AUC students may take a maximum of 42 off-campus credits to be counted toward the 180 ECTS degree requirements and are encouraged to take advantage of this policy (study abroad credits and 30EC internships count toward the 42 credit maximum). Permission from the Board of Examiners (BoE) is required when taking any off-campus course that contributes to the AUC degree. The BoE determines which AUC degree requirement(s) the off-campus course(s) may fulfil. All information about off-campus courses is contained in the AUC Academic Standards and Procedures (AS&P; see AS&P article 2.10 for full details) and in the Board of Examiners Rules and Guidelines. 

Keep in mind that course registration procedures vary per university. Links to the requirements for the University of Amsterdam and Vrije University can be found at the bottom of this page. More details about studying abroad, which is separate from off-campus courses, can be found here.

1. Important points to consider

1.1 Who can take an off-campus course

Off-campus courses can only be taken by students in their second year and beyond (AS&P 2.10.2).

1.2 What qualifies as an off-campus course

Any university course may be approved as long as it meets AUC's standards & ECTS requirements. This includes courses offered in the Honours Programmes of both UvA and VU. In addition, a course must be graded in order to be counted for credit and towards your AUC degree. 

1.3 When to submit a request for an off-campus course

An off-campus course request must be filed before the beginning of the semester and before the beginning of the course (AS&P 2.10.3). Off-campus courses can be taken in any semester/period. An off-campus course request should be filed with the Board of Examiners via the AUC Digital Service Desk at least six weeks before the beginning of the course.

1.4 Where can off-campus courses be taken

An off-campus course is a course at UvA, VU or at another university (AS&P 2.10.1). Language courses can be taken as electives as long as they meet AUC’s criteria (BoE Rules and Guidelines, 2.6).

1.5 Why take an off-campus course

There can be many reasons why a student might want to take an off-campus course. One example is a course that is important to a student’s programme plan and isn’t offered at AUC in general or in a specific semester, including a particular language level. Students can also request to take an off-campus course which is offered at AUC if availability clashes with the student’s curriculum planning (e.g., time clashes with other required courses). You should first discuss with your tutor if you are interested in an off-campus course.  

2. Steps for finding, applying, registering and completing an off-campus course

2.1 Step 1: Research

Research courses/universities in consultation with your tutor. More information about particular faculties at UvA and VU can be found below. Specific information to seek out when researching a particular off-campus course can include:

• Are AUC students able to take the course?
• When is the registration deadline?
• Is there an available seat?
• Do I meet the prerequisites?
• Ask for the course manual and determine contact hours

2.2 Step 2: Request BoE Permission

Once a course at a specific university has been identified, you must request permission from the Board of Examiners via the Digital Service Desk (select ‘Request for the Board of Examiners including course load reductions’, then ‘Off-campus course’—see below for more details). An off-campus course request must be filed before the beginning of the semester and before the beginning of the course (AS&P 2.12.2). We recommend that a request be submitted ten weeks in advance of the start of the course.

2.3 Step 3: Register at the host university

Register for the course at UvA/VU/other universities. Please note that you can register for the course before receiving BoE approval, but said approval is needed to count the course toward any graduation requirements. More information about UvA and VU registration can be found below.

2.4 Step 4: Notification and registration of grades

For courses at the UvA: Please let AUC know via the AUC Digital Service Desk once your grade has been processed in SIS.

For courses at the VU: Via VUnet, students can check whether their results are correct and complete, and can request a signed overview of results. More information is available here.

For courses at the VU/other universities: upon completion of the course, the host university will need to send a certified copy of the transcript directly to secretary-boe@uva.nl. The student desk at the host university can coordinate this. The transcript will need the following information:

• Official title of the course
• Number of ECTS credits
• A grade. 

The Board of Examiners decides on the approval of credit transfer and grade conversion. Grades obtained in the Netherlands that are on a numerical 1 – 10 scale are included in the GPA calculation (AS&P 3.8). Any other grades are not converted and do not count towards the GPA. Courses with grades that do not count towards the GPA are listed as pass/fail on the diploma supplement. The original grades from the host university will appear on their original transcript that is included as an appendix to the diploma supplement (see AS&P 2.10.8).

3. How to file a request for an off-campus course

To make a request to the BoE, visit the Digital AUC Service Desk (a link is also provided via the BoE page). Here, you can select ‘off-campus course’ from the list of possible BoE requests. A full description of the information required to make your request is provided in the off-campus request form. You are encouraged to discuss off-campus courses and any BoE requests with your tutor prior to submitting your request. 

In order to evaluate an off-campus course request, the BoE requires the following information:

• Course title
• Description of course content
• Overview of assessments
• For requests to count the course towards disciplinary graduation requirements, a level indication is also required (including pre-requisites).

An up-to-date planning grid and one or more of the following documents confirming this information must also be submitted:

• An up-to-date course manual or syllabus;
• A robust course description from the course catalogue;
• Written communication from the course lecturer or coordinator, if applicable.

This information can often be obtained by contacting the education desk or program coordinator responsible for the course. 

Off-campus courses taken in the final semester must be completed and graded before the date of graduation.

4. Criteria for evaluating off-campus course requests

After the BoE has received all required documentation on a request for an off-campus course, the following considerations and criteria will be used to evaluate the request:

• Has the request been submitted in time? In accordance with the AS&P, Article 2.10.3, an off-campus course request should be filed at least six weeks before the beginning of the course.
• Is the course offered by a reputable academic institution? The host institution must be an accredited institute offering university-level education. It must issue legal diplomas and legal transcripts containing a course title, grade, and credits.
• Disciplinary course or Elective? Can the course count toward an AUC disciplinary course requirement (i.e. Sciences, Social Sciences, or Humanities, or lab requirement)? If it cannot, can it count as an elective?
• What is the level of the course? Courses that can count toward an AUC disciplinary requirement can be taken at the 100-level, 200-level, or 300-level. Elective courses are taken at the 100-level.
• Potential overlap with other courses? If the BoE notes significant overlap with other courses in the AUC curriculum, it may stipulate that the off-campus course may not be taken in combination with the overlapping AUC course. Overlap with another off-campus course a student has taken can also be grounds for denying the off-campus course request.

The BoE will assess whether the off-campus course can be approved on the basis of the information provided by the student. The course description is particularly important. This document is used by the BoE to learn more about the course content, the learning outcomes, assessment, key readings, and position of the course within the curriculum. If the BoE is unable to make a decision based on the information provided by the student, additional information may be requested from the student, or the advice of relevant experts (AUC Heads of Studies or AUC teachers) may be solicited.

5. UvA and VU courses: Specific registration information

AUC students frequently take UvA and VU honours courses (or honours courses at other universities), so this can be a good place to start. More general information can be found here.

5.1 University of Amsterdam (UvA)

All courses offered at the UvA faculties are listed in the UvA course catalogue. 

5.2 Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)

VU has specific courses open for students who are not enrolled in a specific programme. VU calls these courses “vrije keuzevakken” or “extracurricular courses”. All VU courses (at all VU faculties) are open to AUC students, with the exception of numerus fixus courses or courses that are not listed as “extracurricular courses”.

On the page studiegids.vu.nl students can find all available VU courses. For each course, the target audience is listed and it is indicated if the course is available as an “extracurricular course". More information on how to register for VU-courses can be found here. 

6. Questions about off-campus courses

If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact the Registrar via the AUC Digital Service Desk or stop by the AUC Service Desk Office Hours.