Application process

Students are required to have successfully obtained a secondary school diploma which allows entry to an academic university. Therefore, students need to obtain a Dutch VWO diploma or international equivalent before gaining entry to the programme. The table below shows the most common secondary school diplomas that are considered equivalent to the Dutch VWO diploma:

Since English is the official language at University College Groningen, applicants are required to demonstrate proof of their English language proficiency. The following exemptions apply from demonstrating English language proficiency:

If you do not meet the requirements listed above, one of the tests indicated below will provide proof of English proficiency. These tests will always be accepted by UCG as proof of English proficiency (provided that the minimum score was obtained). Minimum required scores for these tests are:

*Indication for the required scores communicated to applicants. The minimum scores in the TOEFL range will not lead to a sufficient overall score.

Please keep in mind that:

• The TOEFL and IELTS test scores cannot be older than two years;
• You may already apply for our BA/BSc in Liberal Arts and Sciences, even though you have not yet taken an English language test or while your test score is still insufficient. In that case, you might be conditionally admitted with one of the conditions for final admission being that you take and pass a (new) test. Please inform the Admissions Office of the date on which you are planning to take such a test;
• If you need to take one of the above-mentioned tests, you are responsible for making your own arrangements and pay any fee required. As it will take some time for the results to become available, make sure you sign up for an English language proficiency test well in advance before the start of the academic year. Make sure that there is enough time for the results to reach UCG, to make sure that you have the possibility to retake the test if the results are disappointing.

Submission of test results:

• IELTS: a scan of the score report can be uploaded in Progress. We can verify the score online;
• TOEFL: initially, a scan of the score report can be uploaded in Progress. If you are admitted, we need to receive the original score report. Please ask the Educational Testing Service to send it to us, using institution code 7191;
• Cambridge Certificate: initially, a scan of the score report can be uploaded in Progress. If you are admitted, we need to receive a certified copy of the certificate.

All applications to Higher Education institutes in the Netherlands start in Studielink. Both the University and the Dutch government obtain their information from Studielink, so it is vital that your personal information is accurate and always up to date.

• Studielink asks for your background information, your previous education and the programmes you want to enrol in.

• UCG is not a draw programme, therefore you are able to enrol in other programmes as a back up option as well (up to 4);
• Select the starting date: of your choice 1 September or 1 February

How to login

Depending on your nationality there are different procedures to go through:

In case you experience any trouble with your Studielink application, please contact the Student Information and Administration desk.

After applying for our programme via Studielink, you have to pay the application fee and you will receive an invitation (link & password) to Progress. Progress is the University of Groningen's enrolment software where we collect all your data, documents and motivation for applying to the programme. We will not be able to review your application without a complete application in Progress and without the application fee payment. You will receive an overview of the required application documents via email after your Studielink application.

Please note that you can already submit your application before finishing your final exams, so there is no need to wait until you have officially graduated!

Motivation video

Video instructions

You are requested to submit a video of a minimum three (3) and maximum of five (5) minutes where you respond to three mandatory questions (see below). 

You should present yourself in a way that is unique to you but also appealing to the viewer: the Board of Admissions. We encourage applicants to develop a coherent and clear narrative in a way that is creative and engaging. You are free to use editing/animation as you wish but we must see you speaking, at some point, in the video.

Mandatory Questions (be specific and use examples throughout):

What motivates you to study Liberal Arts and Sciences and what attracts you to UCG? (Make sure to explain how the LAS programme and UCG are a good match for you) 

What are your academic interests and/or aspirations? (Make sure to clearly outline your academic interests and/or aspirations. To answer this well you need to show what you know specifically about our programme. For example, are there any particular UCG courses you are interested in or topics you would like to explore further?)

What are you proud of and/or passionate about? (Make sure to give a good impression of who you are, what you stand for and/or what your passions are)

After applying for our programme via Studielink, you have to submit an Admission Request. This Admission Request will be reviewed by our Board of Admissions and will be used to determine if you are meeting the entry requirements of the bachelor in Liberal Arts and Sciences. We will not be able to review your application without a complete Admission Request.

Please note that you can already submit your application before finishing your final exams, so there is no need to wait until you have officially graduated!

Required application documents

• Proof of your English proficiency (only needed if you will not/did not obtain a 7+ on VWO English)
• Motivation video
• Up to date CV

Motivation video

Video instructions

You are requested to submit a video of a minimum three (3) and maximum of five (5) minutes where you respond to three mandatory questions (see below). 

