Admission requirements
To be admitted to International Business you need to have completed secondary education equivalent to the Dutch HAVO, VWO, or MBO 4. Strong written and verbal English communications skills are also required.
There are different admission requirements for students with Dutch and non-Dutch diplomas. Read on to see what applies to you:
Dutch diplomas: admission requirements
All profiles for VWO and profiles for HAVO with the addition of one of the 5 subjects: Mathematics A or B, or Economics, or M&O or Business Economics are accepted.
MBO 4 is also accepted. No exemptions will be granted for subjects already obtained at the MBO level.
The programme is taught entirely in English. Therefore, students are expected to have good written and verbal skills in English.
Please note! Admission for programmes starting in the academic year 2024-2025 will only be granted to students who have an MBO diploma that was obtained, and bears an issuance date, prior to 1 September 2024.
Non-Dutch diplomas: admission requirements
Do you have non-EU/EEA nationality? Then you must have a valid work visa or Dutch residence permit. You cannot apply for a study visa for part-time study.
We require evidence that you have passed the standardised examinations for university entrance of your nation of origin. These include but are not limited to:
- International Baccalaureate Diploma
- Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife
- Zeugnis der Fachhochschulreife
- General Certificate of Secondary Education in 4 subjects (A to C or 9 to 4) + General Certificate of Education with 2 relevant subjects at advanced subsidiary level (A to C), 6 different subjects in total, including English and mathematics.
or - General Certificate of Secondary Education in 4 subjects (A to C or 9 to 4) + General Certificate of Education with 2 relevant subjects at advanced level (D-E), 6 different subjects in total, including English and mathematics.
or - BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma.
(United Kingdom: The evaluation has been changed compared to the previous version of the Country module. For more detailed information visit the Nuffic website).
To get an indication about the comparison of your educational system to the Dutch system you can go to the Nuffic website(opens in new window). Additional requirements may be applicable.
English proficiency (international students)
International non-native English speakers need to provide an English language certificate that is valid until at least September 2024. The following certificates are accepted:
- IELTS Academic minimum scores required: total score of 6.0, with subscores not lower than 5.5
- TOEFL iBT minimum scores required: total score of 80, with subscores not lower than 20, or paper-based 550
- TOEIC minimum scores required: LR670+SW290
- Cambridge minimum scores required: First (FCE) Grade B (173-175) / First (FCE) Grade C (169-172)
- OR if your prior education degree was obtained in the European Union, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom or the United States of America and taught completely in English, this can be considered and assessed as your proof of English proficiency.
Additional admission requirements
As part of the application process students from outside the European Economic Area might need to fill out a questionnaire and take part in an interview. You will be informed during the admission process if this is required.
21+ admission test
Do you want to study at the AUAS, but don't have a senior general secondary (HAVO), pre-university (VWO) or senior secondary vocational (MBO) education diploma? If you are aged 21 or over, you can sit the 21+ admission test: an entrance exam.
The components of the 21+ admission test for this degree programme are listed below:
Looking to enrol directly in the main phase?
Have you been enrolled in this programme or a similar one, at the AUAS or elsewhere, at a Bachelor level and do you therefore wish to enrol in a later year of the programme? This page will tell you which steps you must take to begin in the main phase.
1. Enrolment request via Studielink
This works as follows: you enrol via Studielink (opens in new window)and indicate that you would like to begin your study in the main phase of the programme. Within a few working days, the Central Student Administration will inform you whether your request has been granted or denied, or let you know that you must submit a request to the programme.
2. Assessment by the programme
If it is necessary for the programme to assess your admission, you should immediately submit a request, which should include:
- a certified list of marks;
- a propaedeutic transcript.
What is a certified list of marks?
A certified list of marks bears a stamp, signature and date from an authorised employee of the educational institution at which you earned the results in question. A printed copy of your study results is not sufficient.
What is a propaedeutic transcript?
A propaedeutic transcript is a certificate issued by the examination board at your current degree programme.
When will I receive a decision?
You will need to take a processing time of four to six weeks into account. This means that you may not yet have received a decision regarding your admission at the start of the academic year.
Provisional decision – definitive decision based on diploma
Important: the programme will take a provisional decision based on the certified list of marks and your propaedeutic transcript. The definitive decision will then be finalised based on your diploma or first-year certificate. You must submit a copy of your diploma or first-year certificate before 1 October. Only students in possession of a diploma dated prior to 1 September will be admitted to the degree programme.
I want to request an exemption. Is that possible?
The letter containing the examination board’s decision regarding your admission will include further information on requesting exemptions as well.