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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

To be admissible you will need one of the following diplomas: HAVO (with one of the following subjects: Mathematics A or B, Economics, Management & Organisatie or Business Economics), VWO or MBO level 4. An English language certificate is not required. However, since the entire programme is taught in English we advise you to have an average English grade of 7,0. 

Please see here which documents to submit for credential evaluation.

Non-Dutch diplomas: admission requirements

You will need a secondary school diploma comparable to a Dutch MBO level 4, HAVO (subject Mathematics or Economics required) or VWO diploma. Additional requirements may be applicable. 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)

Here are a few examples of international diplomas and certificates that are accepted:

  • International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
  • International Baccalaureate Career Programme with one of the following IB DP subjects:  

    - Analysis & Approaches SL or HL 
    - Applications & Interpretation SL or HL  
    - Business Management SL or HL 
    - Economics SL or HL

  • BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma 
  • Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife 
  • Zeugnis der Fachhochschulreife with Mathematics or Economics/Business/Accounting
  • GCE AS levels - including (1) total of 4 GCSE level subjects with minimum grade C or 4 and (2) total of 2 GCE AS level subjects including Mathematics or Economics/Business Studies/Accounting with minimum grade C and (3) in total 6 different subjects, preferably including English
  • GCE A levels - including (1) total of 4 GCSE level subjects with minimum grade C or 4 and (2) total of 2 GCE A level subjects including Mathematics or Economics/Business Studies/Accounting with minimum grade E and (3) in total 6 different subjects, preferably including English

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:

* 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.

Non-EU/EEA additional admission requirements: questionnaire and interview

Students from outside the European Economic Area need to fill out a questionnaire. After you apply for the programme through studielink, the admission support team will sent you the questionnaire by email and give you a deadline by when you need to fill out the questionnaire.

  • If you do fill out the questionnaire, afterwards you might need to take part in an interview. This is not the case for everyone and depends on the situation. You will be informed by email during the admission process if you need to take part in an interview. You are required to fill out the questionnaire and, if applicable, take part in the interview in order for us to continue processing your application.
  • If you don't fill out the questionnaire (in time), your application will be cancelled.

21+ admission


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
    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 special 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:
    1. a certified list of marks;
    2. 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.

Applying as an EU or international student
Dutch Students: Study Check
Documents you need to apply
What are the expenses?
How about housing?