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Amsterdam University of the Arts

Netherlands Netherlands

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Overview

Overview

Amsterdam University of the Arts (shortened to AHK from its Dutch name, Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten) is in the historic city of Amsterdam, a place that’s been a home for some of the world’s most famous artists over the years. At AHK, there are six globally recognised academies and over 100 courses and programmes in specialist subjects.

 

AHK has a great reputation with employers and students, including international students. Courses are offered in Dutch and English, so students from all over the globe can settle in easily to life at AHK. The university aims to prepare every person who attends for a successful creative career (in Amsterdam or anywhere else in the world).

 

Students have access to some of the best studios, laboratories and libraries in Europe. Each of the six academies has its own beautiful building that matches Amsterdam’s architectural style. The classrooms and lecture theatres are comfortable and modern, mixing perfectly with great teaching to create an unbeatable learning experience. Tutors and lecturers know as much about theory as they do about practical skills, so students get the best of both worlds.

 

AHK students are also always fully supported by the institution. Academic student support services are available, but so are physical and mental health services, careers services and financial aid and guidance services. Nobody at AHK ever has to feel alone or unheard, as they’ll always have one resource or another to turn to for help.

 

While student accommodation is competitive at AHK, Amsterdam city life is never far away, so there are plenty of cheap options to explore. Plus, scholarships and bursaries are offered to many international students. These bring the cost of living down, either awarding impressive academic achievement or responding to clear financial hardship.

 

AHK is a young university, but it’s already grown a lot. The AHK site is surrounded by the great stories of Amsterdam and filled with amazing learning facilities. The university wants all its students to feel welcome and will help them to build a life for themselves in the Netherlands or abroad. If learning about the arts in a place with lots of culture and history appeals, AHK is one of the best options available.

 

Teaching Quality

 

According to the QS World University Rankings, art and design subjects at AHK rank in the global top 100. It’s one of the best art schools in Europe, with some of the most famous courses of study in the Netherlands. High-quality teaching is the standard, and tutors help students to find their voice and improve their skills, turning amateur artists into creative talents.

 

AHK is a small university with 699 faculty members and around 4,000 students currently enrolled. Every student gets focused support from their teachers, and class sizes are small, which only adds to the guaranteed teaching quality on offer across all AHK courses.

 

Students are given all the experience and knowledge they need to succeed in their chosen artistic career paths. They always have access to varied, quality teaching that improves their practice and prepares them for professional life. Many students at this institution have been nominated for/won the famous Archiprix NL Award. In 2014, an Academy of Architecture graduate named Donna van Milligen Bielke won the Prix De Rome Award for her work (another highly respected art award in the Netherlands).

 

Entry Requirements

 

To apply for admission at AHK, students will need to meet certain university entry requirements. Some entry requirements will change from programme to programme and academy to academy, but others will be more general university requirements, like:

 

  • A pre-university education to the right level for admission
  • A university education to the right level for admission (in the case of postgraduate applicants)
  • A minimum language proficiency level in Dutch and/or English

 

Equivalent university qualifications are listed on the AHK website. University entry requirements for postgraduate applicants will be more complicated at the level of an Associate Degree (AD) programme, so research into individual programmes is recommended. As mentioned above, the different academies at AHK can have different entry requirements. They may also have different language skill requirements and application processes.

 

English Score Required

 

The English language requirements for international students at AHK change depending on the programme they’re studying and the academy they’re studying at. Undergraduate applicants will need a minimum International English Language Testing System (IELTS) overall band score of 6. Postgraduate applicants will need a minimum overall band score of 6.5, but certain courses and schools at AHK will request a different score/have different language needs.

 

For example, the Academy of Architecture requires all students to be able to demonstrate a command of the English language at Level B2 (explained in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Meanwhile, all the programmes at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam are taught in Dutch and English, so students must show their ability in both languages. The IELTS scores required for entry for international students are as follows:

 

  • An overall band score of 5 for preliminary training programmes
  • An overall band score of 6 for bachelor’s programmes
  • An overall band score of 6 for master’s programmes
  • An overall band score of 6 for associate degree programmes

 

The language of instruction across a lot of the bachelor’s level courses at AHK is Dutch. To study these courses, international applicants will also have to prove their Dutch language ability. Both bachelor’s and master’s students must achieve a Pass grade in the NT2-II exam to do this.

