Before you arrive
Steps to take before you arrive in the Netherlands.
Note: Some steps only apply to students from Non-EU countries. They are marked with: 'Non-EU' in the title.
Seven steps
Living in Amsterdam is expensive. It’s the most expensive city in the Netherlands, and renting a room can easily cost € 800 per month. See below, or download here the PDF for EU students here and non EU students here, for realistic budget estimates. We advise you to make an estimate for yourself, it will help you avoid problems once you are in the Netherlands. If you expect financial problems, discuss this in advance with the artistic director of your study programme.
Student counsellors: Kris Dekkers (BA students at ATD and Juul Beeren DAS Master students at ATD). If you have financial problems during your studies, please contact the student counsellor immediately. Don't wait until it's too late. Financial problems do not disappear by themselves.
Also visit: www.studyinholland.nl/life-in-holland
For the tuition fees go to www.atd.ahk.nl/en/practical-matters/tuition-fees/
Please note that the tuition fees rise every year.
2a Don’t wait: register now!
Don’t delay registering with your study programme. Don’t wait for your final exam results before registering. You can go through the registration process on StudieLink without this information.
Please note: it is possible that (some parts of) the study programme are given online.
2b1 What to do if you haven’t got a DigiD (Digital ID)
Your DigiD is your personal digital ID for interacting online with Dutch government bodies. You will need one (see how to get one here), but for now you can still register through StudieLink without it.
To register with your study programme without a DigiD go to https://student.sl-cloud.nl and click on ‘Create StudieLink account without DigiD’.
Once you have logged in you will be guided through the process of registering with a study programme in the Netherlands. First you will be asked to enter your previous education. The second step is to select from the list the study programme you wish to register with. You can narrow the search by filling in the name of the programme or the institute that you will be attending (Amsterdam University of the Arts, AHK). Lastly, you will be asked to answer some questions from the institute itself and to check that everything has been filled in correctly.
If all the information has been entered correctly, you have just successfully applied to be registered with your study programme. Congratulations!
But you’re not done yet. You will find your next step in your ‘To Do list’ on your personal StudieLink Dashboard, and the Central Student Administration of the Amsterdam University of the Arts (AHK) will contact you with further steps. These next steps may include verification of your identity, previous education, selection procedures and payment. Keep an eye on incoming messages in your StudieLink inbox!
If you’ve got any other questions, check out the FAQ on info.studielink.nl, where you will also find helpful step-by-step guides for creating an account, paying your tuition fee in StudieLink, withdrawing your application for registration, and other processes.
2b2 What to do if you've already got a DigiD (Digital ID)
Complete the following steps:
1. Use your DigiD code to create an account on StudieLink (www.studielink.nl). Follow the instructions on StudieLink to request to register for the degree programme you have been admitted onto.
2. In StudieLink you will be asked to immediately arrange authorisation for payment of your tuition fees. This authorisation will automatically expire if you cancel before 1 September.
2c Once the Central Student Administration has received your request for registration
The Central Student Administration (CSa) will process your request as soon as possible. You will then receive further emails with the information you need to complete your registration.
Email with subject: ‘Activate your AHK account’
You will receive this email after Step 2. It explains how to get an Amsterdam University of the Arts (AHK) account. The AHK account gives you access to your AHK email, the AHK intranet and various online applications. The login details will be sent to the email address you entered on StudieLink.
Email with subject: ‘Upload a passport photo for your student card’
Follow the instructions in the email to upload your passport photo to get your student card
Your student card is a multifunctional chip card that gives you access to the university buildings, allows you to print and copy, and lets you pay in the canteens. The student card also serves as an admission ticket to the opening party at the Melkweg concert venue in central Amsterdam. The card is valid for the entire duration of your studies at the AHK. You will be able to pick up your card at your faculty in September.
Go to StudieLink to register with your study programme (using your DigiD if you have one). You will need:
• proof of admission
• proof of payment of tuition fees
• proof of sufficient prior education
• passport photo
Once you have completed the registration process you will receive a proof of registration by email. Keep it safe and in a readily accessible place (together with your student card it confirms that you are registered with the study programme). Your proof of registration is valid for one year, and you will receive a new one each year following your annual re-registration.
If you have any further questions on this subject, see: https://www.ahk.nl/en/facilities/student-affairs/
If you can’t find the answer to your question there, please contact the Central Student Administration at the AHK: csa@ahk.nl or +31 (0)20 527 7734.
The Amsterdam University of the Arts (AHK) provides visa and residence permit services for students registered with an AHK Bachelor’s study programme, Master’s study programme, or preparatory programme for a Bachelor’s or Master’s.
These services are operated through the AHK’s Central Student Administration (CSa), which acts as an intermediary between the applicant and the Netherlands Immigration Office. For more information, please go to https://www.ahk.nl/en/prospective-students/preparing-your-stay/visa-procedures/
3a Appointment at the Dutch Embassy in your home country
Make an appointment with the Dutch Embassy in your home country. Requirements vary slightly from country to country, so make sure you do this to avoid missing out important steps before leaving your country.
