Documents you need to apply

How it works

When you apply for a degree programme or a preparatory course at the AUAS with a non-Dutch diploma your credentials will be evaluated by AUAS Admissions. Once you’ve chosen the course you want to apply for, follow their instructions on how to apply on the course page. Once enrolled, you will automatically receive an invitation to provide certified copies of your diploma and certificates.

Certificates, diplomas and qualifications are different for every country, so we have outlined what documents you need to submit depending on where you have studied.

Page overview

• Terms explained
• Document to submit
• Secondary school students
• Dutch-taught programmes
• English-taught programmes
• Deadlines
• Flowchart of admission process
• Provisional acceptance
• Requesting for details of decision

Some terms explained

What is a certified copy?

A certified copy is one that shows the time and date the copy was made, and that it is a true likeness of the original.

You can usually order a certified copy directly from the educational institution that issued your diploma, certificate or qualification. An alternative is to ask a notary to certify that the copied document is identical to the original.

What is a sworn translation?

You need a sworn translation of documents that are not in Dutch, English, French, Afrikaans, Spanish or German. Sworn translations are undertaken by a specially qualified translators.

You will be able to search for sworn translators in your own country. If you’re in the Netherlands, you can find one at the Netherlands register of Dutch sworn translators.

Documents you need to submit

You will automatically receive an invitation by email from the Central Student Admissions office (CSA) to provide copies of your diplomas, certificates and other qualifications for evaluation. You will need to provide certified copies the following documents:

• an ID card, passport or residence permit that is valid on the date that the programme you are applying for starts (but not a driving licence);
• diplomas, certificates and documents showing your educational qualifications in their original language, plus
• transcripts (marks and grade lists) in their original language;
• sworn translations of all the above documents if they are not in Dutch, English, French, Afrikaans, Spanish or German;
• diploma evaluations of other institutions, for example from Nuffic, International Credential Assessment (IDW) or other educational institutions;
• documents to verify your English or Dutch language proficiency depending on the degree programme you have chosen. These documents must not be older than two years old.

The additional documents required per country of origin are:

If you are still a secondary school pupil

You will automatically receive an invitation by mail from the Central Student Admissions office (CSA) to submit copies of your diplomas and previous education for evaluation. If you would like to start collecting the documents already this is what you will need, certified copies of:

• ID, Passport or residence permit that is valid at the date the programme you are applying for starts (no drivers license);
• If you are currently studying to obtain your degree send the subject/result list of the current and two previous study years;
• Sworn translation of the aforementioned documents in Dutch, English, French, Afrikaans, Spanish or German, if the original documents are not written in one of these languages;
• Certified declaration from your institution with the following information:
  • title of the diploma/ degree you will obtain;
  • Expected graduation date/ date you will obtain the diploma;
  • list of subjects which will be part of your final examination;
  • predicted grades.
• Documents to verify your level in English or Dutch depending on the degree programme of your choice.

The additional documents required per country of origin are:

For International Baccalaureate Career related Programme (IBCP): Please include your BTEC qualification with Notification of Performance, or other relevant career-related study documents.

After the first evaluation, you may receive a provisional acceptance until your results and diploma, and additional documents if applicable, are re-evaluated for final acceptance and enrolment. In which case, you would not  need to hand in a copy of your official diploma and transcript upon final release.

Language documents for Dutch-taught programmes

1. Your credentials must be equivalent to at least the Dutch HAVO or MBO-4, VWO or bachelor level depending on the admission requirements of the programme you wish to study, and your subjects match the profile requirements for the programme.
2. You demonstrate the level of your Dutch language skills by one of these options:
3. 1. 1. The NT2-II Certificate from the State Exam Dutch as a Second Language, programme 2(opens in new window) (all four parts of NT2-II). The AUAS offers candidates who need to learn Dutch a preparatory year to prepare them for the State Exam Dutch as a Second Language. The Dutch as a Foreign Language(opens in new window) certificate, of either the Language Proficiency for Higher Education Profile or the Academic Language Proficiency Profile.

Language documents for English-taught programmes

The language certificate exams accepted by higher education in the Netherlands to prove your proficiency in English are determined in the International Student Code of Conduct.

1. Your credentials must be equivalent to at least the Dutch HAVO or MBO-4, VWO or bachelor level depending on the admission requirements of the programme you wish to study, and your subjects match the profile requirements for the programme.
2. You will need to meet the programme requirements for the level of your English language proficiency, which can be found on the web page of the programme you wish to study;
3. Certificates from IELTS(opens in new window), TOEFL(opens in new window) or Cambridge English(opens in new window) are all acceptable. IELTS and TOEFL certificates are valid for two years.
4. Please register on time for your language certificate exam because the places for the summer exams are quickly allocated and your results may not yet be available before the start of your chosen study programme.

Deadlines

The deadline to submit your documents for evaluation depends on your chosen degree programme . Please read the instructions for final registration on the web pages of the degree programme and take in account it might take four to six weeks to evaluate your credentials. If possible, send your documents as soon as you have received the invitation for evaluation from the Central Student Admissions office. If you are unable to provide all of the required credentials, we will not be able to process your evaluation request.

What will be evaluated?

1. The level of your education will be compared to Dutch equivalencies;
2. The documents themselves will be checked for security features;
3. The additional subjects for your chosen programme and language requirements will be evaluated.

It might be necessary to ask advice from the Nuffic, an organization that supports all higher educational institutes in the Netherlands with the evaluation of foreign diplomas.

For an indication about your credentials compared to Dutch diplomas you can look at the website of Nuffic(opens in new window). Note: this is a shortlist and just an indication of the equivalency for the level of education. Diplomas will be evaluated individually for the specified programme and your grades and subjects could influence the final evaluation results.

Besides the Nuffic it could be possible that we contact the organisations or institutions where you obtained the documents you submitted for verification.

Flowchart of the admission and selection process 

See for the AUAS application and admission procedure the flowchart of the admission and selection process.

What is provisional acceptance?

If you do not meet the language requirements or if you have not taken the correct subjects to match the profile requirements or you are still in the process of graduating, you will receive a provisional acceptance with an advice on how to meet these requirements. This could mean you need to take a language test or you need to take extra subjects to meet the requirements. If you have not completed your current education you may receive a provisional acceptance, pending the re-evaluation of your finished education and final results and diploma.

NOTE
We advise you to provide the AUAS with the results, diplomas and language certificates for re-evaluation as soon as possible due to the fact that your final enrolment and visa application depends on finalising all administrative procedures.

You should ask your educational institute to send you your marks and grades transcripts (exam results) as soon as they are available and before it closes for the summer.

Request for details of decision

If your application for enrolment is rejected or disagree with your credential evaluation, please contact the Central Student Admissions office by email at csa@hva.nl. They will provide you with more details about the reasons for their decisions.