 

Admission

 

The admission process for AHK changes between academies. In most cases, the student admission journey includes one or more rounds of auditions, an entrance exam or the assessment of an applicant’s portfolio.

 

AHK applicants register for their chosen courses via the university’s Studielink portal. This is always the starting point, though the process will be different for different applicants. For example, the Reinwardt Academy is the only school that doesn’t require students to sit entrance exams. Instead, they complete a study choice check.

 

Once students have chosen their course, applied to AHK officially and completed their half of the university admission process, decisions will be made about their applications by the university. In full, the admission journey from choosing a course to arriving in Amsterdam will follow this path for an international applicant:

 

  1. They will apply for a visa (all students from a non-EU background will need a residence permit and possibly a study visa for entry into the Netherlands).
  2. They will create a Studielink account.
  3. They will apply.
  4. If offered a place, they will accept the place, enrol and pay their tuition fees.
  5. They will receive a MyAHK account after registration and upload a passport picture for their student ID card.
  6. They will arrive in the Netherlands, get a final residence permit, pick up their student ID and register at the City Registry.

 

Tuition fees at AHK vary from course to course. They’re also different for domestic and international students, and figures rise depending on whether an international student is from an EEA country or not. Students are advised to check the AHK website for further information, but the annual cost for an international student is EUR 5,360 to 8,726 at the undergraduate level, rising to a maximum of 9,726 at the postgraduate level.

 

Scholarships & Funding

 

AHK wants to welcome creative, talented and inspired artists from around the world. To support international applicants with higher fees, the university offers four excellent scholarships to students from non-EU and non-EEA countries. In most cases, these university scholarships don’t offer full funding, but they can still help to reduce fees a lot. One example is the Holland Scholarship, worth EUR 5,000 and awarded based on academic merit and artistic talent. Eligible students should:

 

  • Be unable to pay their tuition and experiencing financial hardship
  • Have a non-EEA background
  • Have applied for an English-taught bachelor’s or master’s programme at AHK
  • Meet the admission requirements for the programme they have applied for

 

Other options for international students include the Orange Tulip Scholarship, which is available to master’s students from countries including Brazil, Indonesia, India and Mexico (a full list of countries is available on the AHK website). Also, there’s the Orange Knowledge Programme, offered by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and available to master’s students studying applied museum and heritage studies.

 

There’s also the Talent Grant, which is awarded to students who are from a non-EEA country and need financial assistance/students who are delayed in completing their studies. The Talent Grant, like the Holland Scholarship, is awarded based on academic merit and directly reduces tuition fees for one year to bring them in line with the lower fees that EU and domestic students pay to study at AHK.

 

University Structure

 

AHK is an arts institution made up of six different academies. All of the academies contain a number of study programmes and research groups, and they’re all based in and around central Amsterdam. In full, the academies at AHK, across which the university's undergraduate, postgraduate and preparatory courses are organised, are:

 

  • The Academy of Architecture
  • The Breitner Academy
  • The Conservatorium van Amsterdam
  • The Netherlands Film Academy
  • The Reinwardt Academy
  • The Academy of Theatre and Dance

 

The largest AHK academy is the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, which offers 20 courses (both full-time and part-time) relating to music and fine art. The Conservatorium is where students will study the university’s famous master’s degree programme in museum and heritage studies, for example.

 

The Academy of Theatre and Dance has 19 programmes across these areas. It’s one of the best dance schools in the Netherlands, and its popular courses are respected across Europe. Students at the Academy of Theatre and Dance have some of the best faculty members in the country, as well as some of the best learning facilities.

 

The research groups at AHK are managed through the Research Centre, which is a great source of academic/resourcing support for students. Plus, qualified and talented researchers can share their findings through the Research Centre as they’re made, increasing the amount of expertise and evidence-based information students have access to during their studies.

 

Facilities

 

The facilities on offer to students at AHK are designed to give them the best chance of academic and personal success. Each academy has its own amazing library, a student activity centre for studying, filled with physical and digital resources (all relevant to the individual academy’s fields of study). From books to sheet music, it’s all available at AHK, and a student will always be able to access what they need for their education.

 

There are some lecture theatres and traditional classrooms at AHK, but there are also lots of studios, laboratories and workshops to support unique and specialised student needs. Students at schools like the Academy of Theatre and Dance, especially, get a very practical and hands-on learning experience.