You will need to bring your original birth certificate with you to the Netherlands. We need it to be able to complete official documents connected with your Bachelor’s study programme. They include your degree certificate, which is something you really want done right!
https://www.amsterdam.nl/en/civil-affairs/first-registration/
Now it’s time to book your journey to Amsterdam! We recommend you arrive in Amsterdam between two weeks and two months before the start of the academic year, depending partly on whether you already have a place to live. That way you will have enough time to get used to life in Amsterdam and to prepare the official documents you need as an international student in the Netherlands, and you won’t have to be bothered with all that once the school started.
If you’re coming to study in Amsterdam the most urgent issue by far is finding a place to live. You have probably heard that there is a real housing shortage in Amsterdam. So before coming to Amsterdam it’s smart to search the relevant websites and register yourself when necessary. If you’ve already got friends in Amsterdam, this is the time to contact them and spread the word!
A word of advice for newcomers in the Amsterdam housing hunt: Please be careful! If something looks too good to be true, it probably is. The housing market is very tight at the moment, and there are always people who take advantage of the situation by trying to scam newcomers.
Living in Amsterdam
The demand for student housing in Amsterdam is high. It is not easy, therefore, to find housing. However, it’s not impossible. Below we will discuss a few options.
- !WOON informs, advises and supports residents in Amsterdam. You can contact them with questions about the social housing associations that offer student homes.
- Studentenwoningweb offers rooms and homes for students. The accommodation on offer is from the social housing associations Pré Wonen, Stadgenoot, Lieven de Key and Ymere. You pay €22.50 for an ten-year enrolment. You can respond to the accommodation on offer an unlimited number of times.
- Ymere offers temporary homes. They will be demolished or renovated in the future.
- The Social Hub has more than 700 rooms. You can stay there from one day to one year. Permanent accommodation is not possible here.
- The City of Amsterdam offers an information overview. Here you will read how you can find housing in Amsterdam and all the things you should look out for.
- ROOM offers student rooms in, among other places, Amsterdam and Haarlem. You pay €35 for an eight-year enrolment.
- HousingAnywhere offers rooms to students from abroad. You can also offer your room (and find rooms) here if you are going abroad yourself.
- Student Experience offers self-contained apartments with a private kitchen and bathroom in a new modern student residence.
- Uprent is a platform and a browser extension that combines listings from all rental platforms in the Netherlands into one feed, it allows the user to filter them by travel time, send notifications about new listings, and organizes your search.
In Amsterdam and the surrounding areas, you can find a room or home through housing corporations, special foundations or private individuals. The Academy of Theatre and Dance does not provide campus housing. The academy only offers a small amount of rooms (DUWO rooms) for short stay of max 1 year, for international students under 21 years. Admitted students will receive more information about this. As it concerns a very small amount of rooms and there are more students than available rooms via this circuit, check out all the options below as well.
There are a number of things you need to take into account when looking for a place to live:
Most official housing companies work with a waiting list. Rooms in Amsterdam are very popular. Try to broaden your search area. Also look for rooms outside Amsterdam. You do have to take travel costs into account. Let everyone in your network know that you are looking for a room. Social media is also a good way to find something. Be critical about the reliability of the room offers from private individuals. Unfortunately, there are scammers active. If you have doubts, you can always contact ATD Student Support (Kris Dekkers via kris.dekkers@ahk.nl or Barbara de Boer via barbara.deboer@ahk.nl)
Do you need advice about renting a home in Amsterdam? Then you can go to WOON!. This is an independent non-profit foundation, partly paid for by the municipality, that provides residents with information and advice about renting
Websites:
www.studentenwoningweb.nl
Registration costs € 22,50 for 10 years.
Waiting list approximately 1,5 years, but once you got a room, it can be for the full length of your study.
www.room.nl/en
Registration costs € 35 for 8 years
Waiting list, but once you got a room, it can be for the full length of your study.
www.ymere.nl/ik-zoek/studenten-en-jongeren/tijdelijke-woningen/
Check on their short day offers daily (these are houses waiting for renovations or teardown, sometimes you have to clean or do a little renovation yourself). The prices are linked to the condition of the house, and you will know from the beginning when you have to leave again. Registration is free, but you have to be registered at
www.woningnetregioamsterdam.nl/
Here you pay € 50 once and then € 8 per year. Here you can look for houses as well but the waiting list is really long.
asva.nl/en/rooms/
Registration is € 15 for first year and € 12,50 for following years. It is more of Student Union (advise on finding housing, legal support etc.), good to check the website out.
www.facebook.com/groups/amsterdam.apartments
www.facebook.com/kamergezochtinamsterdam
Facebook groups to look for rooms/apartments
www.thesocialhub.co/amsterdam-city/
For short stays and mostly expensive, but sometimes there are other possibilities.
kamernet.nl/en
From free registration to € 29,95 per month, depending on which services you want them to provide
holland2stay.com/
Registration costs one time € 26,50.
www.stekkies.com/
Registration is € 29,95 for a month (less if you select a period of more months). They check all available housing in the free sector (from € 900 per month) every day and inform you what’s available.
The ATD offers language support for first year Bachelor students in collaboration with the language institute UvA Talen. The ATD organises courses at this institute. You will be informed by your department about the possibilities.