University Colleges in the Netherlands
Mar 02, 2010
Dutch universities already offer a comprehensive range of excellent bachelor programmes, but by establishing University Colleges they have succeed in further widening the choice for students looking for top quality higher education in the Netherlands.
The University Colleges so far established by the Dutch universities tend to share the following characteristics:
- University-level undergraduate studies
- Three-year bachelor (Honours) programme
- Liberal arts and sciences approach
- Broad, interdisciplinary majors
- Small scale and selective
- High tempo, demanding, intensive studies, taught in English
- Dutch and international students living and studying together (residential)
- Small classes, low student to staff ratio
- Emphasis on personal tutoring/support of students
The University Colleges meet a demand both in the Netherlands and abroad for more English-taught bachelor-level programmes. Their liberal arts and sciences approach with its broad educational perspective is proving popular with both Dutch and international students alike. The University Colleges have quickly been welcomed as a valuable addition to the Dutch higher education landscape, focusing on excellence at bachelor level. Their students consistently give them the best scores in national surveys (such as Elsevier’s annual review of higher education in the Netherlands), particularly for the level of education and the quality of the teachers. Their graduates have qualified for top-level postgraduate programmes in the Netherlands and abroad.
There are three University Colleges at this moment in the Netherlands.
- University College Utrecht (UCU)
- University College Maastricht (UCM)
- Amsterdam University College (AUC)
All of them participated in the Orange Tulip Scholarship Programme (OTS) for the academic year 2010/2011. Kindly find below the details:
1) OTS: University College Utrecht Scholarship:
http://www.nesochina.org/chinese-students/Info_CN/degrees/OTS/Scholarship_Category_CN/UCU
2) OTS: University College Maastricht Scholarship:
http://www.nesochina.org/chinese-students/Info_CN/degrees/OTS/Scholarship_Category_CN/Maastricht
3) OTS: Amsterdam University College Scholarship:
http://www.nesochina.org/chinese-students/Info_CN/degrees/OTS/Scholarship_Category_CN/AUC
University Colleges and Normal Universities
The application requirements of the bachelor programmes offered by University Colleges are very demanding. In order to be admitted for the bachelor programme, the applicant must attend the interview arranged by the college. Students are not impeded by the traditional boundaries between disciplines. The colleges have so many courses on offer that students can choose to study in almost any discipline. At the same time, students can complete the discipline of their own choice with other subjects that interest them. Through this unique programme, students have access to a whole range of master’s programme, both at home and abroad.