On this page you will find all the information you need to know to be well-prepared to start your studies. If you still have any questions, please contact us at contact@vu.nl.
We look forward to seeing you and wish you a lot of fun and good luck with your study programme!
The corona measures have a huge impact on higher education, but we are certain of one thing: if you start your degree programme in September, you can expect high-quality education from us. On campus if we can. But also: online because we can.
You are welcome
We are ready to welcome you as a new student at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Studying at VU Amsterdam is not only about education. It's also about meeting each other on campus and studying together for exams in the University Library. Although the corona crisis is turning everything upside down, one thing we know for sure: education at VU Amsterdam will continue.
What does this mean for my classes?
Education in period 1 (September & October) and period 2 (November & December) will be taught in a hybrid form; mostly online, but on campus when possible. All lectures in the first semester of the next academic year would be taught online and as a result, all exams will take place remotely at least until the end of December.
By making our education available in a hybrid form, we create scope for (location-based) on-campus educational activities and meetings. Face-to-face contact between individual students and with teaching staff is crucial to personal and academic development, because studying is a joint effort.
If you are enrolled in a course taught on campus but you are not able to come to the university, various online alternatives are available to you. This will unfortunately not be possible for location-based education, such as practicals.
When I can come to the campus?
More information about a return to campus will be shared with you shortly. From 20 July you will be able to register for courses in period 1 and your timetable will show which activities will be taking place on campus again. Because we will only be able to make limited use of campus facilities, on-campus activities will be spread out and will mainly consist of practicals and tutorials. We will be able to see some of you in person as early as September but others will have to wait until October or maybe even later. No location in your timetable? Then your education will take place online.
Because a lot of education will also be taking place online in the new academic year, lecturers and teaching staff will continue to work on improvements. We will be switching to blended education, in which online and physical education are combined to boost and strengthen each other and combine the best of both worlds.
If you have any questions about online education, registration or your timetable, please contact studentenbalie@vu.nl. Go to vu.nl/coronavirus for the most frequently asked questions.
VUnet-ID and VUnet
The VUnet-ID is your username and password that gives you access to all kinds of digital services such as VUnet and Canvas.
VUnet will be an important source of information during your studies at the university. Through this portal you will find all relevant information such as your e-mail, your personal schedule, exam grades, important announcements and a link to the study guide. The VUnet homepage provides news from the university and the world of academia.
Log in using your VUnet-ID, which you should already have received. If you have lost your VUnet-ID, please visit the Student Desk. Take your university registration card or other form of identification for identification purposes.
VU Amsterdam e-mail
Each student is assigned a personal VU Amsterdam e-mail address, with the following format: studentnumber@student.vu.nl. You can read and send e-mails by logging in to VUnet with your VUnet-ID. The university uses this e-mail address exclusively when corresponding with you about your studies. It is essential that you check your inbox regularly to ensure that you do not miss any important information about your degree programme. If you would like to avoid having to log in to check your e-mails, you can have your VU Amsterdam e-mail automatically forwarded to your personal e-mail address.
Canvas
Canvas is the digital learning environment of VU Amsterdam. Each course also has a course in Canvas, to which you automatically have access when you have signed up for the course. On Canvas you will find the course's study manual and examples of exam questions, the teacher will keep you informed about your progress and you will sometimes have to submit assignments via Canvas. Also, after a lecture, teachers often put the lecture sheets on Canvas, so that you can study them again at home.
Manual Zoom
Due to the COVID-19 measures a lot of your meetings and lectures will take place online for the time being. At the VU we use the program 'Zoom' for these meetings. The VU has it's own account within Zoom, where you can log in with your VUnetID.
You can follow planned meetings and lectures here, but also plan your own meetings with your fellow students. Read the manual for the use of Zoom for students.
Study guide and timetable
In the online study guide you will find information about the content of your courses, method of assessment and which literature you need. Here you will also find the Teaching and Examination Regulations of your study programme. The timetable of your study programme can be found at rooster.vu.nl.
General
This page contains VU Signpost. This offers you an overview of important, fun and useful things that will help you to start your studies at the VU.
Do you have any questions about your registration? Please ask them at the student desk.
Do you have any questions about faculty matters? You can ask your question on this page.
Track the status of your application in VUnet
Make sure that you have completed your registration for your programme by 31 August at the latest. See your status overview on VUnet for any requirements you still need to meet to complete your registration.
