Orientation

To make an informed decision about the destinations you would prefer, you need to collect as much information as possible, including the entry requirements. A good starting point is the page Orientation on an exchange programme.

One procedure, one deadline

Applying for an exchange has been made easier. We now have one procedure and one deadline for all of the UvA's exchange destinations. 

Opportunities: three rounds, with five destinations per round

In one academic year, you will have three chances to apply for an exchange in the upcoming academic year. In each application round, you can register for up to five destinations. This should allow us to offer exchange opportunities to more students. For a comprehensive explanation and all restrictions surrounding this procedure, please go to "Check your possible destinations" on our Orientation page.

Important dates

There are 4 important dates per round for an exchange in 2025-2026. The first is the starting date of the application period. The second is the closing date of the application period. After that, we will make you an offer of an exchange destination. The last date is the deadline for accepting or rejecting the offer.

How to apply

First, choose a maximum of five destinations for the next round of your application. Then, be sure to check the entry requirements and possible language requirements. Also, check out the courses you wish to attend. The last step is to fill out the application form.

Approval and GPA requirement

We will check to see if you meet the entry requirements of the UvA and the selected universities after the closing date of the application period. The reference date for checking GPAs (if applicable) is the day after the closing date. The first working day after closing of the application round, your weighted SIS GPA of all obtained courses and obtained ECTS at the UvA will be assessed for all candidates who have submitted an application. Based on this check, your Faculty International Office will either approve or decline your application per destination. All approved destinations will be considered for the draw.

Please note: there is an exception to the GPA calculation. If your GPA is negatively affected by a previous study programme which you discontinued at the UvA, we will not include these grades in your grade point average. Without these grades, you must meet the GPA requirement.

Draw

To make sure the process is fair, we use a draw to allocate destinations to students who meet the entry requirements. You will be entered into the draw for all of your approved destinations.

• We carry out the draw by allotting numbers randomly to all students who have entered.
• The order of the draw is also the order in which we allocate destinations. We will start with the entrant who draws number one.
• First, we will check what the first available destination is out of the maximum of five entered destinations. If it is indeed available, we allocate it to entrant number one.
• Next, we will repeat this process for each following entrant, starting with number two, then number three, and so on.

On exchange for the second time

Students who wish to go on exchange for the second time during the same phase of their study programme, will receive lower priority in placement. There will be a second draw for this group of students. This means that a student could go on exchange multiple times during their Bachelor's and/or Master's phase, but will always receive a higher draw number than a student who has not yet been on exchange. You will be informed in the application form if this applies to you. Have you already been on exchange during your Bachelor's and wish to go on exchange during your Master's as well? Then we don't count the previous exchange.

Accepting or rejecting the offer 

Keep the important dates in mind to see by when you need to accept or reject the offer for your exchange destination.

• You can only accept once; this will be your exchange destination. Once you have accepted, you cannot enter a subsequent round.
• If you reject the offer, you can enter the next round.
• Always respond to an offer. If you do not respond, you cannot enter the next rounds.

Regulations allocation exchange places

Do you want to know exactly how the allocation process with our partner universities works? Then please consult the official regulations the UvA usesExternal link for allocating outgoing exchange places.

Your exchange, step by step

1. Orientation
2. Application (you are on this page)
3. What to do before departure
4. Financial support
5. What to do after your return