 

The AHK Makerspace is one of the most popular academic student activity centres. Here, students can work with laser cutters and 3D printers. The Netherlands Film Academy has a range of industry-standard hireable AV equipment to support student learning and experimentation. Just as a student will always be able to access the books they need at AHK, they’ll always be able to access the facilities and equipment they need.

 

When class is over, there are also lots of available student recreation centres across the academies, including bars and restaurants in the surrounding area, like the Temple Bar and Deyacos Restaurant and Bar (which serves everything from breakfast to Argentinian steak and Italian classics).

 

Students in the busy city of Amsterdam will never be bored, and they’ll always be able to find a new adventure to enjoy at any time of the day or night. It’s the perfect student experience for anyone who would love to balance extracurricular fun with a high-quality, professional-standard arts education in the classroom.

 

Accommodation

 

Finding university accommodation in Amsterdam isn’t an easy job, but AHK does everything it can to make the student accommodation search as simple and easy as possible. It works with a range of other universities and housing associations, and advice about the process is always available to students — especially international students who might experience more confusion and cultural adjustment.

 

The Student Hotel is one of the best accommodation options for international students. It has over 700 rooms, and while permanent residence isn’t possible, students can stay for terms between one week and 10 months. Students will get a private room, a private bathroom, shared quiet workspaces, a shared gym, shared laundry facilities and 24-hour security.

 

International students can apply for a student house through Housing Anywhere, renting private apartments for between EUR 800 and 3,500 monthly. Housing Anywhere features a range of student-friendly shared and private rooms across the city of Amsterdam, so students can find what they’re looking for, whether they’re searching for a busy city experience or a quiet life in the suburbs.

 

There are also many private rental companies to explore, like ROOM (which houses students in Amsterdam, Delft, The Hague, Deventer, Leiden, Haarlem and Wageningen). Plus, international students can connect with the De Key housing association, which has over 30 rooms on offer.

 

Student Support

 

Each AHK academy offers a full student support programme to its students, including mental health counselling, academic guidance, financial advice and all other necessary student support services. The Student Affairs department is always around to help students with administrative and practical student services, and it’s the perfect place for international students to turn as they find housing and settle into Dutch life.

 

Students can access coaching support one-on-one with a student guide, talking through stress and time management problems. There are then many academic resources designed to offer further student support, like the Conservatorium van Amsterdam’s study guides.

 

At AHK, the focus is on caring for students and making sure they all know exactly what to expect. The university understands, across all academies, that a successful and interested student is a student who feels happy and heard. This includes well-designed processes for student complaints against certain courses/lecturers, which protect student anonymity and improve the student experience.

 

Graduate Outcomes

 

Students who graduate from AHK can expect great job prospects and exciting creative careers. Alumni have gone on to work on a wide variety of performances, exhibitions, films, music projects and more, and the university wants all its students, no matter their background or home country, to have the same opportunities.

 

The QS World University Rankings 2022 put AHK’s Academic Reputation at 59.4 per cent and its Employer Reputation at 61.8 per cent. AHK graduates leave with skills, drive and vision, delivering great results to their employers. With specialist training from career guides, academic advisors and expert tutors, students can be fully prepared for their future professional path before they even reach graduation.

 

Many of the AHK academies and programmes list the career services offered on their dedicated web pages. For example, the architecture master’s programme explains that students will be given all the right skills to work as an architect not just in the Netherlands but around the world, and there will also be chances to work with other disciplines across the design field.

 

Many of the projects created by graduates from AHK are displayed at the university, showing current students all the artistic skills and possible future journeys available to them. Career options are wide open, and they’re only opened up further by the full list of supportive AHK career services.

 

Employment services on offer include everything from career coaching to networking events to essential skills workshops (for things like interview techniques and CV writing). AHK is dedicated to helping students make a life for themselves after graduation, and it prepares them for their profession in and out of the classroom.

 

Any student with a clear artistic vision who wants to study in one of the most historic cities in northern Europe should look no further than AHK. Its disciplines, faculties and facilities are some of the best available among other arts universities and institutions across the globe. 

Subjects you can study at Amsterdam University of the Arts

  • Creative Arts and Design Creative Arts and Design
  • Humanities Humanities
  • Social Studies and Media Social Studies and Media
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Key facts and figures at Amsterdam University of the Arts

Student life in numbers

COSTS PER YEAR
LIVING COSTS

€5,640

CAMPUS ACCOMMODATION

€6,180

AVERAGE TUITION FEE PER YEAR

UNDERGRADUATE

€4,875

POSTGRADUATE

€6,280

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