Whether you're a Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD student, or a working professional, our courses are designed to fit your needs and provide you with valuable skills and knowledge that will benefit you for years to come. Our one and two-week summer courses are small-scale, taught in English and cover multiple themes. We have everything from Business Data Analysis to Buddhist Mindfulness, or perhaps you want to expand your coding knowledge to create art. You can even combine more than one course to cover a whole month of learning. But that's not all - at VU Amsterdam Summer School, we understand that learning goes beyond the classroom. That's why we offer exciting social activities and comfortable accommodation options to enhance your experience and allow you to make lifelong connections with like-minded individuals from all over the world.

Who can apply?

The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) Summer School is open to Undergraduate, Postgraduate Taught and Postgraduate Research students.

Courses offered

VU Amsterdam Summer School offers teaching in a variety of unique and challenging short courses that cover a range of exciting subject areas. There are 33 courses to choose to choose from and the course catalogue can be found below. Please note, as part of the Exchange Agreement between both universities, students are only able to register for one 2-week course.

Programme dates

The VU Amsterdam are offering 3 sessions which are between 1 and 4 weeks in length. The dates of each course vary and the session dates are as follows: Session 1: Saturday 4th July 2026 - Saturday 18th July 2026 Session 2A: Sunday 19th July 2026 - Sunday 2nd August 2026 Session 2B: Sunday 19th July 2026 - Sunday 26th July 2026 Students will be able to choose one 2-week course. Course dates can be found in the link above.

Application deadlines

If you wish to apply for a place at VU Amsterdam Summer School, you will need to submit your Global Summer Exchange application by 11:59pm on Monday 5th January 2026. If your application is successful, you will be required to apply directly to VU Amsterdam Summer School by Friday 1st May 2026.

What are the costs?

There are no fees associated with the VU Amsterdam Summer School programme, however, sudents who are successful in their application will receive a tuition fee waiver, but will be responsible for all other costs, including, flights, accommodation, visas, health/medical insurance (if compulsory), living expenses and those listed on this webpage. There may be some fees related to the additional social programme (registrations open in May) and study books (most courses use free digital articles/books available in the library). In addition to this, Housing costs for a 2-week stay are approx. between €850 - €1200 excluding tourist tax. Apart from accommodation, you may consider the following estimated living expenses for two weeks: Food €150 (if you cook yourself, eating out will be more expensive) Insurance €50 Transportation €75 (unless you buy or rent a bike)  Other expenses €100 (at minimum, increases if you visit more museums and undertake more social activities) VU Amsterdam Summer School offer several exciting social activities. Some activities are included in the fee and some have an additional fee. All participants will be informed on how to register for the activities in mid-May. There are a limited number of spots, and they operate on a first come, first served basis. VU Amsterdam Summer School does offer scholarships and you can find more information in the link below.

Accommodation

VU Amsterdam will not be offering accommodation but can provide options for summer school students in different parts of Amsterdam and Diemen. Rooms are limited and allocation is not guaranteed, so they work on a first-pay, first-serve system. If you are allocated a place at VU Amsterdam, and have indicated you need accommodation in your Summer School application, VU Amsterdam will inform you as soon as registrations open in May. Accommodation fee per student expected in 2026: 2-week stay: Between 850 - 1200 excluding tourist tax. More information on the accommodation options can be found in the link below.

Eligibility, Exclusions & Restrictions

The same level of English is required for all courses. Students are expected to have at least a B2 level of English, as developed within the Common European Framework of References for Languages (CEFR). This is comparable to a TOEFL test with a score of 92, or an IELTS score of 6.5.

The information on this webpage contains information from 2025 and is accurate for 2026 entry. More information will be provided once available.