Skills and experiential learning

The Amsterdam Law Firm (ALF) skills education in the Bachelor’s programme is small-scale and intensive — and therefore expensive. For that reason, it is being reduced. From next year onwards, first-year students will receive 2 hours of skills training per week instead of 4. By restructuring ALF, the teaching will become less labour-intensive for both lecturers and students.

The Amsterdam Law Practice (ALP) programme in the Master’s degree will also become less intensive. Fewer clinics will be offered, and temporarily there may be fewer moot courts available. Some ALP courses will be replaced by less labour-intensive variants, and a number of elective courses will be discontinued.

Pressure on lecturers

Most lecturers combine teaching with research. Because of the budget cuts, there is less and less time available for research — even though it is an essential part of their role.

At the same time, there are fewer lecturers available, while the total number of teaching hours remains the same. This leads to a high workload, as providing high-quality education continues to be the standard. You, as a student, can help by attending lectures and tutorials, and by participating actively. This ensures that the available teaching time is used effectively.

Lecture rooms

Perhaps you have attended a lecture in the Carré or DeLaMar Theatre — a special experience, but also an expensive one. Since hiring external venues is costly, lectures will in principle now take place in the University of Amsterdam’s own facilities. These lecture rooms may be more crowded than you are used to. Despite the busier setting, the lecture room remains the place where you will get the most out of your studies.

Reduced support

You may notice longer waiting times for appointments with study advisers, as their capacity is limited. Specific career guidance for law students is no longer available either, but you can still make use of the UvA Career Centre.

Do you have a short question for a study adviser? Use the online drop-in session (every Tuesday and Friday from 10:00 to 11:00) or the on-site drop-in session (every Monday and Thursday from 10:00 to 11:00). This way, you can get quick assistance, and the longer appointments remain available for students who really need them.

Read more about the University of Amsterdam and the budget cuts in higher educationExternal link.