Do you fit in with our study course?
Thank you for your interest in the field of Scenography and our study programme! Perhaps you are fond of theatre, do you often draw, do you like to build things, do you like to visit museums with visual arts or do you like to read about the role of art in society? These can all be good starting points for a career as a scenographer. It is important to find out whether this specific training is right for you. You can do this by studying this website carefully and attending an open day. And finally by registering and entering into a conversation with the admissions committee during the admission process. That is always a mutual acquaintance.
Student profile
What you need for this Scenography program is visual imagination, a love of three-dimensional (3D) work, a flair for theater, and an interest in art and social developments. It's also important that you enjoy working with others and have sufficient communication skills. To be eligible for admission, you must have at least a senior general secondary education (HAVO) or pre-university education (VWO) diploma, a vocational education (MBO) diploma (level 4), or an equivalent non-Dutch diploma. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us; we're happy to discuss your options with you.
Admissions Procedure
Approximately six students are admitted to the Scenography program each year. Our admissions procedure consists of three rounds, in which we strive to gain a clear understanding of which prospective students are the best fit for our program.
In the first (digital) round, you will provide factual information about yourself, complete an assignment, submit an interesting selection of your own work (portfolio), and write a cover letter.
If, based on these rounds, you are invited to the second round, you will complete another assignment and have an interview with the admissions committee. The third round consists of a collective work session. In this session, you will create a collective creative project with the other applicants for the program. Working with materials, the space, and each other is central to this.
More detailed information about the steps in the admissions procedure can be found below.
To participate in the admission procedure, please register by filling in the application form. To get to know you a little better, we ask you to submit for this round:
- Motivation letter: in which you explain why you think this course suits you (see details)
- Portfolio: an interesting selection of your own work (see details)
- Image assignment: a (photo) image that once impressed you (see details)
- Personal data, including:
A copy of a valid ID (as jpeg., gif. or png. file)
A color passport photo (as jpeg., gif. or png. file) - Information about your experience, including:
A copy of your diploma of your highest education
A copy of your most recent grade list(s) or final list
Admissions interviews will take place from January to May 2026. There are two options for when you can apply:
You can choose to apply no later than February 15, 2026. If you are invited for an interview, you will hear either in April whether you have been directly admitted or at the end of May after all interviews have taken place.
Or
You can choose to apply no later than March 29, 2026. If you are invited for an interview, you will hear either in April whether you have been directly admitted or at the end of May after all interviews have taken place.
Based on the information submitted by the candidates, it will be decided which candidates will be invited to the second round. If you have been selected, you will receive an invitation by e-mail with a number of home assignments in preparation for the interview.
The second round consists of an interview with the application committee. In this way the study can get to know you better, and you can have a more clear view on the study. The conversation will be about your motivation, your experience, your work already done and your home assignments. Once all admission interviews have taken place, a final decision will be made on who will be admitted to the programme. You will be notified of this by the beginning of June at the latest.
The third round consists of a collective workshop. In this session, you'll work with the other participants in the program on a collective creative assignment. Working with materials, the space, and each other is central to this.
If you have been admitted to the programme, you will receive a certificate of admission from us. Both we and you sign these. You then formally register via Studielink with this proof of admission. Please note: if you do not register via Studielink before you have received the proof of admission, your registration will not be valid. More information about registering via Studielink can be found here.
Costs for the Scenography programme
There are no costs associated with the application process. The regular, legally established tuition fee applies to the Scenography program. For the most up-to-date tuition rates, please see the Amsterdam University of the Arts tuition fee overview.
Please also consider the following costs:
In addition, keep in mind the following costs:
- Materials
For the study you need some of your own tools and specific clothing. You will receive a list of this. You will spend around €200 for this. In addition, you are responsible for materials for the models that you make for your design courses and model building classes. The costs for this vary and you determine yourself. For each design subject, you will receive an amount from the study program for the realization of your design. - Laptop
We advise you to have your own laptop during your studies that you can use for various study components, which is powerful enough to run software such as Blender, Vectorworks, Isadora and Adobe Creative Cloud. Costs for this vary, at your discretion. When this is not financially feasible, there are also computers at school to use. - Performance visit
It is the intention that you regularly visit performances and museums. On average once every two weeks. It is often possible to use your ATD student card, which gives you a discount. For performances above € 20, which you must see for a course, the program will pay the costs above €20.
At the Academy of Theatre and Dance, we believe it is important that the admissions procedure is conducted in a socially safe manner. We therefore do not accept expressions of discrimination, racism, sexism and violence.
If you have (had) an unsafe feeling during the audition process, you can let us know via our social safety reporting point: meldpunt@ahk.nl. Your message will be handled carefully.
For further information about the application and the selection procedure, please contact
Mijke van der Linden
mijke.vanderlinden@ahk.nl
020 5277875