successful in finding a position. Please keep this in mind while calculating your financial situation for studying. Enrolled students seeking assistance and advice about employment after graduation can always contact the Careers Services Law.

9. What is the difference between a ‘Universiteit’ and ‘HBO’?
In the Netherlands, the higher education system holds two different kinds of education: academic education within research universities (in Dutch called an ‘universiteit’) and professional education within universities of applied science (in Dutch called ‘hogeschool’ or ‘HBO’). The difference lies in the type of education offered and in most cases also in the degree awarded. It is not always made very explicit if a school is a research university or university of applied science. The best indicator will be the length of the programme. Research universities (such as the University of Groningen) will offer 3-year bachelor programmes and these programmes typically meet the educational requirements for admission to master programmes. However, a university of applied science will offer 4-year bachelor programmes, and these programmes do not always meed educational requirements for admission to master programmes at research universities. In order to qualify for education requirments for admission to master programmes with a bachelor’s degree from a university of applied science, students usually have to participate in a pre-master programme. These pre-master programmes usually take one year.

10. What is the difference between the English-taught LLB programme International and European Law and the Dutch-taught stream Internationaal en Europees Recht in the bachelor programme Rechtsgeleerdheid (‘Law’)?
The programmes are far from the same, as Internationaal en Europees Recht-specialization within the general Dutch Law programme is based on national (Dutch) law and gives access to the bar and the judiciary in the Netherlands (after also completing a Master's degree programme). The English-taught LLB is based on conceptual law rather than national law, and therefore doe not give direct access to the bar or judiciary in any specific country. As one can imagine, it is impossible to teach Dutch law in English, so all fields of law are taught in the LLB programme, but only on a conceptual basis. This also means that one will be trained to become a diplomat or work for an international (non)-governmental organization, or a company for instance.

Dutch students who would like to keep the option open to enter the bar of judiciary in the Netherlands are strongly recommended to participate in the Dutch-taught programme.