You should present yourself in a way that is unique to you but also appealing to the viewer: the Board of Admissions. We encourage applicants to develop a coherent and clear narrative in a way that is creative and engaging. You are free to use editing/animation as you wish but we must see you speaking, at some point, in the video.

Mandatory Questions (be specific and use examples throughout):

What motivates you to study Liberal Arts and Sciences and what attracts you to UCG? (Make sure to explain how the LAS programme and UCG are a good match for you) 

What are your academic interests and/or aspirations? (Make sure to clearly outline your academic interests and/or aspirations. To answer this well you need to show what you know specifically about our programme. For example, are there any particular UCG courses you are interested in or topics you would like to explore further?)

What are you proud of and/or passionate about? (Make sure to give a good impression of who you are, what you stand for and/or what your passions are)

After receiving your offer, you have to accept it as soon as possible. Please note that we work on a first come, first served basis and full = full.

For the academic year 2025-2026 we have 150 available places. These places are reserved for the first 150 applicants who send us their signed Confirmation of Participation (CoP) statement; a document that applicants receive after they pass the selection procedure. Applicants will hear if they are among the first 150 (and are therefore given a guaranteed spot) after sending the signed CoP. Offers will be made as qualified students apply for the programme. Once the 150 spots are filled, UCG will maintain a waitlist and distribute spots once they become available.

After accepting you offer (and receiving a guaranteed spot), you have to meet the conditions linked to your offer. You are required to send certified copies of your diploma, transcript and English proficiency to the Admissions Office. Please note that these requirements are different for every applicant, make sure to pay close attention to the conditions, deadlines and requirements as stated in your Decision Letter.

Dutch law requires that your file contains certified copies of the qualifications on the basis of which you have been admitted. A certified copy is a duplicate of the original diploma and transcript, which bears an original stamp, signature, and date placed by an authorized institution/individual (e.g. notary or school official). By certifying a copy like this, the authorized institution/individual declares that the information on the document is correct and/or corresponds to the information on the original document (e.g. when you send a certified copy of your diploma). Therefore, regular copies as well as scans via e-mail are not sufficient.

Please send the required certified copies to the following address:

University of Groningen
Admissions Office
Broerstraat 5
9712 CP Groningen
The Netherlands

Need a hand? Contact the UCG admissions office via: newstudents.ucg@rug.nl

After accepting your offer you are officially an Offer Holder at University College Groningen! This means that you can already look forward to visiting us during the Offer Holder Day. Keep in mind that the Offer Holder day is only for students who are starting in September.

Offer Holder Day

• Online Offer Holder Event: 6 March 2025 from 19:00 - 21:00 CET
• Offer Holder Day: 16 June 2025 - all afternoon

What is the Offer Holder Day?

To give you a taste of what it is like to be a student at UCG, you will be invited to our Offer Holder Day. During the Offer Holder Day, you will tour the UCG campus, our student housing and you will participate in an activity to get to know the city of Groningen.

You will attend a lecture from one of our academics and you will be introduced to our project work in an interactive workshop. You will also have lunch with our academic staff, UCG students and UCG's study Association Caerus.

During the Online Offer Holder Day, you will meet your future classmates and other members of the UCG community in a fun online event!

These days are perfect to experience what it is like to study at University College Groningen and meet your future classmates! You will receive more specific event details later on.

Fee for multiple applications

In case you apply for more than one programme in one academic year, know that you only need to pay the fee once.

Exemptions

The application fee will be waived for:

• students who are applying on the basis of a Dutch diploma
• students who have refugee status in the Netherlands
• students who are applying for an Erasmus Mundus programme
• students who are applying for a Double Degree programme and whose prior university has already evaluated their diploma. These students will be informed of this in their application instructions

If any of these exemption conditions apply to you, you will receive instructions on how to register your exemption in the email containing the payment link for other students, which you will receive within a few working days after you have applied in Studielink.

How to pay the application fee

After you have submitted your application via Studielink, you will receive an email with a payment link.

After paying the application fee, you will still need to complete your application in Progress before the deadline.

Please note: we can only start reviewing your file after this fee has been received on time.

Deadline complete application

As soon as we have received your payment of the application fee, we will confirm its receipt by email to you and start processing your application. The deadline for completing your payment is 1 May. After this date we will no longer process incomplete or unpaid applications.