Your registration is only complete once you see the indication ‘registered’ in the ‘my programmes’ field in Studielink. If you change anything in relation to your application or registration in Studielink or VUnet, it will be shown the next day in your status overview.
This also applies when you are requesting an exceptional admission due to the corona crisis!
Once your registration is complete, you will receive a Proof of Registration document within two to four weeks.
Where will you find the status of your registration?
1. Log in to VUnet.
2. Under ‘Complete Application’, go to the relevant programme.
3. Under ‘Status’, click on ‘Check status’.
4. For each requirement, you can see if you still need to take any action.
Questions?
Do you have questions about the registration process? Please contact the Student Desk.
This year, of course, everything is different, but one thing remains the same: we want to prepare you as well as possible for your studies and make you feel at home at VU Amsterdam.
In addition, we think it is important that you can meet fellow students and teachers. That is why the Faculty of Law is organizing a special online introduction program for all new master students this year!
During the online introduction programme, our study advisors, the Career Office and the study associations show you what the faculty has to offer during online sessions. In week 34 you will receive an email explaining how to complete the online program in Canvas.
There are also specific online introductory opportunities for each study programme or course.
All information about the Faculty online introduction program and the introductory moments. This page is regularly updated with new information.
When you start planning your master, you start by looking at the requirements for the specialization of your choice. You can find these in the Education and Examination Regulations of the study programme You can find the regulations in the Study Guide.
Part of the course package is mandatory but the rest you choose yourself. You can see when the courses are offered via the year schedule of your specialization. You can find the annual schedule in the Study Guide. Search your subject at "Masters" and then click on the tab "Programme" and then on "download annual schedule".
In the timetable you can see the times and locations of the courses. Would you like more information about how the timetable works? Then use the following link.
Further information here about planning your master and writing your thesis.
For all courses in the Master's programmes, you need to register in advance in order to be allowed to follow the course. You can register for courses via VUnet. Once you have registered for your courses and exams, you can find your personal timetable on VUnet.
Registration period
From July 20 you can register for courses and exams.
To participate in courses and exams, you must register during the registration period. Please make sure you register yourself correctly by selecting all offered course activities (lectures, seminars, practicals) and exams or resits. Once you register for a course, you are also automatically registered for the first exam opportunity for that course, but not for a resit, should that become necessary. If you need to take a written resit, you must register for this separately.
You can find more information about course registration and registration deadlines on VUnet.
The VU bookstore is located on the ground floor of the main building. You will not receive a printed out booklist, you can find the subscribed literature in the study guide or on Canvas. We advise you to buy the books shortly before or after you have had your first lecture.
You can purchase all necessary literature online.
Work hard and play hard ? Our student associations support you in your studies, bring you into contact with future employers and also organize social events and student trips.
Your time at the VU can be even more fun if you become a member of a study association! Watch the video clip of QBDBD for a preview and you can also browse the sites of the associations.
• ASAR, Amsterdam Study Association for Employment Law
• CICERO, Amsterdam advocacy group
• Crime Does Pay, criminological-legal student association
• Criminal Intent, criminal study association
• Digi Juridica, study association for future Internet, IP and ICT lawyers
• FSVU, student association under tax law
• QBDBD, general student association
• VIVA, notarial student association
During your studies not everything may go as smoothly as you had hoped. The VU offers her students various forms of guidance and advice. For each specific problem you can contact a specific office or staff member.
To prevent you from needlessly falling behind, we urge you to contact that office or staff member as soon as a problem occurs. For more information please check the website of the Academic Advisors (for study related issues/planning of your studies or discussing personal circumstances that have an impact on your studies).
The Student Counsellors at VU Amsterdam can advise you on matters such as financial support in the event of a delay in your study progress. If you have problems such as performance anxiety or study stress, or if you are experiencing problems that are interfering in your studies or preventing you from completing your degree, then you can get in touch with one of the Student Psychological Counsellors at VU Amsterdam. You can find more information on Studying with a disability on VUnet.
Choosing your Master programme means a next step in your career. Do you know what you want to do after graduation and - maybe even more important - how to get there? Can you use some advice or a review of your resume and motivation letter? Or would you like to prepare and practice a job interview?
The Career Office of the Faculty of Law is here to help you get on track. You can request individual coaching sessions or come to a career event to expand your horizon, or we can help you find your way in the (Dutch) job market. You can also check out our Career Portal for interesting jobs and internships.